UFC already looking to Silva vs. Henderson II prior to UFC 134
Did the UFC bite off more than it can chew with scheduling a live event on FOX in November?
The premiere MMA organization wants to put on the two best fights possible for its premiere on the broadcast network on Nov. 12, but reports from Tatame have the UFC setting up a possible rematch between Anderson Silva and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Dan Henderson.
Problem is, Silva is fighting Yushin Okami this Saturday at UFC 134.
Anderson Silva will put his belt on the line this Saturday, but the organization is already thinking on his next title defense. According to sources close to the situation, the middleweight champion is in talks with the UFC to fight Dan Henderson at UFC’s first show on FOX, scheduled to November 12, in California.
Anderson, who already defeated the former Pride champion in his long UFC career, tapping him in a rear-naked choke at UFC 82, fights the highly underdog Yushin Okami this Saturday, at UFC Rio, while Henderson waits to define his future with the end of his contract with Strikeforce.
Sources also indicated that if Henderson didn’t agree to move down to middleweight months after a heavyweight showdown against Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen is the option to replace him against Silva.
Sonnen is set to fight Brian Stann at UFC 136, and if Henderson doesn’t take this fight, he’d be taken out to fight Anderson. Stann, on the other hand, would potentially fight Vitor Belfort.
While Silva is the clear favorite to win this Saturday, we have seen in the past that it is never smart to schedule a match before another one is completed.
One of the owners of Zuffa and the UFC, Lorenzo Ferttita, also made these comments on the matter of the first FOX show.
We don’t have a main event set yet, we’ll find out probably after this Saturday, these fights in Rio, then we’ll set a main event. But it’ll be something big. It’ll be a big fight… I would love to do that. Anderson just needs a win.
While Henderson vs. Silva would be a big fight, as Henderson did well in the first round against “The Spider” before getting choked out in the second round, does “Hendo” really deserve an immediate middleweight title shot?
Henderson was handled by Jake Shields in his Strikeforce debut and then beat Renato Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante, and Fedor Emelianenko.
The win over Fedor was big for Henderson, but is it big enough to get an immediate match with Silva?
If anything, I would like to see Sonnen-Silva II. Sonnen was the only man to take Silva to the limit in the UFC and was the only guy that truly seemed to have his number.
But, no matter what I would like to see, Yushin Okami can ruin all of these plans on Saturday. Will the UFC actually be rooting against him to win?
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC
Tags: Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, Dana White, Fox, Lorenzo Ferttita, UFC 134, Yushin Okami
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