Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua II Rumoured For Brazilian UFC Card
(Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua touch gloves before their epic UFC 139 showdown)
A rematch of one of the greatest UFC fights of all time is reportedly in the works for March, I’m talking about Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua vs Dan Henderson II. UFC 139 played host to the first meeting of the two MMA legends, a fight that could have gone either way on the judges’ scorecards.
Henderson has been on a run of bad luck as of late, and his 2011 win over Rua was the last time the former Pride Welterweight champ tasted victory. Rua has gone 2-2 since UFC 139, knocking out Brandon Vera and more recently, James Te Huna. Many feel that ‘Shogun’ actually won the first fight with Hendo, so maybe this is his chance at redemption.
Henderson recently suffered the first KO loss of his storied career; catching a Vitor Belfort head kick before being finished with punches on the ground at UFC Fight Night 32 this past November. A fourth consecutive loss for ‘Desperate Dan’ would at least mark the end of his UFC days, possibly of his fighting days full stop.
Between 2008-11, Hendo was actually 7-1 for Strikeforce and the UFC. This included wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante, Rich Franklin, Rousimar Palhares, Shogun and Michael Bisping. It is truly incredible how fast the MMA world moves and leaves people behind.
The pairing, first reported by Tatame, is not yet a confirmed bout, although it is believed that it will go down at a Brazil-based event. Rua will get the chance to avenge his loss in arguably his most exciting fight ever (see Rua vs. Nogueira), and Hendo will get the chance to prove he still has what it takes.
That being said, I’m not sure if Hendo does still have ‘it’. His last three performances have been lacklustre at best, and his showing against Vitor Belfort was just over 60 seconds before Hendo was sleeping on the canvas. Now approaching his 43rd birthday, no one would disagree with Hendo retiring after a second Rua bout, win or lose.
Rua is a spring chicken in comparison; 32 years of age and coming off a quality knockout over James Te Huna, this past December. I think that everything is on Rua’s side ahead of this rematch, although it may not last as long as the first fight if ‘Shogun’ takes a leaf from Belfort’s book.
