It was vintage Dan Henderson on display at UFC Fight Night 39. | Photo: Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com
Henderson dispatched Mauricio “Shogun” Rua with a sweeping right hook to the nose and subsequent ground strikes in the UFC Fight Night 39 headliner on Sunday at Nelio Dias Gymnasium in Natal, Brazil. The end came 91 seconds into the third round, as Henderson (30-11, 7-5 UFC) became the first man to defeat “Shogun” twice.
Rua (22-9, 6-7 UFC) masked his power punches with a stiff jab and stout leg kicks, as he had the former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder reeling and on the verge of being stopped late in the first round. Henderson somehow withstood the onslaught, as Rua pierced his defenses with a right hook-left hook combination and some vicious ground-and-pound.
“Shogun” floored the two-time Olympian with a right uppercut in round two but failed to capitalize, settling in Henderson’s guard before a referee restart. The two clinched to start the third frame. On the break, Henderson’s right hand swept across the Brazilian’s face sending him careening backward. The stoppage followed soon after, with the dazed and disfigured Rua eating further punishment and clinging to Henderson’s leg in desperation.
“This [win] probably means more than most. ‘Shogun’ has been such a big part of mixed martial arts,” said Henderson, who earned a controversial unanimous decision over the Brazilian at UFC 139 in November 2011. “I’m such a big fan of ‘Shogun’ and how he represents the sport.”
Ferreira (7-3, 3-1 UFC) fell prey to his own aggression. Dollaway lured him into a close-quarters firefight, floored him with a short left hook-right hook combo and finished it with a volley of unanswered blows on the ground.
The 30-year-old has recorded three wins in his last four appearances, a disputed split decision loss to Tim Boetsch the lone hiccup.
Santos (12-3-1, 1-0-1 UFC) kept the Irishman at bay in the first round, where he leaned on body kicks, leg kicks and counterpunches. Parke (19-2-1, 3-0-1 UFC) closed the distance over the final 10 minutes, neutralizing “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” Season 2 winner in the clinch with standing elbows and right uppercuts.
However, he was docked a point in round two for grabbing Santos’ shorts during an attempted takedown, costing him the victory.
The draw snapped Parke’s streak of nine straight wins.
Villante (11-5, 1-2 UFC) neutralized the Brazilian boxer with takedowns and ground-and-pound in the first round and opened a cut with a knee strike from the clinch in the second. From there, Maldonado found another gear.
Jabs, crippling body shots and accurate multi-punch combinations robbed Villante of much-needed energy and reduced him to target-practice fodder. By the conclusion of round three, with Maldonado nearing a finish, Villante could barely stand under his own power. Maldonado, 34, has rattled off three consecutive victories.
Taisumov (21-5, 1-1 UFC) was docked two points by referee Mario Yamasaki, who eventually threatened him with disqualification for repeatedly grabbing the fence to avoid takedowns.
Prazeres did his best work in the first round, where he grounded the M-1 Global veteran with ease and moved to full mount on three different occasions. The 30-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt sat down Taisumov with a straight right in the second and advanced to full mount again in the third.
Siler (23-12, 5-3 UFC) enjoyed early success with leg kicks, but
the Brazilian’s punching power proved to be the difference. An
overhand right set the American on unsteady legs and a subsequent
left hook floored him, leading to referee Wernei
Cardoso’s intervention despite the fact that Siler was in a
defensive position
preparing to throw upkicks.