How Dan Henderson will shake the UFC to its core
There isn’t a lot that has been able to threaten the UFC in the business of MMA for the past 5 to 6 years. Elite XC was a joke, Pride fell away, and Affliction collapsed under it’s own mismanagement. Fighters from these failed clubs have all flocked to the UFC turning it into the unstoppable juggernaut of MMA competition that it is today. Or so we thought. Strikeforce, arguably UFC’s biggest competitor, has been slowly sneaking under the radar gaining steam bit by bit. At first it seemed just a thorn in the UFC’s side, but with the acquisition of Fedor, deals with CBS, and a women’s division Strikeforce became more than just a thorn. They became a threat. Now all of this you could argue are things UFC can handle no problem, that is until you bring in the one key factor that can change the game. Dan Henderson.
So why is Hendo so special you ask? This is a good question. After all the UFC has plenty of top name fighters. So they lose one of their big names to another club, no big deal right? Wrong! It is a huge deal and here is why. The context and significance of Hendo moving to Strikeforce is much bigger than what we all think. This is because this would officially recognize Strikeforce as THE alternative to the UFC monopoly. Before there was a competitor, the UFC had a stranglehold on the industry. They told you who to fight and when to fight. If you didn’t like it, you could walk. The only problem is there was nowhere to walk to. However, it appears that there now IS a place to walk to. Strikeforce.
The possibility of Hendo walking is the essence of UFC’s ego beginning to hurt it’s bottom line. Everyone and their mother knew that Hendo was the first in line for the title shot against Silva. Worst case, Hendo was to fight Nate and the winner of that fight would get Silva with belt in hand. However, Hendo now has to not only fight Nate, but he was passed over for Vitor Belfort. This is BS for two reasons. One, Vitor had just gotten back into the UFC from a long hiatus from it. Two, his victory against Franklin wasn’t even in the right DIVISION. So I don’t see how Vitor could get to cut in front of Hendo so easily. UFC of course felt they could make these moves knowing their powerful position, but Hendo challenges this in a big way.
No longer can UFC feel safe about their decisions. They will still be able to flex their muscles with young and fresh fighters. These fighters are still building a resume and need the UFC more than the UFC needs them. The seasoned veterans though could pose an interesting problem for the UFC. After all, if Strikeforce is good enough for Hendo and Fedor who’s to say it’s not good enough for them? If Hendo decides to officially switch teams, we could potentially see a slow migration of big name fighters from UFC, disgruntled with management and looking for new opportunity, to Strikeforce. Even if Hendo has no intention of joining Strikeforce and is bluffing, I still like the move. It keeps all organizations on their toes, letting them know that competition is alive and well in all forms of sports, including MMA, and that is something that should be rocking UFC to its very core.
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