On Monday, news spread across the MMA world that Dan Henderson signed with Strikeforce. It's a big deal for a couple of reasons: Henderson is a former 2-time Pride champion and a legend in the sport, he's been featured on The Ultimate Fighter and was one of the UFC's most flexible fighters. He brings much-needed validity to Strikeforce's 185 and 205-pound divisions.
So how should Strikeforce use Dan Henderson?
There is talk that he could face middleweight champion Jake Shields on the proposed CBS show in April. Getting him on CBS is a good move, but pitting him against Shields is not.
Henderson should face light-heavyweight Gegard Mousasi right away. If he doesn't who is going to fight Mousasi? Strikeforce literally doesn't have another top-15 205-pounded under contract and there is no one of interest from Dream who could come to the states, either. If Henderson fights at middleweight first, it means Mousasi wouldn't appear for Strikeforce for quite awhile.
Also, what if Dan Henderson loses to Jake Shields? It's not likely considering the size, strength and experience advantages that Henderson holds over Shields, but in MMA anything is possible. And it would take a lot of luster off a potential title fight with Mousasi. Would people want to see the Henderson who knocked out Bisping fight for the title or the Henderson who just lost to Jake Shields?
If Henderson loses to Mousasi, which I believe is a strong possibility, it's much easier to drop down and sell a fight at middleweight. The UFC took the same path when he came over from Pride and fought Rampage Jackson first before going down to take on 185-champ Anderson Silva.
While either path isn't a death sentence for Henderson, it just makes more sense to have him start at 205. I hope Strikeforce agrees.
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