Evidently, someone at Zuffa reads my constant hypothetical matchmaking. After the UFC on Fox card was announced with the main and co-main events I (and many others, to be fair) suggested and paired Overeem and Lesnar together for UFC 140 (or 141), the new main event for UFC 139 was revealed. Originally the main event was announced as Vitor Belfort vs. Cung Le (now Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le), an interesting bout but one that is completely irrelevant and unworthy of headlining a pay per view card. Now, in a battle of former PRIDE stars and current top ten light heavyweights, Dan Henderson will be facing off against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
This is a huge fight that should be exciting for several reasons. For starters, they never faced each other in PRIDE, where both men plied their craft for years. It’s weird, as it seems like almost every possible combination of 205 pounders faced off at one point or another there. The chance to see two legends of that organization face off is, for lack of a better word, amazing.
Tying into this is the fact that not only are they both legends of the sport, but Hendo and Shogun are both still relevant in the sport. Henderson is the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and most recently moved up in weight to defeat the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, while Shogun just beat Forrest Griffin in the first round and is two fights removed from being the UFC Light Heavyweight Title. This isn’t Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, where both men had seen better days in their careers and the main purpose of their bout was nostalgic. This fight between Shogun and Rua could set one of these men up for a title shot next year against the winner of Jon Jones/Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans.
Last but not least, this should be a good fight, definitely one that is worthy of main eventing a pay per view card. While I always thought Hendo was boring in his most recent UFC stint (excepting his crushing of Michael Bisping at UFC 100), I think most of that can be attributed to fighting at middleweight, where he has always looked a bit sluggish. His PRIDE and Strikeforce stints at light heavyweight have been much more exciting. At 205 lbs., he is no longer “Decision” Dan and is instead “Hollywood” Henderson. He is a little small for that weight, but he makes up for it by fighting at a faster pace and utilizing a nuclear right hand to devastating effect. One only needs to see that he has won his last three fights by KO or TKO for proof of that. On the other side, Shogun is one of the most devastating and electric strikers in MMA history. He has possibly the best finishing instincts the sport has ever seen. Regardless of whether or not he is healthy, he shows up to fight. Really, that’s true of both men. Neither of them ever phone it in and that’s why this should be a great fight.
Early betting odds show Shogun as a slight favorite, which surprises me. Neither man has ever been KOed in their careers and Shogun’s knees still don’t look quite right to me. His technical advantage in striking is nearly nullified by the fact that Hendo’s right hand could kill a rhino and he will be at a clear disadvantage in grappling and cardio. I personally think that its more of a toss up, as if Shogun catches him early he will finish him. Fedor and Calcavante, two recent Hendo opponents, rocked Dan but didn’t pounce fast enough. Rest assured, that will not be the case if Rua connects. If I had to pick a winner right now, I would go with Henderson. He’s been on a roll over the past year and a half and even though he is considerably older than Shogun, he is in much better physical condition. I would lean towards him winning a decision or wearing Shogun down and finishing him in the third or fourth round. Either way, this should be a great fight that I know I can’t wait to see.
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