UFC Tonight: UFC Returning To Atlanta, Dan Henderson Turns Down Fight

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/1/10/2698547/ufc-tonight-ufc-146-atlanta-april-21-dan-henderson-antonio-rogerio-nogueira

The UFC will return to Atlanta, Georgia, for the first time in over three years with UFC 146 on Saturday, April 21. MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani broke the news on Fuel's "UFC Tonight" and via Twitter Tuesday night.

The last time the UFC ran a show in the city was UFC 88 on September 6, 2008, headlined by Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans. Evans won the fight via second round KO, earning Knockout Of The Night and a shot at then-Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.

14,736 filled the Philips Arena that night for a live gate of $2.6 million -- the only time Atlanta has hosted a UFC event. While no fights were announced, expect Georgia's most notable Zuffa fighter -- former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles -- to compete on the show, keeping with the UFC trend.

****

Also on "UFC Tonight" and Twitter, Helwani gave some interesting insight into how Tuesday's main event announcement of Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira came together. According to Helwani, Dana White originally offered Nogueira to Dan Henderson but Hendo turned the fight down. The plan was that if Rashad Evans defeated Phil Davis at UFC On Fox 2, he would get the next shot at current champion Jon Jones with the Hendo/Nogueira winner being next in line for a title shot. Helwani said Henderson's next fight is in limbo as a result.