• UFC 157

Henderson: Anderson picks easy fights

ESPN staff
February 18, 2013
Dan Henderson wants Luke Rockhold to fight Anderson Silva © Getty Images
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Dan Henderson has put the boot into Anderson Silva ahead of his own Brazilian test against Lyoto Machida this weekend, insisting Silva picks and chooses his fights.

Henderson is heading for a light-heavyweight showdown with Machida in the UFC 157 co-main event on Saturday. The show is headlined by the inaugural women's bout between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche.

Victory would see Henderson next in line for a shot at Jon Jones' 205lb title - after Jones fights Chael Sonnen in April.

But it is the 185lb champion on the American's mind. Silva has beaten Henderson once in the past but has shown little interest in a rematch, and Hendo says that is typical of the world's best fighter.

"I think Anderson, for the last five years, has tried to pick and choose who he fights and manipulates the UFC a little bit," Henderson told MMA Interviews.

"He didn't want to fight Chael [Sonnen] again, after the first time. Obviously, he did after a while. You know he didn't want to fight me again.

"He kind of tries to stay away from guys that are dangerous or have a dangerous style for him, especially because he's looking toward the end of his career and he wants to retire without losing again.

"It's not necessarily how a champ should be, but at the same time, he's trying to be smart about things. It's all debatable."

Henderson predicts former Strikeforce middleweight king Luke Rockhold would be a good test for Silva, who has fought Sonnen, Yushin Okami and Stephan Bonnar in his last three outings. Rockhold has his own chance to boost his title credentials with a UFC debut meeting against Vitor Belfort.

"I would like to see Luke Rockhold fight Anderson. I'd like to see that fight," Henderson said. "Luke's a good wrestler and he's decent enough on his feet where he's not going to get picked apart by Anderson without really making Anderson know that he's in a fight."

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