Dan Henderson Leaves the UFC?

Via Bloody Elbow via Kevin Iole:

Dan Henderson’s career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship has ground to a close in a contract stalemate, and the former two-division PRIDE champion appears on the verge of signing a deal with the rival Strikeforce promotion.

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Henderson could not be reached for comment Friday, but White confirmed he was unable to come to terms with Henderson. White did not immediately confirm whether the UFC retains the right to match contract offers under the terms of Henderson’s previous deal. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker did not return phone calls.

White, though, said he wanted to re-sign Henderson but couldn’t agree on the money in a new deal.

"We have a good relationship with Henderson, and there are no hard feelings," White said. "He had a figure he believed he was worth, and we had our own figure, and we weren’t able to get together."

If this turns out to be true it is a huge step for Strikeforce.  By far Strikeforce gains more than the UFC loses.  The UFC has two current legitimate title contenders and decent core of young talent.  Strikeforce was going to have serious trouble finding a title contender for Mousasi and that would be a mega fight for hard core MMA fans.  I was skeptical of Strikeforce forming a consistent promotion with depth at the top, but this is a huge step in the right direction.  Congrats to Scott Coker and company and hats off for Dana apparently taking the high road.  Without a doubt there is more to come.

UPDATE: Aaron Crecy spoke with Michael David Smith:

Responding to a Yahoo Sports report that Henderson is "on the verge of signing" with Strikeforce, Henderson's friend and business partner Aaron Crecy said that wasn't the case, and that no signing with anyone is imminent.

"We had a brief get-to-know-you session with (Strikeforce) and met them for coffee, but to say he's close to signing would be a gross misrepresentation," Crecy said.

When reached by FanHouse, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said, "We've had dialogue with Dan but that's all I'd like to say."