MMA News: Dan Henderson, Thiago Alves, Lorenzo Fertitta, Nick Diaz and More

Contrary to what has been reported, Dan Henderson says he’s not waiting for the winner between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans before taking another fight.

“That was never what I said or anything. I don’t know who said that, but it wasn’t me. My thoughts were I was waiting to see what happened with Rashad [Evans] and Phil Davis. That was the only thing I was going to wait for…Obviously you can’t guarantee that nobody gets hurt. I don’t know what the plan is, but I’d fight whoever it is they think would be a good match-up. The problem is there’s really nobody right now who fits the bill for a title contention fight, that would make sense to fight me. I don’t know. Maybe I’d fight at a different weight class. I don’t know if they see anybody at heavyweight that would make sense? But I would prefer to fight someone in April or May.”

Well, that’s his choice. He did mention he would entertain a rematch with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson should Jackson defeat Ryan Bader in Japan, and that’s a fight I would love to see. But, it is a good thing to keep active, so taking a fight between now and his potential title shot could definitely work in his favor.

MMAJunkie.com caught up with Thiago Alves and asked him about his upcoming fight with Martin Kampmann, and where he sees his career going.

“I asked for that fight, to be honest with you. I think it’s going to be a great fight for both of us. We match up pretty well. We kind of got the same skills. It’s going to be a great fight for the fans. At the same time, I want to see who’s the best; who’s the best striker, who’s the best all-around fighter. I’m very excited. I’m training really, really hard. I can’t wait to get in there…I truly believe after this fight, if I beat Kampmann, it’s going to be like I never lost to Rick Story. I think one fight more, and another one, maybe two. I don’t know. But definitely after this fight I’m on my way to fight for the title again…It’s (winning a title) everything for me. That’s everything I’ve been working for since I got out of Brazil. It’s what I think about every day. It’s how I work. It’s how I take my day. It’s how I live my life, to become a world champion. I know it’s just a matter of time.”

Defeating Martin Kampmann will go a long way in terms of getting another shot at the title. As long as he keeps winning, and winning like he’s been winning, he’s absolutely correct, it’s only a matter of time before he gets another crack and championship gold.

According to UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta on Twitter, former UFC heavyweight champions Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez are on a collision course, and former light heavyweight champs Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz are in line to close their a trilogy. No date for either fight was revealed.

Fertitta had a case of insomnia and was revealing all sorts of interesting tidbits of knowledge. I really like the Velasquez/Mir fight, and while most don’t really care for the Ortiz/Griffin 3, I think it’ll be a good one. The first fight Ortiz won, even though I would’ve scored it for Griffin. And the second, Griffin won, even though I would’ve scored it for Ortiz. Who knows how the third one will play out?

UFC owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta addressed Nick Diaz’s failed drug test situation on his Twitter account early this morning while answering questions from fans. “He will be back. [I] really like the kid [he] just needs to get it together. I’m a sap for real fighters.”

I know some people think Diaz should lose his job for this infraction, but I’m not one of those. Technically speaking, he has doctor’s permission to use marijuana in California. He definitely broke the rules and should be fined, and even suspended, but his job should be intact.

UFC owner and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta continued to answer questions from fans and reveal two huge matchups coming this summer. First, the UFC Heavyweight Championship showdown between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem is being targeted for the UFC’s Memorial Day weekend UFC 146 event in Las Vegas. Second, the UFC Bantamweight Championship fight between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz is set to headline UFC 148 on July 7.

Both of these fights are going to be awesome. And for Faber and Cruz, this will be the second straight year they have fought on the Independence Day Card. I guess Faber/Cruz are the new Brock Lesnar.