UFC 139 Fight Card: Despite Outcome, Shogun Is Still a Winner

It was a tough fight, and hey, somebody had to lose. Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua had a fight for the ages and unfortunately for Shogun, Dan came out on top.

Years of waiting for this fight and this is what we got.

Despite the outcome, Shogun put on a great performance and could have very well stolen at least a draw.

He hung in there and survived everything—even what seemed to be almost an early first round finish by Henderson.

It was a close fight and even though he is now 2-3 in his last five fights, Shogun fought to prove something tonight. The whispers of "Oh Shogun is gassed again this won't end well" quickly entered fans' heads.

It for sure entered mine.

Yet, somehow he was able to pull it off and fight to the finish and almost end the fight numerous times. Shogun was even able to secure takedowns on Hendo.

Standing wise, he looked good. With Hendo tired, Shogun was able to be more effective with his gassed-out arms that were just swinging with all the might they had left.

A Shogun versus Hendo II match would be excellent. If an epic second fight does happen, Shogun may have lost the battle, but he hasn't lost the war.

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.