"I have enough bling"

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Sherdog spoke with Dan Henderson's camp and they categorically deny Dana White's claims about Henderson's position in the current dead contract negotiations.

"I'm not comfortable discussing contract negotiations in a public forum, but I'd have to respectfully disagree with both statements," said Henderson through a representative on Thursday. "I am neither seeking to be the highest paid athlete in the UFC, nor am I ugly."

The ugly comment came from White's previous statement where said, "You'll never hear me say a bad thing about Dan Henderson, other than he's ugly, and that's just the truth."

Henderson's manager, Aaron Crecy, also commented on the situation,

"Contracts are confidential, so that statement's impossible to prove or disprove," said Crecy. "However, we have done our due diligence. We certainly don't believe that to be the case. Dan understands and we have a certain belief on where he stands in the hierarchy. Certainly there are champions and former UFC champions that deserve to be paid more than Dan."

I think camp Henderson wins the battle in terms of whose comments are more professional sounding but team Zuffa wins on the unintentional humor front.

According to Sherdog the rumor regarding the main sticking point in the negotiations centers around a seven-figure signing bonus, which have been given out in the past but have not been disclosed.

For Henderson, a thirty-nine year old veteran, cashing in with a major signing bonus makes sense for his long-term financial security. 

From the UFC's perspective, investing a large sum of money in an elder fighter, who is not a top pay-per view draw, might set a dangerous precedent in their eyes.

Hopefully there is room for compromise, maybe a smaller bonus with some added financial incentives, perhaps attached to a title fight with the winner of the Anderson Silva Vitor Belfort fight at UFC 108.

Unfortunately for fans it seems that each side is entrenched in their positions and a representative from Henderson's camp met with Strikeforce recently...