The vast majority may believe the UFC 139 main event bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson was an instant classic, but Georges St-Pierre didn’t walk away all that impressed.
During an autograph session in Toronto, the UFC welterweight champion spoke with QMI Agency about the bout some are proclaiming as “the greatest fight in UFC history.”
“I didn’t see the fight [live]. I saw it after,” St-Pierre said. “No, for me, it was not the greatest fight. It was a fight that displayed a lot of determination and heart, but I believe on the technical points, especially at the end of the fight, the guys were too tired to be able to make a display of technique. But it was an interesting fight for a lot of the fans because…it showed a lot of heart and courage.”
After dominating early, Henderson faded in the championship rounds, which allowed Shogun to secure takedowns and rack up points from top position.
Despite success in the later rounds, Shogun was obviously running on fumes as well. He sustained the mounted position for extended periods of time, but he wasn’t able to really threaten Henderson with significant damage or submissions.
While the overall bout was far from a technical masterpiece, many will likely be baffled by St-Pierre being unimpressed with such a dramatic and highly entertaining fight.
If Shogun versus Henderson didn’t impress St-Pierre, what bout has?
“In the UFC? I don’t know; Clay Guida’s fight with Benson Henderson was pretty good,” he said. “That was a good fight. It was a display of courage, determination and technique as well. So they had everything in one [fight]. At the end of the fight, they were still able to deliver, and the pace was high.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com