UFC 139 Results: What a Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Loss Means to His Legacy

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (20-5) is one fight removed from losing his title to Jon Jones in March, but he might be only one or two fights away from getting a rematch with him if he is to get past Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 139.

The Brazilian muay-thai specialist turns 30 next week, and his career has already been very well-documented throughout the last decade. He became the Pride Grand Prix champion when he was only 23, and he faced and beat many of the best fighters, including Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Alistair Overeem, Forrest Griffin and Ricardo Arona.

He has the chance to get his first UFC victory in the U.S. later tonight when he faces an MMA legend in Henderson, who is coming off three consecutive knockout wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante and Renato Sobral.

The fight is one that could go either way, and not many would be surprised if Henderson was able to land his "H-Bomb" and knock out the 29-year-old.

If Shogun wants to get his chance at redemption against Jon Jones, he will need to make the most of his position and defeat Henderson over five rounds. He is 3-0 in rematches, and that alone is enough to make a rematch with Jones marketable.

If Rua can somehow stop Henderson, it will be an extra boost to his legacy considering the only men to do so were Anderson Silva and the Nogueira bros.

So while a win would add to his legacy, a loss to someone as great as Henderson wouldn't be as devastating as it may seem.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 139. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 19 fight card , from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis.