MMAterial Facts 04/17/10: Strikeforce Nashville Edition – Dan Henderson Duels the UFC

• Dan Henderson duels the UFC
• Strikeforce banks on Temecula’s Henderson
• With win, Shields can write his own ticket
• Strikeforce’s Shields, Smith Lend Helping Hand At Nashville Make-A-Wish Dinner, Assist PETA
• EA Sports MMA: Pranks, Mayhem, and Strikeforce

Dan Henderson duels the UFC

A rematch with Silva was on the negotiating table as part of Henderson’s re-signing with UFC, he said, and so was a special deal to allow him a cut of first- and second-year profits from the UFC’s popular video game that featured his likeness.

“I never saw a dime,” Henderson says of the video game money. “Where do you think the money should go? The fighters are asked to sign away their likeness rights, and [the UFC] tries to get it forever.”

UFC President Dana White said he had “no interest” in responding to Henderson’s comments.

Another UFC business stance that irked Henderson was the company’s interest in charging apparel sponsors, like Henderson’s own Clinch Gear, a fee, such as $10,000 for four months of unlimited appearances in the UFC octagon. “It’s like UFC is sticking their hands in our pockets,” Henderson said.  (LA Times)

***

MMAPayout Notes:  This is a great read by the LA Times.  In the interview, Dan Henderson claims that he received a $650 weekly stipend for being a coach on TUF.  Henderson also states that Dana White told him he would write a $25,000 check for public appearances connected to a future bout after UFC 100, which he never received.  Another interesting note is that according to Henderson, being bumped from UFC 100 as the co-main event probably cost him around $1 million dollars.

Strikeforce banks on Temecula’s Henderson

But that doesn’t mean he won’t shy away from non-contact fights. Henderson criticized UFC recently for all their “red tape …” concerning the difficulties fighters have attaining sponsorships. He also chastised his former organization for not providing health coverage or retirement plans for fighters, saying that “there probably should be a fighters union.”

But Henderson signing a 16-month deal with Strikeforce went beyond differences with the UFC, his being denied a rematch with UFC superstar Anderson Silva or the fact that he’s now better paid.

He said the big attraction to Strikeforce was the chance to compete in front of what may be his largest audience yet.  (The Press Enterprise)

Strikeforce’s Shields, Smith Lend Helping Hand At Nashville Make-A-Wish Dinner, Assist PETA

STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight Champion Jake Shields and middleweight star  Scott “Hands Of Steel” Smith participated at former Tennessee Titan Kevin Carter’s Ninth Annual “Waiting For Wishes” Celebrity Waiter’s Dinner at The Palm on Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn.

The event, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee, included a silent and live auction and was attended by NFL players, professional athletes from all sports, and countless celebrities.

Shields and Smith were among those who served as waiters. (Strikeforce)

***

Strikeforce champ Shields is a vegetarian and proud of it

When getting down to fighting weight for his bout with Dan Henderson, Jake Shields won’t have to cut steak out of his diet. The Strikeforce middleweight champion is a vegeterian, and is the latest to star in an ad for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

…

“My last fight, I fought Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller,” he said in a PETA press release. “He came into the press conference with his fur coat … [s]o it was nice to go out there and kick his [expletive].”  (CageWriter)

With win, Shields can write his own ticket

Shields’ contract with Strikeforce is near its end. Technically, he still has one fight left after Saturday, but Shields says he has no championship clause like those in UFC deals, where the contract extends as long as you hold a championship. But he noted that the contract is running low on time, and that it’s doubtful he’ll get that last fight in before it runs out. At that point, he’ll be a free agent.

With UFC aggressively attempting to counter Strikeforce, and with a win over Henderson in a CBS main event on his resume, Shields couldn’t be in a better place at a more perfect time. Signing up a champion coming off a win over an established star on CBS would be lure enough, but with Shields, a win over Henderson would make him the most attractive potential opponent for UFC’s most popular fighter, Georges St. Pierre.  (Yahoo! Sports)

EA Sports MMA: Pranks, Mayhem, and Strikeforce

EA Sports MMA will use a modified version of the Fight Night engine, so it’s natural to assume that the game will have the striking game down cold. But, according to Jackson, the complexity of the sport of mixed martial arts has resulted in a lot of work to that engine in order to properly replicate what happens in the octagon. “The striking controls are pretty naturally mapped,” Jackson said. “They feel good on the sticks. The one thing that was a weakness when [Fight Night Round 4] came out was their lack of button controls, and a lot of people ripped them apart for them. We knew that from the very start, too, that we wanted button controls in there, so we’ve added that. We’ve also had to do a lot of different things. In the boxing AI, there are only so many things you can do. You have a few main stances and so many punches you can throw out of it. The world opens up to a whole different level in MMA, and so a lot of different AI hooks had to be added and different ways to teach the AI how to fight.”   (GameSpot)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

• MMA Live: 4-15-10 – MMA Live recaps UFC 112. Why is Anderson Silva feeling the heat? B.J. Penn offers his explanation on losing the lightweight gold. Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi stop by in advance of the Strikeforce card this weekend on CBS.

IMAGES OF THE DAY

QUICK HITS

• Video: Strikeforce ‘Nashville’ Weigh-ins (Sherdog)
• Mousasi Re-Signs 2-Year Deal with Strikeforce (Sherdog)
• Strikeforce Notebook: Kid Yamamoto, ‘Jacare’ Souza Fights Targeted (MMAFighting)
• Strikeforce Set for June 16 in LA, Possibly Featuring ‘Mayhem’ vs. Lawler (MMAFighting)
• Strikeforce confirms June 16 event at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles (MMAJunkie)
• Lightweight Roger Huerta returns at Bellator 17 on May 6 in Boston (MMAJunkie)
• Matt Lindland vs. Kevin Casey in the works for Strikeforce Challengers 8 (MMAJunkie)
• ARCO Arena hosts “Aldo vs. Faber” weigh-ins, autograph sessions on April 23 (MMAJunkie)
• RAMPAGE AND RASHAD GO UFC PRIMETIME ON SPIKE (MMAWeekly)
• KING MO NOT LACKING CONFIDENCE VS. MOUSASI (MMAWeekly)
• STRIKEFORCE EXPECTS LOTS OF OVEREEM IN 2010 (MMAWeekly)
• “EA Sports MMA” Preview (Heavy)

TV LISTINGS

• Fighting Words with Mike Straka (feat. Mousasi and King Mo) at 8:30 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• HDNet Fights Vault: Affliction Day Of Reckoning at 8 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• InsideMMA (Thiago Alves, Tyson Griffin) at 9 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• HDNet Fights: KOTC Bad Boys Too at 10 PM ET on HDNet (04/16/10)
• Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Strikeforce Nashville: Henderson vs Shields at 11 PM ET/PT on CBS (04/17/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XV at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/24/10)
• WEC 48: Aldo vs Faber at 10 PM ET on PPV (04/24/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVI at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (04/29/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/06/10)
• HDNet Fights: MFC Vindication at 10 PM ET on HDNet (05/07/10)
• UFC 113 : Machida vs Shogun 2 at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/08/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XVIII at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/13/10)
• Strikeforce St. Louis: Overeem vs Rogers at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime (05/15/10)
• Bellator Fighting Championships XIX at 7:30 PM ET on FSN (05/20/10)
• UFC 114 : Rampage vs Evans at 10 PM ET on PPV (05/29/10)