Yesterday via Dan Henderson’s twitter account he shared his thoughts regarding the #1 contender status in the middleweight division of the UFC. Michael Bisping who won his main event fight against Jason “Mayhem” Miller last Saturday at the TUF 14 Finale, believed a win would put him in line for a title shot. He, however, following the fight believed he needed to do more to deserve a title shot. Hendo believes that if Bisping were to get the immediate title shot that Silva’s injuries would “heal real fast”.
Henderson who is now riding a four fight winning streak is looking to get a crack at Jon Jones’ Light Heavyweight belt. He has stated in plenty of interviews that he would much rather stay in the light heavyweight division. Dana White, however, has stated that Henderson would be able to fight for a title at both middleweight and light heavyweight if given the chance.
It looks like Jason “Mayhem” Miller has his game-plan set for his fight against Michael Bisping at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale on Dec. 3 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Absolutely I can [finish him on the feet]. I’ll go ahead and make the bet with you right now that he shoots for a takedown first. There’s no way he doesn’t. He always does it. Dan Henderson took his soul. I’m going to take the rest. I’m gonna knock him out or submit him in the first round.
This past weekend the UFC invaded San Jose, California for the first time in organization history for UFC 139. The fight card featured a main event for the ages with Dan Henderson defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in a five round war. With the co-main event being just as entertaining, as Wanderlei Silva punished Cung Le to bring himself back to his winning ways. Other notable winners were Urijah Faber, Martin Kampmann, Stephan Bonnar, Michael McDonald and Miguel Torres.
The California State Athletic Commission released the final live gate, attendance and payroll yesterday.
LIVE GATE
$1,268,600
ATTENDANCE
13,832 was a result of 9,496 tickets sold and 4,336 complimentary tickets.
PAYROLL
Total Payroll Disclosed: $1,524,000
Main Card
Dan Henderson: $250,000 (no win bonus) def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: $165,000
Wanderlei Silva: $200,000 (no win bonus) def. Cung Le: $350,000
UFC 139 will always be a night that I will remember because I didn’t see it live. A close friend’s 40th birthday celebration was that night, so I had the fights PVR’d, ready for me when I got home. I had my wife screen my text messages, Facebook and Twitter so no one could spoil the results. At 8:36pm, it started. My phone was buzzing consistently for what felt like 6 minutes straight from all the text messages, and Twitter and Facebook updates. I had that pit in my stomach that I was missing something historic, so I eventually caved and spoiled the results for myself. I was in shock and awe to see what I was missing. Afterward, as we walked downtown following the celebration, and passed a couple venues that were showing the fights, I could see the excitement on people’s faces, because of the event they had just witnessed as they talked about their favorite moments of the fight.
The aura of UFC 139 felt like no other event that I could remember. I wasn’t even watching it live and I could feel that something special was happening in that octagon. Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson put themselves on the line to give us what possibly could be the greatest fight in history. The fights leading up to the main event played a pivotal roll in making this fight as impactful as it was. It felt like each fight on the main card, starting with the Bonnar/Kingsbury fight, perfectly ramped up the hunger for the next fight. Each fight had been more exciting than the previous one. By the time Wanderlei and Cung had finished their fight of the night performance, everyone was primed for Rua and Henderson to explode. Not bad for a fight card that was in fear of being overshadowed by the UFC on FOX debut.
Dan Henderson Defeated Maurico “Shogun” Rua via Unanimous Decision
The technical breakdown for the fight by Fight Metric, that can be found here at MMAsucka.com, proves that both men can take a punch. With Henderson scoring 2 knockdowns, and Shogun having 96 significant strikes it’s amazing that this fight went to the judges. Judging this back and forth fight was a tough task especially the fifth and deciding round as Shogun clearly dominated it. Did he do enough to warrant a score of 10-8. Many including Dana White believed he did, and that the fight should have been a draw, but like he says, “Who am I?” to make those decisions.
Up next for Henderson is possibly a title shot, but against who? Both Anderson Silva and Jon Jones are headed for fights with Silva most likely fighting Chael Sonnen and Jones fighting Lyoto Machida in December, with Rashad waiting for the winner. If Henderson does decide to take a fight before a title shot, I could see him wanting to fight only big money opponents. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fits the bill as he is a decent draw and Henderson would want the rematch from a fighter who defeated him at UFC 75, in 2007.
Other than Rampage, Shogun would be another exciting rematch. The first match was close enough to justify it, and Shogun would most likely like to even the score.
Wanderlei Silva Defeats Cung Le via TKO, Round 2
It was nice to see Wanderlei win this fight in true Axe Murderer fashion with the Thai clinch knees and vicious ground and pound. We also were treated to a new kind of Wandy with a conservative game plan, which he was forced to do partly because being KO’d again would further Dana White’s case to have Silva retire, and if you rush a dynamic striker like Cung, you probably will get KO’d.
Although Silva had won, I still believe that Dana may ask him to step away from fighting. It would be great to see Silva leave on an impressive win. He has a successful school, and had won championships, and will always have his legacy as one of the most loved fighters of the sport and has nothing left to prove.
Cung had a great showing in the first round. It’s beautiful to see traditional martial arts stylist throw their techniques effectively. He threw his sidekick to Silva’s body like it was a boxer’s jab, just with a lot more power. The UFC will probably keep Cung fighting in stylistically interesting matches at middleweight. Maybe Chris Leben as he will be more than willing to stand, bang and absorb multiple axe kicks, side kicks, spinning heel kicks…
Urijah Faber Defeats Brian Bowles via Submission, round 2
Urijah Faber keeps 2 losses in a row away from his record as he bounces back from his title challenge loss to Dominick Cruz. Brian Bowles was not able to keep up with the speed of Faber’s striking as he fell behind in the first round. In the second round, Faber capitalized on Bowles exposed neck during a single leg attempt. Faber takes a guilotine submission win and another crack at a championship.
A fight lined up with Dominick Cruz gives Faber his 4th chance at a title since losing the WEC featherweight championship to Mike Brown in November 2008. Urijah has earned the right to complete the trilogy between him and Cruz, as he has defeated the other biggest threat to the title in Bowles.
Up next for Bowles, a fight against Renan Barao may be what the UFC is looking for. It give Barao a chance to solidify the hype he riding after a solid defeat against a very game Brad Pickett, and it also give Bowles a chance to prove he is a veteran that still belongs in the upper rankings of the class.
Quick Hits:
- Although Urijah Faber took home the submission of the night with his bread and butter guillotine choke, many believe that the slick D’arce choke Chris Weidman caught on Tom Lawlor deserved the honors or at least the co-honors (With the UFC’s deep pockets, if they give 2 fight of the nights, they should have given 2 submissions of the night too!).
- Lawlor deserved a bonus too, partly for not tapping, and more so for coming out to “Let’s Get Physical” by Olivia Newton John, the most epic entrance song ever!
-Michael McDonald is one scary bantamweight. He put out Alex Soto out like they were fighting at heavyweight. Can’t wait to see this youngster (20 years old) fight again!
-Don’t ever dare to miss weight when you fight against Danny Castillo. Shamar Bailey had to learn this the hard way as he was rag dolled, taken down, then pounded to a TKO as Danny felt extremely disrespected, especially since Bailey didn’t even try to utilize the extra hour given to him to lose the extra 2 pounds.
Last nights UFC 139 main event was an epic match-up and possibly one that will be recognized as Fight of the Year. Many people however believe that the fight between Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was scored incorrectly. MMA’s best media sources and fans alike thought that the fight ended in a draw. They saw it like this… Rounds 1-3 Henderson, Round 4 10-9 Rua and Round 5 10-8 Rua which would make it a draw, however all three judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of Henderson.
Here is a breakdown of striking by FightMetric.com, you make the decision of who you thought won based on these numbers.
What a night of fights in San Jose, California. UFC 139 was one for the ages with Dan Henderson winning a very close decision over Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva KO’s Cung Le in a battle for the ages and Urijah Faber put on an amazing performance, submitting Brian Bowles. Most of the nights main card winners will be in attendance at the post fight press conference. Check it out live below thanks to UFC.com
Before we move to my Half-Cut: UFC 139 picks, my beer choice for this event is Pilsner Urquell. The name literally means “pilsner from the original source,” making it the only true Pilsner in the world. Experts and judges have given Pilsner Urquell a score of 93 points, which is the highest rating ever given to a pilsner style lager due to its golden amber color, aromas of fresh baguette, caramelized nuts, citrus marmalade and earthy hops, honeyed nut toast and tart citrus flavors and rich body. I like the fact it doesn’t have too much of an after taste. Remember if you drink don’t drive!
Let’s hope UFC 139 leaves us with a pleasant after taste, because when you look at this card from top to bottom it’s hard not to get too excited. Tonight’s event is going to be, as the kids say, “bangin!”
MAIN EVENT Light Heavyweight – Mauricio Rua (20-5) vs. Dan Henderson (28-8)
On paper I look at this fight and feel that Hendo’s age could be the deciding factor. Yet I have felt that way every time Henderson has got into the cage the last two years and have been proven wrong. He obviously drinks from the same fountain that Randy Couture drank from.
The other thing I ponder is which Shogun are we going to see? A healthy, in shape Mauricio Shogun Rua could give Henderson fits. Shogun is known for his devastating stand up game, which includes some body kicks that can make an opponent’s gas tank go from full to empty within minutes. We also all know about Henderson’s H-bomb which is a devastating right hand that has put many to sleep.
But I don’t think it’s going to be the stand up game that will win this fight. Last time I checked, Henderson is still one of the best wrestlers in the division. Look for Henderson to be patient. He may take some shots and face an early barrage from Rua in the opening rounds, but this is a five-round main event and Henderson still has that legendary chin of granite.
If Henderson can grind his way to the third, fourth and fifth rounds I think he has a really good shot of winning this fight by decision. I believe Henderson will try and take this fight to the mat and attempt to throw some nasty ground n’ pound. For Shogun he needs to find his game that he had when he went to war with Machida twice. His most recent win over Forest Griffin was a step in the right direction.
This is a tough fight for me to call. However, like the Dos Santos vs. Velasquez fight, I said if Dos Santos can keep the fighting standing he had a shot. I say the same with this fight. If Shogun can keep the fight standing and work some leg and body kicks mixed in with some great combinations with out gassing, I like his chances. Unfortunately I don’t see that happening over five rounds. I’m going with Henderson by decision.
Winner: Dan Henderson
MiddleweightWanderlei Silva (33-11-1) vs. Cung Le (7-1)
I like to read what other MMA News sites predict before I make my own predictions. I already have in my head who I think is going to win, but sometimes reading other people’s thoughts on how a fight is going to go, makes my decisions easier. So far a lot of people like Wanderlei Silva in this fight.
This is going to be a stand up war. Cung Le has more moves than a U-Haul truck. Sorry that was bad. But you get what I mean. Le throws kicks from everywhere including a spinning back kick that has made opponents look silly. The problem is that the San Shou Master has only fought three times since 2008 and his last fight was more than a year ago. Will Cung Le have cage rust?
Wanderlei lost to Chris Leben at UFC 132 by devastating KO. Some speculated and even called for his retirement. However he was a replacement opponent for Le after Vitor Belfort went down with an injury. Wanderlei likes to push the pace, but he is not the Axe Murderer from the Pride Days. He is only 35 going on 50. I know Silva will try and keep the fight in close quarters. He may even try to slow Le down with some leg kicks. But Wandy wants to avoid being on the outside looking in.
I love Wandy, but I don’t see how he wins this fight. I think Cung Le has a jab and vicious kicks that will keep Wandy to the outside. The only thing I worry about is Le’s gas tank. I’m taking Cung Le by TKO. Le will probably work some great combinations through kicks and vicious jabs. I think Le clips Silva with a punch and finishes him off in the second round for the TKO victory. Wanderlei Silva’s chin is the biggest question mark right now in this fight. I don’t like how some of questioned Le’s desire to be a fighter just because he has tried to make it in Hollywood. It has been a dream for Cung Le to fight in the UFC, I don’t see him taking this fight lightly or coming into it out of shape. We will probably see the most determined Cung Le we have ever seen which is bad news for the future hall of famer, Wanderlei Silva.
Winner: Cung Le
Bantamweight – Urijah Faber (25-5) vs. Brian Bowles (10-1)
Faber is looking to get another shot at the Bantamweight title currently held by his arch nemesis Dominick Cruz. Bowles is looking to crash the party and get back to being one of the best Bantamweights in the world. People forget how good Bowles is and was. Unfortunately Bowles has had some injury problems that has kept him on the shelf and has taken away any momentum he has had in climbing the ladder. Yet I think a lot of people look at this fight and automatically take Faber because of his size and strength. Faber is great at always moving and keeping his opponents on their toes. He will try and push the pace to see if Bowles can keep up. I see Faber trying to set up the takedown and keep Bowles guessing.
The last thing Bowles wants is for Faber to take him down and control him from top position. Bowles is really going to have to figure out a way to keep the Sacramento native at bay. Easier said than done. At first glance, I’m like many, who are taking Faber in this fight. However, if there is going to be an upset on this card I think this is the fight. In the past, Faber has been prone to throwing caution to the wind and in turn has taken some vicious shots. Bowles possesses some power in his hands, however, his hands end up taking the worst of the exchange, ie: the hand injuries. For some reason I think Faber takes a stiff right from Bowles and the fight ends. This is my upset fight pick. Call me crazy but I think this is set up for a Faber loss. I’m sure most will disagree, so if you decide to go the other way I don’t blame you. But I’m sticking to my hunch on this one. Read the title, “Half-Cut Picks.” Poor me another one.
Winner: Brian Bowles
Welterweight - Martin Kampmann (17-5) vs. Rick Story (13-4)
I most recently did an interview with Kampmann and I found out rather quickly that this is a guy who is clearly motivated and frustrated at the same time. He has had two very close and controversial back-to-back losses to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez. He and others believe he won the fight against Sanchez and he is looking to take that frustration and apply it to Rick Story’s face. Kampmann believes the key to winning this fight is technical striking and keeping the fight on the outside. Kampmann does not want to get sucked into a standing brawl. Story likes to stand in the pocket and bang. For either opponent, hanging in the pocket for too long could be harmful to their health.
Story will probably try and use his striking to set up the take down. If Story can control Kampmann on the ground he has a shot at winning some rounds. I’m sure the tape of Kampmann vs. Shields is floating around Story’s training camp somewhere. The problem I see is, the Denmark native has got really good at sprawling. We saw this in the Sanchez fight at UFC Live 3, where Kampmann stuffed 14 take down attempts.
This fight is going to be a back and forth war. It is my early candidate for fight of the night. It’s going to be a close one but I think Kampmann has the experience and will most likely come in with a solid game plan. I’m taking Kampmann by decision. I think he will rack up enough points to finally get a decision to fall his way.
Winner: Martin Kampmann
Light Heayweight – Stephan Bonnar (13-7) vs. Kyle Kingsbury (11-2)
Above, I mentioned that the Kampmann vs. Story fight is my candidate for fight of the night. I know there are a lot of people who are hoping this one is also a strong candidate. On paper this looks like a fight that will wow the audience. To me, the key in this fight is Kingsbury’s wrestling. Although I have no doubt that these two will exchange a lot of stand up fodder, if I was game planning for Kingsbury I would want him to utilize his strong wrestling but pick those shots carefully. Bonnar is no joke and this is going to be a stiff test for Kingsbury, but I do think that the wrestling ability will win out. I like Kingsbury by decision. But man, I know a lot of people would love to see a KO or TKO here. Really looking forward to this match up.
Winner: Kingsbury
Well, let’s see how we do. If we were to take all my above picks and put them into a parlay bet, a $5 wager would get you $171. Could be fun. Remember to know your limit and play within it.
Please have a good night watching the fights with your friends. Drink responsibily and if you have a beer you would like for us to try and promote, drop me a line on Twitter or in the comment section below. You can also send me hate mail on how stupid I was to take Bowles.
Fighters participating in UFC 139: Henderson vs. Rua will take to the scale at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, as part of the official weigh-in’s for this Saturday’s fight card. The event is set to be headlined by legends of the sport Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Co-main event status goes to Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le.
Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she says, “There’s no place like home”, that is what Dan Henderson is doing on November 19th.
MMAWeekly.com reported that Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson (28-8 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has re-signed with the UFC and will be returning to face former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (20-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 139.
We last seen Henderson in the cage when he defeated Fedor Emelianenko in July and last competed in the UFC when he defeated Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July of 2009.
Henderson was unable to agree to terms on a new contract with the UFC and went onto to agree to a deal with Strikeforce and went 3-1 under the Strikeforce banner. He was hoping to defend his Strikeforce title in both the UFC and Strikeforce, but that remains to be seen what is done with the belt since Zuffa acquired Strikeforce this past March.
Rua last fought when he defeated Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 last month in Rio and will be looking to get one step closer to regain his title that he lost to Jon Jones in March at UFC 128.
UFC 139 takes place on November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA.
For the latest on UFC 139, stay tuned to MMASucka.com
Anderson Silva on Saturday further established his claim as pound for pound the best fighter in the world today quite arguably the best ever with his win over Yushin Okami at UFC 134. It was Silva’s 15th overall and 14th in the UFC. When a guy is that dominant in his weight class and disposing of all challengers in his path, the next path would be for a guy to move up in weight and fight guys at that weight class to further cement his legacy in the sport.
UFC President Dana White said after the event on Saturday that Silva still has a few more challengers at 185 and that even includes a superfight with reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St.Pierre. It begs the question: What challengers is White referring too? Mark Munoz? Not seasoned enough and doesn’t have the standup to matchup with Silva. Michael Bisping? Always underachieves in big time fights (Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans come to mind). Dan Henderson? (Lost to Silva via 2 round submission a few years back and at age 41 would be a diffcult weight cut back to 185 like his fight with Jake Shields). What about GSP?
If GSP had the frame to be close in weight to Silva, then the fight would make sense. Silva has fought two times at 205 and has even been rumored in the last year to want to have a heavyweight fight and GSP does not have the standup to even hang with Silva. The fight would be a total mismatch but that is another conversation for another time. So, who is the only opponent for Silva?
That guy would be none other than Chael Sonnen. They fought at UFC 117 and Silva pulled off the victory after getting dominated in the first four rounds by Sonnen, Silva pulled off a submission victory with a triangle armbar with 1:50 left in the fight. The rematch was supposed to happen early this year but Sonnen got suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for elevated testosterone levels and the fight got scrapped. Silva defeated Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 and Okami this past Saturday. So why Sonnen?
Sonnen is the only option due to the fact that he gave Silva his toughest test during this run and his wrestling is superior to anyone at 185 and his standup is good enough to where he can just strike enough to keep Silva guessing. But the most important thing is that the fight will get a great buyrate on PPV and the UFC is a PPV business. They both are at the top of the weight class and with Sonnen’s trash talking and the legendary status that Silva has, this is the only logical fight that makes sense for Anderson Silva before what will be an eventual move up to 205. If Sonnen gets by Brian Stann at UFC 136 in October then lets make it happen.
Does that make the most sense or should Silva fight the guys mention in the beginning?
