According to UFC president Dana White, it’s Jon Jones or bust for Dan Henderson (Pictured). Instead of looking to solidify his next in line status, White claims Henderson is willing to play the waiting game until Jones becomes available.
“Dan Henderson’s in a position right now where it looks like he wants to wait for Jon Jones,” White said following Thursday’s press conference. “We’ll see what happens with this Rashad [Evans] fight.”
Henderson was hoping his instant classic win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua this past November would have allowed him to leapfrog into a title bout. He was so hellbent on immediately fighting for the hardware that he turned down a bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at “UFC on FUEL 2.”
Unfortunately for the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, White has always considered him as Option B behind Evans.
Following last Saturday’s lopsided unanimous decision victory over Phil Davis, Evans earned next dibs at Jones’ strap. Although nothing has been officially announced by the organization, “Suga” is expected to challenge his friend-turned-foe for his crown at UFC 145 on April 21st.
Just in case you were wondering, “Bones” is an overwhelming 6-to-1 favorite to successfully defend his throne against Evans. So if the Gambling Gods prove correct, Jones will be Henderson’s next opponent.
If Hendo is in fact content on taking a bit of a sabbatical, the 41-year-old could be riding the pine until the summertime.
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