White: Don’t Expect Henderson Back in the UFC

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- UFC President Dana White practically slammed the door shut on recently defected top-five middleweight Dan Henderson, who announced that he’d signed a four-fight 16-month deal with Strikeforce on Monday. White said Thursday that he felt Henderson would end his career in the rival promotion.

“Dan probably won’t be back in the UFC, nope,” said a resigned White. “He’ll probably retire over there.”

The UFC president also reiterated comments he’d made earlier this week, stating that he felt he was responsible for expediting the former two-division Pride champion’s departure.

“I’m happy with [Henderson going to Strikeforce], I’m very happy with it, couldn’t be happier with it,” said White. “Like I said, I pushed him to do that. I started taking s--t off the table and that made him make his decision to go with them.”

The hyperbolic UFC headman went on to declare that Henderson was worthless to the company. He told the press Thursday that he may be an asset “to them maybe, but not to me.”

The strong words are nothing new from White, who is known for his sharp tongue and hair trigger, but throughout his four-month negotiations with the fighter, he continuously talked up his friendship with Henderson. With Henderson’s signing, that relationship has apparently been irreparably harmed.

“It’s over between me and Dan,” said White. “I’m not sitting in front of the media talking s--t on him. I talked to him on the phone, we talked, and I told him exactly how it is.”