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Wed Oct 28, 2009 12:45 pm EDT

Free agent Henderson defends his UFC salary demands

By Steve Cofield

There will be no war of words. It's not in Dan Henderson's personality to flip out on the UFC and Dana White during this free agent negotiation period. Henderson's lawyer did meet with Strikeforce's Scott Coker last week. That fact was confirmed by White who happened to be eating at the same Los Angeles restaurant last Wednesday. White says the negotiations are dead between Hendo and the promotion, the fighter paints a more patient picture during the interview Canada's Sportsnet. White told the media at UFC 104 that his offer was huge and he be shocked if any other promotion can match it:

"He'd like to think that's true, you know I disagree. And feel like I'm worth more than they're offering. And I don't feel like I'm asking for way too much."

Some rumors unconfirmed rumors have place the number at $5 million per fight. White said Henderson is asking for more than anyone else in the UFC currently makes:

"I know that they've signed other deals that are a lot more than my deal or what I'm asking for. I'm always a fair guy and I'm not trying to hold anyone oer a barrel."

Henderson suggests it's closer than people think:

"Sure we're at a little bit of sticking point but either way I'm pretty confident I'll be fighting first of February."

Henderson said he's willing to walk from the UFC but he understands their position. He'll be at the Strikeforce event next week in Chicago cornering Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. 

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92 Comments

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  1. AndreH
    1. Posted by AndreH Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:02 pm EDT

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    Geez, I'm not normally critical about these things, but does anyone proof-read these articles before their "printed" There are numerous OBVIOUS errors in this article
  2. AndreH
    2. Posted by AndreH Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:03 pm EDT

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    *they're* I see the irony, but the difference is I just woke up and am not a professional writer
  3. Fabricio P
    3. Posted by Fabricio P Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:36 pm EDT

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    5 Million? He's in the wrong sport and his last name is not De LaHoya. He's not even the champion, Machida got 200K for this last fight. Lesnar is the biggest pay-per-view draw and he "only" got 3 million his last fight.
  4. myke r
    4. Posted by myke r Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:39 pm EDT

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    What a douche you are AndreH
  5. ryan w
    5. Posted by ryan w Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    Henderson is a bigger draw for the UFC than Machida which would technically mean that he should get more than Machida. But life isn't fair and the UFC is a business. No matter what happens, Hendo will fight again and the UFC will hold another fight card.
  6. Allen
    6. Posted by Allen Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:46 pm EDT

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    5 million a fight or 5 million as a total for all his stipulated fights?
    I know the UFC is tight with their money, but if it is 5 million a fight, that's a little over the top.
    I saw Dana as the villain in this one at first, but it's looking like Dan is asking a lot more then he is worth.
    The KO of Bisping was great, but not 5 million great.
    And if Stirkeforce is going to pay those kind of prices for fighters, one has to ask how long will they last?
  7. Allen
    7. Posted by Allen Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:47 pm EDT

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    And come one Dan, you got a free Range Rover out of your coaching deal....doesn't that count for something?
  8. JJ
    8. Posted by JJ Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:01 pm EDT

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    Cofield says.."Some rumors unconfirmed rumors have place the number at $5 million per fight." (The sentence makes no sense but we get the point.) Does anybody really believe that Hendo is asking for $5 million per fight? And where did Cofield hear about "some rumors unconfirmed rumors that have place the number at $5 million." Are they (the UFC and Cofield) trying to make Hendo out to be the bad guy? I don't believe Dana when he says Hendo is asking for too much and that the UFC "can't afford" him.
  9. Robert C
    9. Posted by Robert C Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:04 pm EDT

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    As long as there are guys on a card that make 5 grand, there should not be one that makes 5 million.
    I understand the undercard guys are not the big draw, but paying them 5 - 10 grand is pretty bad. I am not saying they should make 50 grand a fight. But I do think they should make a minimum of 15-20. Maybe we would get some better fighters if the low money was higher. Most guys can't afford to train for 8 weeks and only get paid 5-10 grand. They have to work full time and train when they can. If they are on a UFC card, then they have already been through the low pay stage and should be making enough that they can now train full time. Just my opinion.
    We would really need to know how much Hendo was paid in his last 4 fights before we could determine what he should be paid now. Maybe he was grossly underpaid and wants the UFC to make up for it.... I don't know.
  10. Sandman
    10. Posted by Sandman Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:10 pm EDT

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    The claims in this article are too vague to make an informed judgment. We do not know what Hendo is asking for, nor do we know what was offered to him by the UFC. I do not think we can (the uninformed public) can make a rational, evidenced-based decision. We know nothing.
  11. Rob R
    11. Posted by Rob R Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:18 pm EDT

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    JJ...There is NO WAY POSSIBLE Hendo asked for anything approaching 5 million.
    The fact that there are any rumors at all to that effect makes me completely call into question every rumor we heard about the Emelianenko negotiations.
    I could understand if he wanted a guaranteed $500K with some upside based on win bonus and PPV/gate, but there's no way he asked for $5MM.
  12. CSampson
    12. Posted by CSampson Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:34 pm EDT

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    #3: Lesnar may only get $3M as his disclosed purse, but you can be sure he is also taking home some % of the PPV numbers. Alot of the top drawing guys (randy, brock, chuck, rampage, etc) have PPV revenue in their contracts on top of their fight purses. That plus undisclosed bonuses, and I wouldnt be suprised to learn Brock is making something like $5M per fight.
  13. JJ
    13. Posted by JJ Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:40 pm EDT

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    Who in their right mind would even say Dan is wanting $5 million per fight. Makes me really question Cofield's motives/credibility (again) to even add that sentence to his story. I just have a hard time believing everything Dana says. He's a very good salesman. Almost like a politician...but one that isn't afraid to say f**k you.
  14. Rob R
    14. Posted by Rob R Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:49 pm EDT

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    CSampson...I don't remember the exact amount, but Lesnar's disclosed salary for UFC 100 was, I think, closer to $600K. The $3MM was an estimated number based on reported gate and PPV...and even then I'm not sure where they would have gotten the information to figure out what Lesnar's percentage cut was.
    But yeah...his disclosed was under a million. The undisclosed money was what pushed it up to the $3MM we all talk about.
  15. Fabricio P
    15. Posted by Fabricio P Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

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    If he's really seeking 5 million then he's probably smoking the Rampage pipe because his last fight he received 350K including bonus and 250K and 170K for the fights before that.
  16. Sandman
    16. Posted by Sandman Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:55 pm EDT

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    It will be a shame if the UFC loses Hendo. But if they do keep him--I'd love to see a rematch with Vitor. I think his earlier victory is not at all representative of the Vitor of today. And Dan clearly has little or no respect for Vitor. In any case, it would be an interesting bout.
  17. joenamath54
    17. Posted by joenamath54 Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:55 pm EDT

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    No way is he a $5 mill per fight draw. maybe over a 5 fight deal. hell anderson silva makes less than a mill per fight. i like hendo, but he is getting long in the tooth.
  18. Rob R
    18. Posted by Rob R Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:55 pm EDT

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    JJ...It wouldn't surprise me if Hendo asked for bigger guaranteed money than anyone else in the UFC because, honestly, nobody's disclosed salary is all that high. If that's the truth, then I imagine they can come to an agreement.
    It also wouldn't surprise me if Hendo asked for a bigger PPV cut than anyone else currently gets. If Hendo is going to insist on that, it's going to be a tough sell, because you know when Lesnar's contract is up, he's going to make sure he gets a bigger cut than Hendo, and it'll get out of control.
    I wonder how much of a draw Hendo actually thinks he is. I can name at least 5 bigger (in the US, at least) draws, and I'm sure there are more:
    - Lesnar
    - GSP
    - BJ Penn
    - Forrest Griffin (though his stock is way down after the UFC 101 Sprint)
    - Randy Couture
  19. Rob R
    19. Posted by Rob R Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:01 pm EDT

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    Joe...Yes, that's another problem with Hendo demanding so much money. He's about 39, right? Once you reach that age, every fight could be your last, and you really don't have that much upside anymore. There's only one Randy Couture.
    If anybody could bend UFC over, it's guys like GSP, BJ Penn, and Rashad Evans, who are still 30 or younger, extremely marketable, and seem to be getting better and better. If they jumped ship, they would give instant credibility to whatever promotion lands them for years to come. Mousasi is that guy too.
  20. Lincoln
    20. Posted by Lincoln Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:24 pm EDT

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    Sandman, you are correct! We have nothing of the sort to validate the claims made against Hendo, and I am not one to go off Coefleld's take; we all know how solid his credibility is! I think we should let this unwind a bit more, and stop OVERREACTING to the speculations that are being made, because their just that, speculations. I for one don't know Hendo on a personal level, therefore I have no right to assume that I know what he is claiming is right or wrong. I will tell you one thing though, I will give Hendo the benefit of the doubt anytime over that of Dana's!! The guy is a promoter, he only cares about money, hence Kimbo in the UFC!
  21. MikeD
    21. Posted by MikeD Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:29 pm EDT

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    are there really people out there dumb enough to believe he asked for 5m up front per fight?
  22. Jeff C
    22. Posted by Jeff C Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:44 pm EDT

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    MikeD, judging by some of the comments on this post, apparently there are some tards out there thinking that Hendo would ask for that much. There are really only a few fighters out there that would. Let's not forget that Fedor's offer was somewhere around $30mil for 5-6 fights + who knows what else on top of that. I think it's more realistic Hendo asked for $5mil total contract + a %ppv. He is 39, but can anyone really say his ability has dropped that much? At the same time, he's a legend, but not the biggest draw, although the UFC 100 exposure did help. Cofield really shouldn't write these things while he's being bent over by Dana. Rumors by there definition are often uncomfirmed. Use a spellcheck you hack. Hendo should really kick every one of your dumba@@es for thinking he's that dumb. This is most likely his last contract, I don't blame him for trying to milk it. Hopefully he stays in the UFC.
  23. JJ
    23. Posted by JJ Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:03 pm EDT

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    Allright Jeff C...now you dun it. Da only hak i seen is da one coming frum your moth. if Dana say he offerd Dan good money...he offerd Dan good money. Dats dat. Dana dont ly lik dumm dumm rampge who sed he waz gonna fite rashad but chikened out and went all holliewood on us. now brocks lesser..he scard to fite shane and sed he too sik. hes ducky shane cuz he scard. and dan dont get 5 million dollers frum dana. No way. He dumm. he can go to strikefarce..ha ha..dat wat dana call dem..and fite dum feder cuz feder scard two. my frends at aka gona beet dan, rampge, and matt hues. dat how we roll. i gonna intrvew more ufc fiters accept tito cuz he alwys tak trash. god gina is hot. I hurt my leg today bad. it mite be broke....just lik strikefarce when day go banrupt cuz ufc rules fourever. Well, dat my blog for toda....
  24. mathiasmorciglio
    24. Posted by mathiasmorciglio Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:35 pm EDT

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    I hope they can come to an agreement, I'd like to see Dan stay in the UFC. As far as $5mil a fight? That's too much. did he actually ask for that much? Who knows. Though I'd say it's unlikely that he'll get paid more by another promoter. Regardless of what you think of the UFC, they are on the top tier when it comes to paying MMA fighters, the only people who ever outbid them were Affliction, and we all know how that turned out.
  25. AdamG
    25. Posted by AdamG Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    I like Hendo, but I don't buy a card out of loyalty if he's on it. There are only a few fighters with that kind of drawing power, and Henderson isn't one of them.

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