• UFC 146

Hendo open to JDS fight as Mir appears ruled out

ESPN staff
April 7, 2012
Could Dan Henderson challenge Junior Dos Santos? © Getty Images
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UFC light-heavyweight Dan Henderson has confirmed he would be happy to step up and fight Junior Dos Santos, after president Dana White revealed Frank Mir v Cain Velasquez will go ahead as planned.

Dos Santos was set to defend his heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem on May 26, but a failed drug test by Overeem has thrown the bout into jeopardy. The former Strikeforce man is yet to respond to the Nevada State Athletic Commission announcement, but it is expected he will not fight at UFC 146.

That leaves the UFC with three options. The first is to scrap the bout entirely, removing Dos Santos from the card. The second is to promote a fighter already on the card, like Mir or Velasquez, into a title bout, and the third is to arrange an entirely new opponent for Dos Santos.

The most expected outcome was that Mir would be cherry-picked from the Velasquez fight to take on Dos Santos, but White ruled out that possibility when tweeting: "Mir vs Cain will happen."

The names of Mark Hunt, who recently knocked out Cheick Kongo, and Dan Henderson, currently awaiting a title shot at 205lbs, have been mentioned - although it would be a big ask for Hendo to move up to heavyweight, just a couple of years after he competed down at middleweight.

Nevertheless, the veteran recently tweeted in response to being asked if he would take the JDS fight if offered: "For sure."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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