As Mauricio “Shogun” Rua prepares to challenge for the light heavyweight title again, he must face a formidable opponent in Dan Henderson at UFC 139. Rua, who is coming off a knockout victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 134, sees Henderson as a gr…
As Mauricio “Shogun” Rua prepares to challenge for the light heavyweight title again, he must face a formidable opponent in Dan Henderson at UFC 139.
Rua, who is coming off a knockout victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 134, sees Henderson as a great opponent who matches up well against his style. While he admits the bout should have happened years ago, Rua told TATAME.com that he is just content to be fighting again.
“I love fighting, and I’ll fight sooner if I can. I’m not like that, I don’t like to stay a long time without fighting, and it’d be good to gain some rhythm. I’ll go after what’s best for me,” Rua said.
Rua’s recurring knee problems have hindered his success in the past, as he recently lost the light heavyweight title to Jon Jones after being out of action for a year. It is often believed that when the Brazilian is healthy and fights more consistently, he is considered to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
He’ll get his chance to prove that against Henderson, who is coming into his third stint with the organization after earning knockout victories over Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko. Henderson is in the best shape of his career and arguably in his best form since PRIDE.
Although Henderson might be 41 years old, Rua still recognizes the danger in facing the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.
“He has heavy hands indeed, he can punch you in such a way that leads you to a knockout,” Rua told TATAME.com. “He’s been fighting for a long time, but he’s always looking for the knockout or working on the ground and pound. It’s been this way since Pride.”
And for PRIDE fans, the idea of seeing both competitors square off on November 19th should be a dream come true.
(Exhibit ‘G’ in the murder case against Dana White and the Fertittas)
In spite of the fact that Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s stock in the heavyweight division dropped a few points following his knockout loss to Daniel Cormier in the semi-finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, his manager, Alex Davis is confident that his client’s next fight will be in the UFC’s Octagon.
“He has a contract with Strikeforce, but Strikeforce is now controlled by the UFC and we’re watching Strikeforce fighters going to the UFC all the time,” Davis told TATAME in a recent interview. “UFC’s heavyweight division is big, but they could have even more [top talent] and I’m sure Bigfoot will be in the UFC real soon. There’s a lot of great fights for him inside the Octagon, and he’ll shine there.”
(Exhibit ‘G’ in the murder case against Dana White and the Fertittas)
In spite of the fact that Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s stock in the heavyweight division dropped a few points following his knockout loss to Daniel Cormier in the semi-finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, his manager, Alex Davis is confident that his client’s next fight will be in the UFC’s Octagon.
“He has a contract with Strikeforce, but Strikeforce is now controlled by the UFC and we’re watching Strikeforce fighters going to the UFC all the time,” Davis told TATAME in a recent interview. “UFC’s heavyweight division is big, but they could have even more [top talent] and I’m sure Bigfoot will be in the UFC real soon. There’s a lot of great fights for him inside the Octagon, and he’ll shine there.”
Although the report went on to state that “nothing is official” yet in regards to Silva’s migration to the UFC, there must be a reason why Davis feels so strongly that it’s going to happen, whether it be a conversation he had with the UFC brass or rumors that are swirling amongst industry insiders. If Silva does jump over from Strikeforce, the move will be further proof that Zuffa has no plans to keep it’s “B” league afloat. Considering that Strikeforce’s biggest asset is arguably its heavyweight roster, if the UFC picks it clean like it did the promotion’s champions like Dan Henderson, Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem, the writing on the wall couldn’t be any clearer.
UFC 139 will mark the return of former Pride champion and current Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson to the UFC.Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be former UFC champion Shogun Rua, who is coming off a dominant knockout win over Forrest Griffin at …
UFC 139 will mark the return of former Pride champion and current Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson to the UFC.
Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be former UFC champion Shogun Rua, who is coming off a dominant knockout win over Forrest Griffin at UFC 134.
This highly anticipated bout between former Pride stars will mark the first time these two legends will have faced each other and, more importantly, the matchup will be a battle for the top contender spot in the light-heavyweight division.
Here’s how these two fighters stack up against each other in this head-to-toe breakdown.
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, Light HeavyweightsThe UFC’s light heavyweight division has been so talented for so long that it’s been impossible in the last few years for anyone to stay on top for long. Rampage Jackson looked like a force whe…
The UFC‘s light heavyweight division has been so talented for so long that it’s been impossible in the last few years for anyone to stay on top for long. Rampage Jackson looked like a force when he took the belt from Chuck Liddell, but it wasn’t long before Forrest Griffin took the belt from Rampage. Rashad Evans then took the belt from Griffin, but Evans lost the belt in his first title defense — at what was supposed to be the dawn of the Lyoto Machida Era. Except that Machida promptly lost his belt to Shogun Rua.
Now we have Jon Jones at the top of the division, however, and I think the belt is going to stay in place for a long time. Jones has absolutely obliterated both Jackson and Rua, and now he’ll get another former champion in Evans — with, I believe, similar results.
So as we list the top light heavyweights in mixed martial arts, we’re looking at an extremely talented division. But a division with one unique talent that stands far above the rest.
1. Jon Jones (1): There was never a moment during Jones’ victory over Jackson at UFC 135 that I even thought Jones was in the slightest bit of trouble. Jackson is a great fighter who appeared to be in good shape and ready for a big fight, but he simply wasn’t on Jones’s level. I don’t think anyone is.
2. Rashad Evans (2): Evans is finally close to the title shot that he’s been waiting on for more than a year, but I don’t think he has much of a chance of getting his belt back. Against Jackson, Jones did a great job of using his long legs to effectively fight at a distance, and if anything Jones will have an even greater reach advantage over Evans. It’s hard to see anywhere that Evans has an advantage over Jones. That title fight will not go well for Evans.
3. Shogun Rua (3): Shogun has a very big fight ahead of him against Dan Henderson at UFC 139, and if he wins that he’ll have a strong case that he’s the No. 2 light heavyweight in MMA. But given how thoroughly Jones beat Rua, it’s almost impossible to see the UFC giving Rua another shot at the title.
4. Lyoto Machida (4): Of all the light heavyweights in the sport, Machida is probably the one whose unorthodox stand-up style would present the greatest threat to Jones. If Machida wins his next fight, he’d make a lot of sense as an opponent for Jones in 2012.
5. Rampage Jackson (5): There have been times in Jackson’s career when it was fair to question his motivation and preparation, but UFC 135 was not one of those times. Jackson was well prepared for the Jones fight, he’s just nowhere near as good as Jones.
6. Dan Henderson (6): Henderson has left his Strikeforce light heavyweight title behind and will return to the Octagon to face Rua. A victory over Rua would give Henderson an excellent claim that he deserves a title shot against Jones, although as much respect as I have for Henderson I have an extremely hard time envisioning any way Henderson wins that fight.
7. Forrest Griffin (7): Griffin fights nothing but a who’s who of the all-time greats in the sport: His last seven fights consist of two battles with Shogun sandwiched around bouts against Rampage, Evans, Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. The biggest question for Griffin now is whether he wants to keep doing battle with the sport’s truly elite, or if now that he’s in his 30s and a husband and a father, he’d rather take a step down in quality of competition. Griffin will always be a fan favorite and a draw for the UFC, but he may no longer be prepared to fight in the upper echelon of the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
8. Rafael Cavalcante (10): Feijao looked very good in his victory over Yoel Romero Palacio on the September Strikeforce card. As long as he’s with Strikeforce, Feijao’s options for big fights are limited, but in the UFC there are any number of big fights for him at 205 pounds. MMA fans who just want to see the best fight the best should hope one of those big fights gets booked soon.
9. Phil Davis (8): The 27-year-old Davis was a great college wrestler who’s a lot of fun to watch, and he seems destined to take on Jones some day. The problem is that for as young and talented as Davis is, Jones is even younger and more talented.
10. Thiago Silva (9): We’re finally getting close to the end of Silva’s one-year suspension for taking performance-enhancing substances. I hope he’s stayed in shape and comes back hungry, because he’s a 28-year-old who’s a good enough striker that he can be a threat to anyone. He should be involved in some big light heavyweight fights in 2012.
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is living a little bit better these days.Though the Team Quest fighter has recorded many of his career victories in the middleweight class, Henderson is now enjoying himself in the 205-pound c…
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is living a little bit better these days.
Though the Team Quest fighter has recorded many of his career victories in the middleweight class, Henderson is now enjoying himself in the 205-pound class.
During his tenure with the San Jose based promotion, Henderson went 3-1 with the organization and is currently riding a three-fight win streak, with his latest victory coming at the expense of former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko this past July, who suffered a first-round TKO loss to Hendo.
With his recent accolades, Henderson had an excellent bargaining chip as a free agent, however, has since re-signed with his former employers in the UFC.
Henderson will waste little time in returning to action as he meets the familiar Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on November 19. The two former PRIDE stalwarts will meet as the main event for UFC 139, which takes place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The mixed martial arts icon isn’t disillusioned by any means. He knows he has a tough fight ahead of him, though he holds little back when it comes in comparison. Henderson, a former two-time Olympian, finds that he has a decided advantage over the Brazilian in nearly all facets of the game.
“Shogun’s a tough fighter, he’s been around a long time,” said Henderson, who spoke with ProMMANow.com.
“He’s been in there with some of the top guys and [has] done well. He’s well-rounded, throwing some nice knees and nice kicks, [and] he’s got some power in his punches.”
Perhaps to his advantage, the two light heavyweights will compete in a non-title, five-round affair. Conditioning has long been an issue that has plagued Rua, with battles against Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones in the past resulting in defeat due to his poor level of stamina.
Henderson, though, has always been a well-conditioned athlete—that is as long as the Californian, who recently turned 41, does not not have to cut an obscene amount of weight. Henderson regularly walks around just a few pounds shy of the 205-pound limit.
“I think I’m better in every aspect and should definitely do well in that fight. It’s a five-rounder, but I think I’ll be able to wear him out, so it could be an advantage to me.
UFC 139 goes down November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and the major players are convening at the San Pedro Square Market right now for a little press-conference action. Click “play” on the live YouTube player above to see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, and UFC president Dana White field questions from the media in attendance beginning at 1 p.m. local time.
UFC 139 goes down November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, and the major players are convening at the San Pedro Square Market right now for a little press-conference action. Click “play” on the live YouTube player above to see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Cung Le, and UFC president Dana White field questions from the media in attendance beginning at 1 p.m. local time.
As Mauricio “Shogun” Rua prepares to challenge for the light heavyweight title again, he must face a formidable opponent in Dan Henderson at UFC 139. 
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