UFC 139 marked only the 2nd ever UFC event to host a five-round main event at the time and the 1st pay per view event to do so. Dan “Hendo” Henderson was fresh off of a victory over the consensus MMA heavyweight king, Fedor Emelianenko in the Strikeforce promotion. UFC president Dana White announced that Henderson had re-signed with the UFC and would have the long awaited battle with foe, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a number one contender bout to face the light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones. The stage was set.
Unlike the aforementioned “first” five round main event bout, which was stopped due to TKO in the 2nd round, Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua fought for all 5 rounds.
A recap of the fight includes 335 thrown strikes, 173 of which landed. 6 takedowns, predominantly gained by Shogun. 2 submission attempts, 10 transition passes, and no less than 3 knockdowns, although officially, there is somehow just 1 knockdown listed.
When newcomers of the sport of mixed martial arts ask me what fights they should watch to really gain an appreciation of the sport, the words “Shogun versus Hendo” exit my mouth with little effort. My point is made even more so by the plethora of “Fight of the Year” awards that the fight was awarded by a plethora of mma outlets.
So I say to you, if you have yet to watch this battle that took a decade to come to fruition, do yourself a favor and watch it immediately. For the very reason and possibility that you have not seen this fight, I will keep the winner of the bout under wraps to allow you to truly enjoy the spectacle.
