Tells me that...just like the Fedor deal...a decent chunk of the money would be coming from Showtime, not Strikeforce. Either that, or he's suggesting that if SF pays what Hendo wants, that means they're being irresponsible with their money and will soon go the way of Affliction.
I don't think Dana White would ever hint that Zuffa is short on money.

It wouldn't make sense for Hendo to go to Strikeforce now. He wants to be in the UFC and wants the money. He is a good draw, but if the UFC can't afford him then I really doubt that Strikeforce could. It'd be unlikely for him to go to Strikeforce out of spite or to leverage a better deal later out of UFC, his age wouldn't allow it. He knows he has a few years left to take a shot at Silva and the competitor in him won't let that go.
I think he'll eventually sign with the UFC unless Strikeforce wants to start down the Affliction road.

Hendo vs Masasi would be and awesome match, but then what else would there be? Don't do it Hendo!

just because dana didn't meet hendo's demands doesn't mean the ufc couldn't afford him, it just means they are not willing to.....they believe hendo is not worth what he thinks he is.....and i'm not sure how much he wanted but i'm willing to bet i would have made the same decision. hendo is no champion anymore, and will likely never be again unless he joins/stays in strikeforce until mousasi leaves.

I think at the end of the day it is more of a respect thing. The truth is Hendo is respected in the sport. A lot of fighters and fans like him, he is basically a fighters fighter. He wields a lot of respect in the world of MMA. Only time will tell if UFC was unwise to allow this type of move. It might inspire other fighters to follow suit. Sometimes the first guy you lose doesn’t matter, but then things add up and you eventually end up losing someone you didn’t want to lose. I understand this is a fearful way of looking at it, but this is the way savvy business works.
Sometimes it is smarter to play it safe. I think this was the game Hendo was attempting to play with the UFC but the UFC, being proud, wouldn’t bite. Hendo knows leaving the UFC and going to Strikeforce is not just the UFC losing a fighter… it is about making a statement. It might have been smarter for the UFC to hold onto Hendo even though as a fighter, they didn’t believe he was worth the money. Just to insure Hendo’s actions now don’t inspire a future mutiny.

The UFC showed that there is no fighter bigger than the orginization period. Ask Randy how it played out.

Apples and oranges. Randy Couture took on the UFC via a legal battle while he was still under contract. Hendo was promised a title fight and then was tooled with after his contract had expired. Hendo is well within his legal and moral rights to do what he did; Randy’s move was emotional, based mostly on ignorance. I applauded Hendo for having the balls to step away form the #1 organization and not settle. He might be paving the way for others to follow…

@ BearDown - with all due respect, your Couture example is off the mark. To the contrary, the UFC fought tooth and nail to prevent Randy from fighting outside the organization. If no fighter was bigger than the organization, the UFC would have let Couture leave and fight Fedor with Affliction or in Japan. Instead, they tied him up in litigation forcing him to return. A Fedor v. Couture fight outside of the UFC could have changed everything. UFC was smart to fight and keep Couture in the fold, but in that case, they were unwilling to risk letting him go fight for another.

Guys you're reading too much into the Randy comment. At the time of the turmoil Randy was one of, if not the biggest MMA star (besides Chuck) that the UFC had. He tried to use media and fan popularity as leverage to get what he wanted (that's what the Randy comment was about). If Hendo actually won a UFC title he might have a leg to stand on but he doesn't have a belt. He lost both title shots (205lbs. to Page and 185lbs to Anderson) and the only dominating show he has put on was against speed freak Bisbing. He's trying to pull a cash cow payday because he knows his time is limited (which I'm not mad at him for that). He has been given every chance to succeed in the UFC and be a title holder but he lost, plain and simple. Don't get me wrong, I like Hendo as a fighter and respect what he HAS done; you just don't bite the hand that feeds especially when you eat well.

The UFC showed that there is no fighter bigger than the orginization period. Ask AA how that played out.
Is that better for you? Picky. Picky.
Just going along the same lines as what Steven W touched on earlier #6 post.

Dana needs to quit being a [profane] and sign him and pay him what hes worth!

Dana needs to quit being a [profane] and sign him and pay him what hes worth!

I really hope people don't believe everything Dana is saying. Cofield does and reports as though everything Dana says is gospel...but those of us with more than half a brain should realize that Dana doesn't always tell us the truth. And Cofield goes right along with everything Dana says..."a line drawn in the sand"....Hendo "clearly" having the "ball in his court"....and "obscene" amount of money. But Brock can come in and get paid much more than Dan Henderson?? To those that argue about Dan not winning a belt in the UFC....I would only say that Hendo is a veteran fighter who has fought everyone put before him...and for the most part, he's done very well. He's a decent draw on ppvs and his popularity probably increased after TUF and ko'ing Bisping. I say it should be more about respect and everything Dan has done. Are you trying to tell me that the UFC couldn't "afford" Dan Henderson. Aren't the Fertitas like multi-billionaires. And doesn't Dana have quite a bit of money in his bank account? You guys can't afford him? Or you don't want to pay him what he is asking? I say if Hendo goes to SF, he won't be the last guy to move from UFC to SF.

That's backwards thinking. Just because someone has the money doesn't mean that they should give it all away. If they followed that logic then there wouldn't be an UFC. Dana has to play a careful role of payment. Pay one guy too much and everyone will want more money and end up sinking your profits.
At the end of the day this is still a business. Fighters are paid by the amount of fans they bring in. I really like Dan Henderson and love watching him fight, but I doubt he'd bring a huge draw alone as a headliner if he wasn't in a title fight.

Gutting Strikefarce of its financial resources is just part of Dana's brilliant plan for dismantling Strikefarce. When Hendo beats everyone that Strikefarce puts in to fight him, Strikefarce's credibility/relevance will be gutted also. After Strikefarce dies, Dana will welcome Hendo back into UFC. Dana's a genius.

Go back to selling insurance Justin. You make no sense. Are you kidding me?? Dana is a genius?? We'll see about that. So you aren't an MMA fan, you're a Dana fan, right?

Although i do appreciate what the UFC has done for the sport of MMA and i don't believe that it would have gone this far or anywhere with out them... I do believe that competition makes an opponent step up their game, so if strikeforce takes HENDO or another free agent fighter from the UFC side because Dana does not or will not pay what they feel they are worth then all the better for us (the fans). If strickeforce grew as large as UFC... imagine the level of competition.

Although i do appreciate what the UFC has done for the sport of MMA and i don't believe that it would have gone this far or anywhere with out them... I do believe that competition makes an opponent step up their game, so if strikeforce takes HENDO or another free agent fighter from the UFC side because Dana does not or will not pay what they feel they are worth then all the better for us (the fans). If strickeforce grew as large as UFC... imagine the level of competition.

"If they can afford to sign Dan Henderson and I couldn't, what's that tell you?"
That tells me that Dana is underpaying his fighters.

Dan was getting payed peanuts, he's getting older - he wants to make some Real money before he retires. Of course, to Dana - that's not doable apparently. He's not "worth" what he thinks he is.
Dana probably makes more money in a week than Henderson has made in his entire fighting career. What a joke the UFC is.

Fighters are not the only ones on the ufc payroll. The octagon doesn't assemble for free. And you Never know when they will buy out a rival.