Henderson vs. Shogun planned for UFC 139
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/19/2011 @ 10:52 pm)
Dan Henderson disposed of one former PRIDE legend, can he do it again in his return to the octagon.
MMAWeekly.com is reporting that the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion has agreed to return to the UFC to take on former PRIDE champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua have verbally agreed to face off at UFC 139 on Nov. 19, MMAWeekly.com has learned.
Independent sources confirmed the fight, which will stand as Henderson’s return to the organization after defeating Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce.
The bout will likely be the new main event for the card that saw its prior main event between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and no. 1 contender Junior dos Santos get moved to the main event of the Nov. 12 UFC on Fox fight card.
This is an exciting addition to UFC 139 and likely could be a No. 1 contender’s match in the division after Rashad Evans takes on the winner of Jon Jones vs. “Rampage” Jackson.
It’s surprising that these two never met in PRIDE, as both were legends and champions in the organization.
Both men have one-punch KO power and formidable skills on the ground, with Henderson being a wrestling specialist, and Rua being a submission specialist.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC
Tags: Dan Henderson, fight announcements, Henderson vs. Shogun, Jon Jones, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, mma fights, mma light heavyweights, mma matchups, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rashad Evans, Strikeforce, UFC 139, ufc fights, ufc light heavyweights, ufc matchups
Velasquez vs. dos Santos to headline UFC on FOX
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/02/2011 @ 2:36 pm)
The UFC wanted a premiere fight for its FOX television premiere and that is just what it has.
Dana White announced via conference all on Friday that Cain Velasquez will defend his UFC heavyweight championship against top contender, Junior dos Santos, on Nov. 12 to headline the show.
The fight was originally scheduled to take place on Nov. 19 as the headline of UFC 139 from San Jose, but will now take place at The Pond in Anaheim.
White also indicated that this is the only fight scheduled for the 1-hour FOX premiere and if the fight ends quickly, they will air undercard bouts that took place earlier in the night.
Velasquez hasn’t fought since winning the championship from Brock Lesnar last October. He is 9-0 in his career.
Dos Santos is 13-1 and coming off a dominant win over Shane Carwin at UFC 131 in June. He has clearly established himself as being the top contender for Velasquez.
While these two may not be the highest-profile of fighters to the outside MMA fan, this is an amazing fight to get on free television.
The UFC is hoping for fireworks for this bout to really draw in a big audience and take the UFC to a new level. Hopefully this fight does just that.
The new main event for UFC 139 has yet to be announced but White indicated that it was in the works.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, UFC
Tags: best heavyweights, breaking news, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Dana White, Fox, heavyweight championship, heavyweight division, Junior Dos Santos, knockout artists, mixed martial arts, mma fights, MMA heavyweights, MMA on Fox, octagon, one hour specials, San Jose, Shane Carwin, sports, top 10 heavyweights, tv ratings, UFC 139, ufc fight announcement, ufc fights, UFC heavyweights, UFC on FOX