Hendo says he had to 'swallow his pride and accept a salary reduction' to renew with UFC

the career of Dan Henderson has gone through completely different moments in recent years. Just over two years ago, in 2011, the American veteran achieved an incredible sequence of victories over Fedor Emelianenko e Mauritius Shogun, which qualified him to face Jon Jones for the UFC belt. However, after an injury and three consecutive defeats (including his first knockout, against Vitor belfort), the situation is different.

After his last fight in November 2013, Henderson's UFC contract expired. And, to renew the agreement, the fighter had to accept a reduction in his purse. In an interview with the North American website Bloody Elbow, “Hendo” stated that the current MMA scenario does not present many alternatives other than the UFC.

“I kind of had to swallow my pride and accept the pay cut. They're giving me the chance to return to where I've been if I win some fights. It could be worse, but it could also be better”, explained the American.

“I know Bellator is looking for its place in the sun, but they are spending more money than they are attracting. I'm not so sure about WSOF. I think they do things thinking more economically. There are no other organizations that can pay what the UFC pays its top tier fighters. The UFC is big enough to pay its fighters decently, so you can’t complain too much,” continued Henderson, 43 years old and an MMA professional since 1997.

The first fight of his new contract has already been scheduled: it will be a rematch against Mauritius Shogun at UFC Fight Night 38, on March 23, in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte.