The first time [autotag]Dan Henderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] threw down, there only were seven members of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Little did they know when they made their walks at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., that they were on their way to a 25-minute slugfest that eventually would get them enshrined as one of the most memorable fights in UFC history.
Eight years ago on Nov. 19, 2011, Henderson and “Shogun” headlined UFC 139. The card featured future UFC champions Chris Weidman and Rafael dos Anjos in prelim fights that streamed on Facebook (remember those days?), as well as future Bellator dual champion Ryan Bader.
But it was the main event that left the nearly 14,000 fans in attendance with their jaws proverbially on the floor. Henderson beat Rua with a unanimous decision in the headliner with a trio of 48-47 scores. It was a fight that really could have gone the other way – close enough that only 28 months later, the two had a rematch.
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Oddly enough, the San Jose fans nearly didn’t get to see the light heavyweight war that went on to a spot in the Fights Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Henderson and Rua only headlined the card because the UFC chose to move then-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s title defense against Junior Dos Santos to the promotion’s first event on FOX.
What it took to make Henderson and Rua happen was bringing Henderson back to the UFC from Strikeforce, where he had gone after a five-fight UFC run and won the light heavyweight title. But after a heavyweight win over Fedor Emelianenko, he returned to the UFC, which had recently purchased Strikeforce, to fight “Shogun.”
Not that the two hadn’t already had illustrious MMA resumes, but their first fight was a career-maker.
Henderson took command of the fight early on, and in the opening minutes Rua’s face already was starting to look a bit of a wreck. After several flurries from Henderson, the two exchanged in close and Rua got a knockdown. It was only a moral win, though, in a round that Henderson took.
The brawl continued in the second, and Henderson again seemed to have control of things – but with Rua having his own moments of success. When things hit a lull with the fighters already feeling the effects of their offensive output, ref Josh Rosenthal had to get them going again. A tight round again went Henderson’s way.
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The third was more of Henderson’s onslaught, working past Rua’s attempts to turn things around. “Shogun” seemed to be operating all on instinct just to stay alive, and even though he landed some shots, his left eye was nearly completely shut from Henderson’s damage.
But in the fourth and fifth, Rua fought back and tried to turn things around. He was able to get off some of his best punches of the fight. With a minute left in the fourth, Henderson looked like his gas tank was gone, and Rua got to full mount. He had a submission attempt that somehow Henderson survived and reversed, but not with enough time to win the round.
Rua again got to full mount in the fifth, multiple times. He dominated Henderson so much in the final frame that many scored it a 10-8 round, which would have meant a draw. But when the scores came in, they were 48-47 unanimously for Henderson, leaving Rua not only exhausted, but devastated in defeat.
The back-and-forth fight has gone down as one of the best in UFC history. The rematch in 2014 resulted in a third-round knockout for Henderson and not only a “Performance of the Night” bonus, but a “Fight of the Night” award, as well.
Strangely enough, arguably the best fight in the history of the UFC’s biggest competitor happened on the same night when Michael Chandler beat Eddie Alvarez to win the lightweight title at Bellator 58. That fight came out ahead of Henderson-Rua I on many year-end lists for 2011’s best fight.
In the video above, take a look back at UFC 139’s all-time classic main event, and don’t miss the photo gallery of all the madness below.
“Today in MMA History” is an MMA Junkie series created in association with MMA History Today, the social media outlet dedicated to reliving “a daily journey through our sport’s history.”
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