Background: Plying their trade inside the UFC’s Octagon after Zuffa’s purchase of Pride four years prior, ‘Shogun’ and Henderson’s struggles to recapture past glories were well documented when they finally faced off in 2011.
A prized member of the Chute Boxe Academy, Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua established a deserved reputation in Japan as one of the most exciting fighters in the world. Famed for his aggressive style, the Brazilian would batter opponents with vicious Muay Thai, before finishing them off with devastating stomps and soccer kicks. Well-worn after countless wars and with his primary finishing weapons removed thanks to the UFC’s use of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, ‘Shogun’ struggled from the start, falling to Forrest Griffin in a stunning upset on his promotional debut.
‘Shogun’ would quickly recover however, and soon secured a shot for the belt after consecutive knockout victories over UFC legends Mark Coleman and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. A controversial decision loss to the then-champion Lyoto Machida was painful, but the Brazilian wouldn’t be denied in the instant rematch; capturing the belt after a searing knockout win with ground and pound. His time as champion would be short however as he would drop the belt to rising star Jon Jones just ten months later after a one-sided, three round thrashing.
‘Shogun’ would quickly recover however, and soon secured a shot for the belt after consecutive knockout victories over UFC legends Mark Coleman and former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. A controversial decision loss to the then-champion Lyoto Machida was painful, but the Brazilian wouldn’t be denied in the instant rematch; capturing the belt after a searing knockout win with ground and pound. His time as champion would be short however as he would drop the belt to rising star Jon Jones just ten months later after a one-sided, three round thrashing.
A pro fighter since 1998, former Olympic wrestler Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson rose to prominence by instead relying on his inhuman striking power. Of his 14 victories in Japan, half would come by the way of knockout, and most of these courtesy of what would become one of the sport’s deadliest weapons; his right hand ‘H-Bomb’. Finishing his Pride run with a highlight reel knockout over Wanderlei Silva to become the only simultaneous two-division champion with a major MMA organisation (a feat that remains unmatched to this day), ‘Hendo’ returned to the UFC considered by many as the best American fighter on the planet.
Fighting to unite his belts with the UFC’s equivalent champions, ‘Hendo’ fell on rough times with back-to-back title losses to Anderson Silva and fellow former Pride staple ‘Rampage’ Jackson. A starching of heated rival Michael Bisping in 2009, followed by stint away from the UFC helped rebuild the American, a spell highlighted by a spectacular first-round knockout of pound-for-pound great, Fedor Emelianenko.
A second return to the UFC for Henderson finally allowed for a five-round meeting of two of the greatest fighters in Pride history...but would it live up to lofty expectations?
The Fight:
Taking advantage of his opponent’s aggressive start, Henderson dropped ‘Shogun’ with a swift and short counter right early in the first. Failing with a guillotine attempt, ‘Hendo’ instead resorted to punishing his adversary with a tirade of rights and lefts against the cage. ‘Shogun’ absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment, but remained firmly in the fight, even scoring a late knockdown of his own.
The fight slowed considerably in the second as both fighters attempted to catch their breath. A period of fighting against the cage ended abruptly when Henderson connected with a brutal string of rights and uppercuts which again had ‘Shogun’ reeling. The fight was going excellently for the American veteran.
The violent action began to crescendo in the third. Controlling the placement of the fight, Henderson set up his next attack in a manner highly reminiscent of his famous knockout of Michael Bisping. Stepping in with the inside leg kick, ‘Hendo’ connected perfectly with his favored right hand, a shot which once again sent ‘Shogun’ crashing to the canvas. Suffering a massive amount of damage, the battered, bloody, but still not beaten Brazilian turned to his jiu-jitsu to remain in the fight. His heel hook attempt wasn’t enough to secure a tap, but it did succeed in saving him from further punishment on the ground.
Now firmly behind after three rounds, ‘Shogun’ refused to give up and instead bounced back in dramatic fashion in the penultimate round. Exhausted after expending a significant amount of energy in the last round, Henderson’s output waned as ‘Shogun’ took over. Now in control, ‘Shogun’ pinned his opponent to the fence and connected with a crushing uppercut that rocked the freakishly durable ‘Hendo’. Avoiding a retaliatory right, ‘Shogun’ continued to dish out punishment, eventually tripping the American and obtaining full mount. Switching to take the back proved costly for ‘Shogun’ as ‘Hendo’ somehow reversed position to end up inside his opponent’s guard with seconds remaining in the frame.
Spurred on by his newfound success the rejuvenated ‘Shogun’ continued to dominate in the final round. Quickly taking the fight to the ground with another superb trip takedown, ‘Shogun’ kept the fight on the ground for the final five minutes and effortlessly passed Henderson’s guard into full mount on multiple occasions. Unable to muster any offense, ‘Hendo’ switched to survival mode, his best moments coming when he was able to escape mounted positions.
Winner: Although he dominated the final two rounds it was a case of too little, too late for 'Shogun' as Henderson secured the victory via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 48-47 in the American's favor, despite many believing that the Brazilian had done enough in the final round to warrant a 10-8; a score that would have resulted in a draw.
Aftermath: Offered a crack at either the light heavyweight or middleweight title as reward for his exploits, Henderson chose to tackle Jon Jones, but their UFC 151 bout was scrapped along with the rest of the card at the last minute when Henderson was forced pull out with a knee injury. ‘Hendo’ never received his title shot, and instead dropped his next three fights before agreeing to fight ‘Shogun’ once again in 2014.
Viewed by pundits, peers and fans as a winner despite the defeat, ‘Shogun’ would bounce back with another excellent display against Brandon Vera. His inconsistent UFC run would soon resume however with back-to-back defeats to Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen.
Legacy: Action-packed, violent and stuffed with countless shifts in momentum, ‘Shogun’ and Henderson’s epic war stands as one of the greatest battles in the history of the sport.
Time might not have been so kind to either fighter as the scars of their countless wars have begun to take their toll, but their gutsy efforts here will always be remembered as the fight that would raise the bar; forever changing our expectations of a five-round fight.
A classic among classic UFC contests.
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