Tag: DAn Henderson

Dana White Confirms Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua at UFC 139

Filed under: UFC, NewsUFC 139 was once scheduled to host the UFC heavyweight championship, but after that bout was moved up a week to the UFC on FOX headliner, the search began for a replacement fight.

Now, it’s set. Dan Henderson has re-signed with t…

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UFC 139 was once scheduled to host the UFC heavyweight championship, but after that bout was moved up a week to the UFC on FOX headliner, the search began for a replacement fight.

Now, it’s set. Dan Henderson has re-signed with the promotion and will take on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at the event to be held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

UFC president Dana White confirmed both Henderson’s signing and the fight’s booking to 5thRound.com after Tuesday’s UFC on FOX press conference in Hollywood, California.

The bout was originally reported by MMA Weekly on Monday, but at the time, multiple sources told MMA Fighting that the deal was not yet done, though it was the intended direction of the promotion.

Signing with Strikeforce, Henderson (28-8) becomes the third organizational champion since the Zuffa-Strikeforce merger to vacate his belt, following welterweight Nick Diaz and heavyweight Alistair Overeem.

Henderson went 3-1 during his Strikeforce run, losing his debut bout to Jake Shields in a decision before scoring consecutive knockout wins over Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko.

The 41-year-old will be in his third go-round with the UFC. He won two matches in the organization in 1997, then spent several years fighting overseas in Japanese organizations before returning to the UFC in 2007, going 3-2 along the way.

Rua (20-5) is fresh off an August 27 first-round knockout win over Forrest Griffin at UFC Rio. It was Rua’s first fight back since losing the light-heavyweight championship to Jon Jones.

UFC 139 also features former Strikeforce star Cung Le making his UFC debut against Vitor Belfort, and Brian Bowles facing Urijah Faber in a key bantamweight bout.

 

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UFC 139: Hendo vs. Shogun, the Pride Fight That Never Happened but Should Have

It was originally rumored that Cain Velasquez would make the first defense of his title against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 139 in San Jose, California. But soon after it was announced as the main event for the UFC debut on FOX.Many then assumed that it w…

It was originally rumored that Cain Velasquez would make the first defense of his title against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 139 in San Jose, California. But soon after it was announced as the main event for the UFC debut on FOX.

Many then assumed that it would be hard to fill in the event with a high caliber replacement fight, but wow were they wrong. 

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson was announced and not only does this fight surpass the level that Velasquez/Dos Santos fight would’ve been, it may in fact be one of the biggest fights ever.The thing is, this fight should have taken place years ago.

Henderson has won three fights in a row and seven of his last 10. His last three wins have come by knockout.

Not only did he recently score the biggest win of his career, he scored arguably the biggest win in MMA history when he went up to Heavyweight and defeated Fedor Emelianenko by way of knockout.

After that fight, Henderson’s contract with Strikeforce expired and he has re-signed with the UFC. 

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is one of the most dangerous fighters in the history of the sport. His biggest downfall is the fact that he has had a big problem with injuries.

In his fight with Jon Jones, he was still not 100 percent. After the fight, he took a little time to heal and was ready for UFC Rio. He defeated Forrest Griffin in quick fashion, avenging his 2007 loss at his UFC debut. 

This fight should have actually taken place years ago, but any time there was a moment in which we could see this, the stars would just never align. Well they have aligned this time.  

Both men are true champions and will be going for the finish. Henderson is known for his wrestling but over the years has improved on his boxing and now possess one of the most dangerous right hands in all of MMA.

Shogun has the striking that Henderson has not faced in a long time. Henderson has never been knocked out and Shogun recently suffered his first TKO loss. 

A healthy Shogun is a very dangerous Shogun. Both men will come in ready for this fight and odds are this one will not go the full 15 minutes. 

Not only will the winner be one step closer to a title shot, the winner will also gain a little “Pride” by defeating a true legend of the sport. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hendo’s Trainer Says Bout with Rua Will Be "Aggressive"

When it was learned that Dan Henderson re-signed with the UFC to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, there was a nostalgic feeling among fans, who were left intrigued and satisfied at finally watching two former PRIDE veterans square off. Hende…

When it was learned that Dan Henderson re-signed with the UFC to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, there was a nostalgic feeling among fans, who were left intrigued and satisfied at finally watching two former PRIDE veterans square off. 

Henderson and Rua will now headline the main card—one that was left without a marketable main event after a heavyweight title bout featuring Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos was removed and rescheduled for UFC on Fox.

While Henderson’s trainer Daniel Woirin prepares him for the upcoming bout, he predicts it will be a tough bout for both competitors. 

“It’s a great matchup, everyone wants to see it,” Woirin told TATAME.com. “It’ll be an aggressive fight.”

Woirin had got a glimpse of the Brazilian while he was in the corner of Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. Rua would go onto knockout the former champion just less than two minutes in the opening round. 

Woirin said he didn’t have much time to analyze Rua’s skill while witnessing the bout, but he said Henderson will return with much more recognition than his previous tenure in the UFC. 

“Shogun is excellent at Muay Thai, he has strong kicks…He’s a dangerous fighter and there’re reasons why he was champion in Pride and in UFC,” he said. “He’ll fight Dan Henderson on his return to UFC being really recognized and believing in himself a lot after knocking out Fedor (Emelianenko).”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson Back in the UFC: 5 Reasons He’s a Threat at Light Heavyweight

If you follow MMA on the Intertubes, you may have heard a little something recently about Dan Henderson’s triumphant return to the UFC, which he’ll consummate at UFC 139 by fighting light-heavyweight contender Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.At 41, Hendo doesn’t…

If you follow MMA on the Intertubes, you may have heard a little something recently about Dan Henderson‘s triumphant return to the UFC, which he’ll consummate at UFC 139 by fighting light-heavyweight contender Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

At 41, Hendo doesn’t exactly have unlimited time in the sport, but he’s still pretty darn good. I’d go so far as to say he poses a legitimate threat in the light heavyweight division. Why do I say that? Here are five reasons.

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Its Official: Hendo vs. Shogun at UFC 139

Strikeforce Dan Henderson Rafael Feijao Cavalcante

It looks like former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be getting his wish. Multiple reports confirm that current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson and “Shogun” have verbally agreed to face one another, likely as the main event of UFC 139.

The originally penned headliner for this event, a heavyweight title match between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, was moved to the UFC’s debut on Fox, which takes place Nov 12th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. I think it’s safe to say that this will be a fair replacement; Rua’s last 5 wins have come by knockout, whereas “Hendo’s” last 4 wins have ended in similarly decisive fashion, the most recent being a first round knock out of former Pride heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko.

Strikeforce Dan Henderson Rafael Feijao Cavalcante

It looks like former UFC light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be getting his wish. Multiple reports confirm that current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson and “Shogun” have verbally agreed to face one another, likely as the main event of UFC 139.

The originally penned headliner for this event, a heavyweight title match between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, was moved to the UFC’s debut on Fox, which takes place Nov 12th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. I think it’s safe to say that this will be a fair replacement; Rua’s last 5 wins have come by knockout, whereas “Hendo’s” last 4 wins have ended in similarly decisive fashion, the most recent being a first round knock out of former Pride heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko.

Henderson’s last octagon appearance was highlighted by perhaps his most brutal finish to date over fellow TUF 9 coach Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Mauricio Rua on the other hand, is coming off a quick dispatching of Forrest Griffin in their rematch at UFC 134. A fight that has nothing but title implications written all over it, don’t expect this one to go to the judges, especially considering “Shogun’s” somewhat rocky history with them.

Speaking of title implications, UFC 139 will also feature former UFC light heavyweight champ and middleweight contender Vitor Belfort, taking on former Strikeforce middleweight kingpin Cung Le, as well as a bantamweight bout between former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber and former WEC bantamweight champ Brian Bowles. That’s a lotta (former) gold for one event, son. UFC 139 goes down November 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

-Danga

Shogun Rua vs Dan Henderson: Where Does Hendo Rank In the UFC LHW Division?

Huge UFC news broke today when it was announced that legendary light heavyweight fighters Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson will fight at UFC 139 in November.This PRIDE throwback fight will be huge for the UFC light heavyweight rankin…

Huge UFC news broke today when it was announced that legendary light heavyweight fighters Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson will fight at UFC 139 in November.

This PRIDE throwback fight will be huge for the UFC light heavyweight rankings as “Hendo” makes his return to the division. But where does the now-former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion currently sit in the division?

To answer that question, we need to take a closer look at what is currently happening in the Octagon at 205-pounds.

Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will determine the top dog in the division this Saturday night when they do battle at UFC 135 this upcoming weekend. As awesome as these two fighters are, though, they are only two of a now unbelievably stacked light heavyweight division.

So let’s see who the Top-10 205-pound fighters in the UFC currently are!

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