UFC 139 Predictions: Mauricio Rua vs. Dan Henderson

UFC 139 is about to kick off with Maurício “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan “Hendo” Henderson serving as the main event. This bout is guaranteed to be explosive—sparks will fly, but for who?

Shogun (20-5) is slowly making progress back up the rungs of the UFC light heavyweight division ladder after losing his title to Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 128.

He showed his intentions with an emphatic first-round blitz of Forrest Griffin at UFC 134.

On the other hand, Hendo (28-8) is making his return to the Octagon after a successful 3-1 stint at the now-defunct San Jose-based Strikeforce company—picking up the light heavyweight title along the way.

Hendo has made the jump to the UFC for two reasons—a shot at UFC gold and to end his storied career there.

This will be the first time these former Pride champions come face to face in the Octagon or anywhere else for that matter.

For some reason, their paths never crossed whilst they were tearing up Pride en-route to becoming household names.

I expect the fight to be a stand-and-bang affair, with Hendo attempting to end things early via “H-Bomb” detonation.

Shogun’s mission in this five-round bout will be to weather the early storm of the Greco-Roman style wrestler’s initial onslaught, whilst keeping him at bay with his numbing leg kicks.

Still, I expect the 41-year-old’s age and lack of cardio to become a factor if the fight goes into the latter stages.

Now, if that transpires, expect Shogun to take full advantage of the situation and go for broke.

Hendo is known for his cast iron chin, but a fatigued Hendo will wilt under the relentless assault of Shogun, and I see him losing via KO/TKO for the first time in his career.