Report: ‘Shogun’ Rua vs. Dan Henderson rematch targeted for UFC Fight Night 38

It looks like one of the most highly regarded fights in recent memory will get a chance to get run back.

According to a report from Brazilian news outlet Tatame, Mauricio Rua (22-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) and Dan Henderson (29-11 MMA, 6-5 UFC) are being targeted to headline the UFC’s March 23 event in Brazil. UFC officials have not yet made an announcement of the fight, which would be UFC Fight Night 38 at Ginasio Nelio Dias in Natal.

“Shogun” and Henderson first met in the main event of UFC 139 in November 2011. That fight, a unanimous decision win for Henderson, was regarded by many as 2011's “Fight of the Year” because of its back-and-forth nature, with each fighter taking big momentum swings, and continuing to plod forward in the fourth and fifth rounds despite being visibly exhausted.

Rua in December snapped a two-fight skid when he knocked out James Te-Huna in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 33 in Australia. He picked up “Knockout of the Night” honors for the stunning KO and got back in the win column after consecutive losses to Chael Sonnen and Alexander Gustafsson. Now he’ll be going after his first winning streak since 2009.

If the bout comes to fruition, it will be because Henderson apparently has a new deal with the UFC. His most recent fight, a first-round head-kick knockout loss to Vitor Belfort in Brazil, was not only his third straight setback, it was the final fight on his UFC contract. Prior to the loss to Belfort, Henderson has split-decision losses to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida. In fact, his most recent win was the “Fight of the Night” victory over Rua, which at that point was his fourth straight win and his return to the UFC after three fights in Strikeforce, where he won the light heavyweight title.

For more on this fight as news develops, stay tuned to MMAjunkie.

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.