HENDERSON BACK TO 205, BABALU REMATCH LIKELY
Dan Henderson's Strikeforce debut didn't go quite the way the former UFC and Pride fighter had hoped. After nearly knocking out Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields in the opening round, Henderson faded late, worn down by Shields’ takedowns and ground and pound over the remaining rounds.
Looking for a return to action, Henderson plans to move back to 205 pounds after a rough weight cut made the fight against Shields that much harder. He could be staring down a rematch with Renato "Babalu" Sobral this fall.
The move to light heavyweight also virtually guarantees Henderson won't be a part of a possible Strikeforce middleweight tournament to crown a new champion now that Jake Shields has officially exited the promotion.
"Dan I believe when I talked to him over the weekend, I talked to Jordan, his manager, and they said they probably want to fight at 205 instead of 185," said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker when appearing on MMAWeekly.com Radio. "(They) felt that the weight cut was too much, and Dan would welcome to fight Babalu again, Gegard Mousasi, for a 205-pound contender's bout.
"I don't think you'll see Dan in the 185-pound tournament, although stranger things have happened in MMA, right?"
Mousasi is more than likely out of the running for a possible bout with Henderson due to his addition to the upcoming Dream Light Heavyweight Grand Prix that kicks off on July 10. He’ll face Jake O'Brien in the first round of that tournament.
As far as the timing for the fight, the Aug. 21 event seems off the table for Henderson's return, but a show in the fall would be a likely fit for a bout between Henderson and Babalu.
"We haven't finalized it, but I would think the top two guys, Babalu and Gegard, depends on what happens with Gegard, but I think a fight between Babalu and Dan is something we might pursue in the very near future," Coker stated.
"I don't want to disrespect, but I would like to fight (Henderson). It's going to be 11 years since I fought him. It's a long time, and please, it would be an honor to fight him again, to have the chance to fight Dan Henderson," said Sobral after his recent win over Robbie Lawler in Los Angeles.
Henderson and Sobral met for the first time in 2000 in the Rings "King of Kings" tournament. They fought to a decision, with Henderson getting the nod, but this was after both fighters had already fought two times earlier in the night
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Originally Posted by Luke
