Dan Henderson

By Joshua Molina

It just gets worse for Dan Henderson.  He was days from a UFC Light Heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones, but a knee injury forced him out.

Rather than getting a title shot when he healed, UFC President Dana White threw him in the cage with Lyoto Machida.  Machida won a decision, largely because he was able to negate Henderson’s power with his awkward stand-up.  The loss pushed Henderson back and away from the title picture.

And now he has to fight Rashad Evans in his road back to Jones. At 42, Henderson just doesn’t have the time to work his way back into the title picture.  Like Machida, Evans will present a stiff challenge for the slower Henderson.  It’s a bad fight for Henderson to take.

White should stop messing with Henderson and give the guy a title shot. He’s earned it, and the knee injury and close loss to Machida shouldn’t stop him.  Machida instead gets the title shot. It will be the second for Machida, who was choked out by Jones already.  He has about as much of a chance of beating Jones as Chael Sonnen does, which is none.

For Henderson, the clock is ticking, ticking on a great fighter’s career thanks to White, who has matched him up in bad fights ever since he pulled out of UFC 151 with a knee injury, about a week before the fight.

At this rate, Henderson could be 44 yesrs old before he gets a title shot.