It might be a bit presumptuous to assume Silva will defeat Okami before it happens, but with the champion’s record long winning streak and dominance in the Octagon, it’s hard not to think about the next possible contender.
Two names that came up during the UFC 134 pre-fight press conference were perennial Anderson Silva detractor Chael Sonnen and current Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson.
UFC President Dana White commented first on Sonnen, who has a fight coming up at UFC 136 against Brian Stann.
“Well, Chael Sonnen has a fight in Houston before we can make that decision. He’d have to get through his fight in Houston,” White commented.
The other big news of course is the confirmation that Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson could be a potential opponent for Silva if he’s victorious at UFC 134.
Rumors have been swirling for the past few days that Henderson could be re-signed to the UFC, and put on a collision course with Silva for the first UFC on Fox show on Nov 12 in Anaheim, Calif.
“Obvioulsy, Dan Henderson is a possibility, too,” White commented.
Currently, Henderson remains a free agent, although all signs are pointing towards a return to the UFC, regardless whether or not the match-up with Silva ends up happening or not.
Henderson has commented that he believes light heavyweight is his best weight class to compete at, but there’s no doubt that he would cut to 185lbs again for a second shot at Silva in the Octagon.
White still hasn’t made any decisions right now however, and with Yushin Okami still standing in the way, nothing will be settled until at least after Saturday night.
“We’ll see what happens,” said White. “We don’t know yet, but you’re right it can be one of those guys.”
Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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