In a rematch of their classic affair back at 2011’s UFC 139, Dan Henderson once again defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua; this time finishing the fight with his patented “H-Bomb” of a right hand at 1:31 of the third round.
The fight appeared to be the mirror image of their first bout, as this time the Brazilian got out ahead early. “Shogun” clearly won both of the first two rounds, dropping Henderson in both of them before riding out the rest of the rounds on top.
The third round saw Henderson, heeding advice from his corner about his opponent letting his left hand drop, wallop the Brazilian with a right as he disengaged from a clinch. The American showed veteran instincts during the finish, letting referee Herb Dean know his opponent was out instead of throwing unnecessary shots.
For Henderson, this marks his first win since his last bout against Rua, during which he went 0-3. Perhaps more importantly, Henderson showed his trademark granite chin is still there despite receiving his first (T)KO loss against Vitor Belfort is last time out. Where he goes from here is unknown, but this win definitely took his head off of the chopping block.
For “Shogun,” the result has to be seen as a disappointment as he finally appeared to be back on track, knocking out James Te-Huna back in December after a 2-5 stretch. From here, middleweight seems like the right option, though he’ll traverse to the division with much less fanfare than he would’ve with a victory.
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