As the UFC begins to slowly pull in talent from its sister organization Strikeforce, perhaps its biggest acquisition to date has been the re-signing of ex-light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.
The Californian recently relinquished his title in an effort to have a successful return to the UFC, moving into a high-profile bout with fellow PRIDE veteran Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
The two men will serve as the main event for UFC 139, in a five-round, non-title affair, taking place November 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
President Dana White recently discussed the implications that the pivotal 205-pound matchup will have on it’s division, which will likely determine the next contender in the weight class.
“It would be tough not to give the winner of that fight the next shot after Rashad [Evans],” said White to MMAJunkie.com, proceeding today’s UFC 135 pre-fight press conference.
Henderson has now re-entered the organization on the heels of a three-fight win streak, with all victories ending in a dramatic finish. In his last outing, the Team Quest product fought the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight affair, starching the Russian with a first-round TKO last July.
Rua, meanwhile, has also returned to contender status with a vengeance. After recently dropping his title to champion Jon Jones last March, “Shogun” met fellow former champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, blitzing The Ultimate Fighter season one winner, finishing him with strikes in less than two minutes.
The victory avenged a 2007 defeat to Griffin, who greeted the Brazilian upon his UFC debut, submitting him in the third round with a rear-naked choke.
It’s a PRIDE-esque throwback that the fans have been asking for and now the organization has delivered in kind.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com