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[Sakara=Excitement]

Dan Henderson: I thought I won the first four rounds, three easily, with a possible 10-8 (Video) - MMAmania.com

"I tried to finish him a couple of times and it tired me out a little bit. He tired to Rocky Balboa-me early on. He wore me out with his head. I thought it was one or two shots away from being finished but he tucked his head in pretty nice. As soon as he got that takedown in the fifth round I knew I had the fight won I just didn't give him a 10-8 round. I would have been very, very surprised if I didn't win and very disappointed in the judges. Honestly, I thought I won the first four rounds, three easily, with a possible 10-8 round. So I knew I had the fight won in the fifth round. It's not the way I like to finish fights but he wasn't doing too much damage and I was still able to move on bottom and recover guard or half-guard once or twice. He did a good job staying on top and recovering mount. Had the fight been real close, I probably would have tried to get back to my feet and finish him."

UFC 139 postfight: ‘Shogun’ says fifth could’ve been a 10-8 and wants a rematch against Henderson - Cagewriter - UFC

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Many along press row at the HP Pavilion were a little surprised not one judge gave Mauricio "Shogun" Rua a 10-8 for his efforts in the fifth round of his fight against Dan Henderson. It turns out Rua was surprised as well.

"I don't know how the judges scored the last round. It could have been or should have been a 10-8 round. But that doesn't take anything away from Dan Henderson. He is a legend and those are the type of fights that create a legacy," said Rua.

Rua is looking forward to seeing a replay of the fight.

UFC Quick Quote: Dana White believes epic fight between Shogun vs Henderson should've been scored a draw - MMAmania.com

"Without a doubt, it was one of the top three best fights ever in MMA, without a doubt. I have so much respect for both of those guys to dig down that deep in a five round fight. That was like our Ali-Frazier three you know what I mean, it was incredible. This is one of those tough fights. In the first round, they both knocked each other down, you give Henderson the first three rounds, you give Shogun four, and you give Shogun 10-8 in the last round for a dominate round; it's a draw. It's one of those tough ones but that's how I scored it. But who the hell am I?"

White: UFC 139 headliner a draw, but Henderson's next fight could be for title | MMAjunkie.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Dana White is the first to admit that his scoring of fights means little when it comes to official results.

But just in case you're wondering, the UFC president saw Saturday night's UFC 139 headliner between Dan Henderson (29-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (20-6 MMA, 4-4 UFC) as a draw.

Henderson was instead awarded a unanimous-decision win, leaving some to wonder if a rematch is in the cards. Doubtful, says White. A "Hendo" title shot seems a more likely scenario.

"This is one of those kind of fights you can say in the first round they both knocked each other down," White told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com). "You give Henderson the first three rounds. You give 'Shogun' four, and you give 'Shogun' a 10-8 for a dominant (fifth) round, and it's a draw. It's one of those tough ones. That's how I scored it. I scored it a draw. But who the hell am I?"

MMAjunkie.com also scored the fight a draw, giving Henderson the opening three rounds before awarding Rua a 10-9 in the fourth and a 10-8 in the fifth, resulting in a 47-47 draw.

Regardless of the final score, White believes the contest deserves a hallowed spot in the annals of the sport – an epic clash worthy of the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier billing this past week's UFC on FOX event boasted.

"Every time you come off a fight like that, you're going crazy, but that's without a doubt one of the best fights ever in MMA – without a doubt," White said. "I have so much respect for both of those guys to dig down that deep in a five-round fight.

"That was like our Ali-Frazier III. It was unbelievable. It was incredible."

But other than a "Fight of the Night" bonus and the appreciation of legions of MMA fans, what does the win actually mean for Henderson?

According to White, quite possibly a title shot – and Henderson can pick the division.

"He could do 185 or 205 (pounds)," White said. "The guy's so talented that he could do both. He can fight in both weightclasses. I'm sure it would be a matter of timing. I'm sure with him, it would be whichever one he could get first."

UFC 139 Shogun vs Henderson Results: Winners, Losers, and Other Thoughts - Bloody Elbow

It's that time again. As with every major MMA event, I'm going to break down the biggest winners and losers of the night at UFC 139. It was a great night of fights from the UFC. The only real bummer is that with the absurd schedule they've been maintaining since August, the event fell through the promotional cracks with most of the focus being placed on the UFC on Fox card.

Winners:

Dan Henderson - At 41 years old, Hendo has been looking better in his 40s than he did in his 30s. There are still questions about his gas tank but last night's performance was spectacular. He isn't ready for a title shot against Jon Jones or Anderson Silva but he can put on some fun fights with high level guys.

Mauricio Rua - Like Dan Henderson, he put on one of the best career performances last night. The guts and heart displayed in the third round are things of legend. The fact he almost won after the absolute drubbing shows that he's still one of the toughest fighters in MMA.

Urijah Faber - Earning another title shot after just losing to the champ may seem like a crazy thing to say but last night Faber looked better than he ever has. He sat down on his punches and generated the power needed to put a hurting on Brian Bowles.

Stephan Bonnar - I've criticized Bonnar for his apparent lack of desire to continue fighting. He's kept a minimal schedule to explore other ventures and it's a shame he takes up main card spots. But last night he looked solid against a solid Kyle Kingsbury

Michael McDonald - I don't know what the future holds for the 20 year old but he's extremely well rounded for his age. Does Joe Silva continue to develop him slowly or will he be tossed to the wolves?

Chris Weidman - Awesome win against a difficult opponent. He's still got a ways to go but the d'arce choke and set up was slick.

The Fans - Was that one of the best events or was that one of the best events? If you tuned in you were treated to the best card on paper and in practice of the year. You also got to see one of the best fights of all time. If you didn't tune in then you missed out on so much and there's no reason to even talk to you.

Losers:

Cung Le - Showed up out of shape. Looked terrible in his fight and left the HP Pavilion with a broken nose. I have legitimate doubts that we'll ever see him fight again.

Wanderlei Silva - Yes, a win is a win. But last night he looked terrible. He looked slow and he was hit by numerous spinning back fists. The time is right for retirement. He got the win. But looking at the top 25 of the division, who has the name and skills to make this a competitive fight for Wand without causing him more brain damage?

Eddie Alvarez & Michael Chandler - Before the PPV card started, these guys had the fight of the night. Everyone was buzzing on twitter about how great this fight was and how it was a Fight of the Year candidate. It's now an afterthought because of Henderson and Shogun.


Other Thoughts:

People calling for an immediate rematch of Henderson and Shogun last night was a little ridiculous. Those men left everything they had in the cage. The rematch would never live up to the first fight and neither man deserves to ever take that kind of damage again. It was a once in a lifetime type fight. Cherish that memory and move on.

It really is a shame that this card won't do major PPV numbers because it honestly was the best the UFC has offered in 2011. From the first fight to the main event, I was entertained and on the edge of my seat. I can't remember feeling such an adrenaline high from fights but last night was the perfect event to explain why I love watching MMA. I said it last night and I'll say it again. There's no place I'd rather be on a Saturday night than with you guys on this site.

An interesting point that Strikeforce welterweight Jason High brought up last night is that five round non-title fights aren't for the fighters, they are for the fans. He was pretty down on the fact that both men put their bodies through so much for our entertainment. It was the kind of fight that could take years off a man's life. I hope that puts things in perspective that while this is a sport, it takes its toll on the human body. We love spouting off the fact that there aren't any long term effects of MMA and that it's safer than boxing. Last night may prove that theory incorrect.

[VimyRidge]

That was one of the best nights of fights ever. Didn't really know who Michael Chandler was until last night (think I saw one of his prelim fights).

Loser: Me, have something due for work but endup watching MMA all night and morning. Oh well, if I get fired, more time to watch MMA

[Cat--Smasher]

UFC 139 Official Scorecards | MMAWeekly.com

[goodtimes]

Well the judges called the rounds right, some 10-8s would have made a lot of sense but if Hendo didn't get any 10-8s in the 1st or 3rd at least they were consistent in not giving Shogun a 10-8 in the 5th. Loved the fight, already watched it again today, the funny thing is the 1st time I watched it was with no commentary, and then I rewatched it with the sound on. I was really disappointed with Joe and Goldie on this one, they missed a lot of shit and I feel misinterpreted the fight. Hendo was looking tired in round 2 after going for the finish in rd 1, Shogun was hurt but his body looked pretty fresh, and all they talked about was how tired Shogun looked. After Hendo blew his wad trying to stop Shogun in the 3rd, he looked completely exhausted in the rest of the fight. It was clear as day to me that he didn't have much left in the gas tank, and Joe and Goldie said NOTHING. Shogun still looked pretty good, even though his face was so messed up. Clearly Shogun was in better shape going into the 4th and 5th round, as he started taking over the fight, and Hendo had just enough to defend himself and that's about it. His punches had no steam on them and Shogun started walking through them.

The pace of the fight was incredibly grueling and Shogun's conditioning was phenomenal, yet Joe and Goldie gave him no credit, they only talked about his lack of cardio against Griffin and Coleman, not about how he has been an absolute cardio machine outside of those fights which were coming off surgeries.

[disposableassassin]

I LOVE MMA!!! war fighters for puttin it all on the line

[kingrobert]

I told my friends that I thought the fight was a draw. The fight was amazing and I wouldnt have complained whoever won the fight. Both men were so close to finishing each other...WHAT A FIGHT

[Y2JUBAE]

2011 may have produced the best fights out of any year. The future looks bright.

[braddahmatt]

Originally Posted by goodtimes

Well the judges called the rounds right, some 10-8s would have made a lot of sense but if Hendo didn't get any 10-8s in the 1st or 3rd at least they were consistent in not giving Shogun a 10-8 in the 5th.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one... there is a huge difference in getting a knock down and dominating only 30-45 secs in that 3rd round and then dominating the whole 5 minutes of round 5.

I definitely do not think there should be a 10-8 round in the first because Shogun also scored a knockdown. No round was as one sided as round 5 was.

[dbader08]

Exactly. Shogun's 5th round was definitely the most dominant.

But well guys, I'm going to quit posting for a couple weeks now that I see my new sig. I hope you don't mind. lol

[lwbrewer]

I see where the Hendo Shogun fight could of been a draw, but glad it wasn't Hendo's clock is running fast. The out come is the best for the sport as we can see hendo in some top fights, and Shogun has time to get back up their again to. Diffently a great fight last night no real loser especially the way the UFC picks it's fights.