UFC 139 Predictions: How Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Will Beat Dan Henderson

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua got off to one of the best starts in mixed martial arts history as he was declared victorious in 14 of his first 16 professionals bouts.

By this time, Rua had already established himself as one of the best fighters in the world as he swept through the 2005 Pride Grand Prix Championship by defeating Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio "Rogerio" Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona.

But things changed when Rua joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship in September of 2007, when he met Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 in Anaheim, California.

After displaying one of the best performances of the year, Griffin caught Rua in an unwanted position with just seconds remaining in the third and final round.

Rua was submitted via rear-naked choke but bounced back by defeating Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell in his next two fights.

"Shogun" went on to be declared the UFC light heavyweight champion by defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 but was stripped of his title in his very next fight against Jon "Bones" Jones.

Rua will now look to earn himself another title shot when he squares off with Dan Henderson in just a few short hours.

However, if Rua wants any hopes of another title fight, there are some things he'll need to do when action begins.

When these two touch gloves, Rua will need to be the aggressor early as Henderson gets better as the rounds progress.

In fact, in Rua's 25 career fights, only eight have made it past the very first round.

Therefore, Rua will need to establish a quick, upbeat tempo and attempt to overwhelm Henderson in his return to the UFC.

Rua must also maintain the fight in the stand up as Henderson has much better wrestling and take down skills.

In order for Rua to remain on his feet he'll need to establish a strong take down defense early and often.

On paper, Henderson is the favorite heading in, but, if Rua can stick to his game plan, he should have no problem moving closer to his much desired light heavyweight title shot.