UFC 139 Results: Shogun vs. Henderson Was the Best Fight in UFC History

Move over Griffin/Bonnar, we have a new champion.

Saturday night at UFC 139, veteran warriors Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua put on a fight for the ages, a five-round donnybrook that saw them brawl all across the cage, up and down, in and out, and in a fashion that has the MMA world buzzing.

It started explosively, with Henderson clipping Rua and putting him to the canvas. Rua, however, showed his legendary resiliency in working back to his feet and into the fight. As it went on, he lashed back at Henderson with thunderous shots of his own, willing his way back into the tilt.

The two exchanged heavy shots, dropping one another time and again and following up on the ground. Neither man could finish, and was often countered almost immediately in such a way that they’d be back on defense before they could ever fully commit to offense.

That whirling dervish approach to fighting, shared by both men, isn’t often seen but is always appreciated by fans and pundits. It’s a guaranteed recipe for excitement, and what Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar (who competed Saturday as well, oddly enough) proved in 2005, Henderson and Rua reminded us tonight: men looking for a fight can find one on a Saturday night in the octagon.

The reason that the UFC 139 main event surpasses Griffin/Bonnar, though, is twofold. In terms of pure skill, there was more on display between Shogun and Hendo than there was in the frantic brawl that ended the first Ultimate Fighter. Plenty of heart and grit, but also plenty of skill.

The other is that this was the first true non-title main event to be booked for five rounds, and that gave the world 10 extra minutes of incredible action. No offense to UFC 138 or Chris Leben and Mark Munoz, but a tape-delayed free main event doesn’t have the same cache that this one did going in, and it surely didn’t once the fight actually happened.

The big thing that the original TUF finale has going for it is that the fight is credited as being the one to push the UFC into the conscious of the sporting world. No one can take that away, and it’s totally factual, but in terms of what went on in the cage, the matchup between Shogun and Henderson blows it away.

MMA fans witnessed something special tonight, an instantly timeless fight between two legends. Just as with Griffin/Bonnar almost seven years ago, it’ll be a long time before something comes along to match it.

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.