Dan Henderson appears to be a man with a world of options. Comfortable at both light heavyweight and middleweight, his winning streak and credentials in both Strikeforce and the UFC qualify him for a title shot. After his epic bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Henderson said he wanted to try for a title at whatever weight is first.
[Related: Y! Sports pound-for-pound rankings]
Unfortunately for Henderson, the light heavyweight belt will be contested in April, and the middleweight belt is up for grabs in June. He is involved in neither fight. The UFC's solution was to offer him Lyoto Machida, a former champ who most recently lost to Jon Jones in December.
"He doesn't want to fight Machida," [UFC president Dana] White said following Wednesday's UFC on FUEL event. "He doesn't want to wait. He's going to have to wait. Who does he want to fight? I don't know what to do with Dan. Dan's either going to have to wait for Jones or wait for Silva. Or fight somebody else."
Except, Henderson says he was never offered that bout. Via his Twitter account, Henderson disputed White's words.
Was never offered Machida. And even though he has lost 3 out of his last 4, I'm sure it would be entertaining.
Who to believe between the two? Though, as Henderson says, a bout with Machida could be interesting for fans to watch, it doesn't make any sense for Henderson. Dating back to when he held the belt, Machida has losses to Rua, Jones, and Quinton Jackson. His one win was over a retiring Randy Couture.
[Video: Watch Jon Jones get attacked by a police dog]
A win over Machida would get Henderson no closer to the title shot. MMA Fighting's Mike Chiappetta suggests that Henderson takes on the winner of next week's bout between Ryan Bader and Jackson. Though a win over Jackson would avenge a loss on Henderson's record, it could also jeopardize a chance to win a belt off Silva or Jones.
As much as it pains Henderson to sit idle, his best bet is to wait. What would you do in Henderson's shoes? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.
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