There is only one problem. He's 40 years old. His Strikeforce contract paid him a ridiculous amount of money, a sum that the UFC chose not to match when he left the organization in 2009. There was a meme for much of his career that his unofficial nickname was "Decision Dan" because he wouldn't look for a finish, instead winning fights by control. Now on a three fight win streak with all coming by way of stoppage, it would appear as if he's turned a corner in his professional career. But the real question is: now that he's unemployed, where does he go from here?
A likely option is he signs with the UFC. The MMA media played up his relationship with Dana White following his departure for Strikeforce, but it always felt like they were reaching for a story. The two would trade witty barbs on Twitter and interviews, a clear contrast from Dana's usual "scorched earth" campaign. With Dana's disdain for M-1 Global, last night's win could result in Hendo receiving beaucoup bucks and a brand new UFC contract to finish his MMA career. He is in an interesting position where the UFC's Light Heavyweight division is both incredibly deep but lacks the depth at the top to create new and competitive fights.
Should he sign with the UFC, I expect that he'd be placed in immediate title contention, most likely against the winner of Mauricio Rua and Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. Either fight would be great in a divisional sense to determine a possible shot at the Light Heavyweight belt should Rashad Evan's be successful against Tito Ortiz next weekend to become the number one contender. He also could face Lyoto Machida or the loser of Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson. Any of those fights would be interesting and would really tell us how much Henderson has left in his "tank".
There are other options though besides the UFC, as unlikely as they are. BAMMA appears to be making a play for relevancy signing Nate Marquardt to a deal and discussing intentions of signing Alistair Overeem. They're the most popular UK brand and seem to have a bank roll to pay top fighters. The only real problem is that they don't have a Light Heavyweight division. Another option could be Bellator, a company that is just begging for fans' acceptance of their brand of fighting. They've done a decent job of developing some prospects but lack the depth at 205 pounds to really be viewed as a real competitor in negotiations for Dan Henderson's services. The only interesting matchup they could produce would be Henderson vs Hector Lombard for the Middleweight belt, though at 40, how likely is Henderson to make that cut?
The last option is that he retires. He's had a long and storied MMA career and could decide it's a nice way to leave the sport. He just defeated one of the the all time MMA greats in stunning fashion and has a career that few will ever come close to matching. He's held titles in every organization he's competed in and retirement is something he's long deserved. He leaves a legacy of being a better version of Randy Couture, as fighter who has done much more in a shorter period of time. If he does choose to retire, he's doing so on his terms. I'll be disappointed if Saturday night was the last time I'll see Dan Henderson compete in MMA. He would be going out like Frank Sinatra, his way. And that's the only way a legend should leave. With dignity, grace, and on a win.