One fight after losing his belt to Jon Jones, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua showed that he remains an elite light heavyweight by quickly knocking out Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. Now, Rua will look to take another step toward reclaiming his belt by defeating Da…
One fight after losing his belt to Jon Jones, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua showed that he remains an elite light heavyweight by quickly knocking out Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. Now, Rua will look to take another step toward reclaiming his belt by defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 139.
Henderson, a world-class wrestler with knockout power, will be a tough opponent for Rua, though. Jones’ Greco-Roman wrestling, an area that Henderson is also particularly strong in, proved difficult for Rua to defend.
In order to avoid a similar fate against Henderson, Rua must keep his distance and use his powerful leg kicks to stay out of the range of Henderson’s notorious right hand. Rua is a younger, quicker fighter than Henderson, so his footwork alone should be enough to stay on the outside.
However, if Rua does make a mistake and allows Henderson to work inside or clinch, he could find himself on his back or waking up after getting hit with an “H-Bomb.”
Luckily for Rua, Henderson prefers to stand and throw his overhand right, so he may not have to worry about avoiding the clinch very often. Though, if Rua clearly has the upper-hand in the striking department, Henderson is fully capable of locking up and throwing the Brazilian to the canvas.
Henderson has never been knocked out, but he has shown signs of having a mortal chin by being rocked in his past two appearances. If Rua can connect and not allow Henderson space to recover, becoming the first fighter to ever knock out Henderson would certainly give Rua a bargaining chip for another shot at the light heavyweight title.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
UFC 139 is only hours away, and in the main event we will see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knock Dan Henderson out in the first round. This is going to be a lopsided fight, with Shogun dominating for the few minutes we get to see these two fight.Shogun …
UFC 139 is only hours away, and in the main event we will see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua knock Dan Henderson out in the first round. This is going to be a lopsided fight, with Shogun dominating for the few minutes we get to see these two fight.
Shogun has a variety of ways to knock Henderson out. He has powerful punches, great knees and punishing leg kicks. Shogun knows how to finish a fight early, and he will get the chance to do so early in this fight.
Henderson has been knocked down in the first round of each of his last two fights. Feijao Cavalcante, and Fedor Emelianenko both found ways to get him down, but they couldn’t finish him. When Henderson goes down in this fight he won’t be getting back up, as Shogun knows how to finish him.
It is not a question of if Henderson will go down, the question is when. Henderson is a bulky fighter who used to wrestle. His style of fighting has become swing hard in case you hit him, and while he does have a very strong right hand, he will not be able to hit Shogun.
In his latest fight against Forest Griffin Shogun looked much quicker and more agile than he did in his loss to Jon Jones in February. Shogun came out slowly against Jones because he had had a long layoff period, but he is in better shape now.
Shogun will be quick enough to avoid Henderson’s hard punches, and when Henderson leaves himself open Shogun will be able to hit him hard enough to knock him down. That will spell the end for Henderson.
If Henderson can’t land a few hard punches early in the first round he will surely fall to Shogun in the main event. Not only will he lose, he will be embarrassed in a first round knockout.
Video streaming by Ustream Just a few hours before Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson step into the Octagon, Heavy MMA’s Fight Day will preview UFC 139. Alongside Heavy MMA hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi, the Bleacher Report’s Brian Oswald …
Just a few hours before Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson step into the Octagon, Heavy MMA‘s Fight Day will preview UFC 139. Alongside Heavy MMA hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi, the Bleacher Report’s Brian Oswald will join MMA Junkie’s John Morgan in a panel that will discuss all the night’s matchups.
UFC welterweight Jon Fitch will also appear on the show, which will air on the above video player at 5 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s event will also feature a middleweight bout between Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le in addition to a bantamweight clash between Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles. UFC 139 will be held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Wanderlei Silva’s career is currently on life supportAfter coming off a knockout loss to Chris Leben, the former Chute Boxe fighter will be competing against Cung Le in the co-main event. And although UFC 139 centers around two former PRIDE stars, fans…
After coming off a knockout loss to Chris Leben, the former Chute Boxe fighter will be competing against Cung Le in the co-main event. And although UFC 139 centers around two former PRIDE stars, fans will be hoping to see a vintage performance out of Silva, as he will be the most intriguing storyline coming out of the main card.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian’s career has declined considerably and he has not incorporated nearly much of his aggressive fighting style since transitioning to the UFC in 2007. Silva has evolved his skills to adapt to the Octagon, but he has remained much more hesitant to engage than before due to his age and suspect chin.
As confident as he is in skills, Silva isn’t favoured to defeat Le, who presents a much more dynamic offense to “The Axe Murderer” than any of his previous opponents. Le’s Sanshou style has allowed him to pick up seven victories by KO/TKO.
Silva has suffered four knockouts in his last six losses, which doesn’t benefit his chances when facing an unorthodox striker of Le’s caliber.
A win for Silva might keep him around with the company temporarily, however it is a better option for him to retire from the sport regardless of the outcome of his upcoming bout.
It is safe to assume that Silva is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time, and that he no longer has to prove anything else to prolong his legacy, but it is unnecessary to add more exposure than he already needs.
Though both events took place under the purview of the California State Athletic Commission, the no-nonsense, military precision of last week’s UFC on FOX weigh-ins was nowhere to be seen last night’s event. That’s not necessarily a good thing for the fighters , but it’s certainly more entertaining for the rest of us.
Things kicked off with a healthy dose of confusion. Several prelim fighters tipped the scales well over the allotted limit, which Joe Rogan attributed to a discrepancy between the scales backstage and the official one upfront. While there may be some truth to that, other fighters managed to hit the target on the dot. It was painfully clear that the chick running the show for the CSAC had no clue what she was doing. You know you’re in for a wild ride when someone seeks mathematical and scientific guidance from this guy.
Though both events took place under the purview of the California State Athletic Commission, the no-nonsense, military precision of last week’s UFC on FOX weigh-ins was nowhere to be seen at last night’s event. That’s not necessarily a good thing for the fighters , but it’s certainly more entertaining for the rest of us.
Things kicked off with a healthy dose of confusion. Several prelim fighters tipped the scales well over the allotted limit, which Joe Rogan attributed to a discrepancy between the scales backstage and the official one upfront. While there may be some truth to that, most fighters managed to hit their targets on the dot. It was painfully clear that the chick running the show for the CSAC had no clue what she was doing. You know you’re in for a wild ride when someone seeks mathematical and scientific guidance from this guy.
Miguel Torres initially weighed-in at 137 lbs, but was able to drop the extra pound later in the evening. Two other fighters were not so fortunate. Almost-lightweight fighter Shamar Bailey tipped the scales at 158 lbs, but was unsuccessful in his attempts to drop the additional weight in the afforded time. Nick Pace, on the other hand, had conceded defeat and notified the commission of his weight before even making his way to the stage. He weighed-in at 141 lbs, an incredible six pounds over the limit. Both Bailey and Pace will be fined 20% of their purse, and look for Pace to join the ranks of ignoble weigh-in failures.
Though Danny Castillo is likely pleased to be receiving a few more dollars courtesy of Shamar Bailey’s extra mass, he certainly wasn’t dressed like a man hurting for cash. Castillo added a touch of class to the affair with a break-away tuxedo. La-de-da.
Never one to be upstaged in the wardrobe department, Tom Lawlor continued his impressive series of weigh-in homages to MMA figures past and present with a tip of the hat to your favorite trainer/coach/spiritual advisor Steven Seagal, complete with a crane kick to his training partner.
After failing to connect with fans on four consecutive shirt-tosses, Rick Story made a little too much contact with Martin Kampmann. “The Hitman” let him know as much with a quick shove-off before the pair was separated by Dana White.
One fight after losing his belt to Jon Jones, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua showed that he remains an elite light heavyweight by quickly knocking out Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. Now, Rua will look to take another step toward reclaiming his belt by defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 139.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — This is the 