UFC 139 great fights!
Date: 2011-11-27 00:00:00
Source: http://www.detnews.com/article/20111126/OPINION03/...
Submitted By: MMAFightsDump
Mixed martial arts has existed for 18 years in the United States. Of those thousands of days, very few compare to the action seen last Saturday. At UFC 139 in San Jose, Calif., Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua put on an all-time classic. Across the country at Bellator 58 in Hollywood, Fla., Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez put on what, on most any other day, would be a shoo-in for Fight of the Year. UFC president Dana White called the fight between Henderson and Rua one of the top-three all-time fights. It's hard to disagree. The fight was an absolute war of attrition that saw Henderson take the first three rounds before Rua rallied to take the last two. Henderson won by unanimous decision (48-47 on all three scorecards) but many thought the fight should've been a draw, arguing that Rua won the fifth round 10-8. The fight could not have started any worse for Rua. Henderson almost immediately caught him with big shots and cut him. Rua held tough and survived another Henderson barrage that would've finished almost any other fighter in the third round. Referee Josh Rosenthal was very close to stopping the fight, but allowed the fighters a bit of leeway and Rua was able to work his way out of a bad situation. After that, Henderson was spent. With Rua running on fumes as well from the grueling pace, it looked like the final two rounds could be duds. They were anything but. With both men's white trunks turning pink from blood, the two continued to battle. In the fourth, it was Rua who had the tired Henderson on the ropes and in the fifth, Rua took Henderson down and spent the entire round pounding away but didn't have enough left in the tank to really turn it on and put Henderson out. Still, he completely controlled the round and Henderson did not have one bit of offense. Regardless, all three judges scored the round 10-9, which allowed Henderson to escape with a win. In the wake of the fight, both men were taken to the hospital for observation. For years, fans were clamoring for the UFC to make non-title main events five rounds instead of the standard three. This was the first of what could be many epic fights to come from that decision. What's next for both men? Henderson was offered a title shot at light-heavyweight or middleweight, but he's going to have to wait in line. Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones defends his title Dec. 10 in Toronto against Lyoto Machida and former MSU wrestler Rashad Evans could be waiting for the winner of that one. At middleweight, kingpin Anderson Silva is out until June with a shoulder injury and could be awaiting Chael Sonnen when he recovers. For Henderson, at 41 years old, cutting the nearly 20 pounds it takes to make the middleweight limit of 185 pounds is probably not the best idea. In his last fight at the weight in April 2010, he tired badly after the first round and lost a five-round decision to Jake Shields in Strikeforce. No matter whom he faces, it will make for a tough challenge, but the smart money is on Henderson waiting for a shot at the light-heavyweight title. As for Rua, he comes out no worse for wear in terms of his status in the division. Many observers felt he deserved a draw, and White, as well as the fans, always appreciates a fight like that. Chandler, Alvarez produce fireworks Less than three hours earlier in Hollywood, Fla., the Bellator lightweight title fight between champion Alvarez and challenger Chandler appeared to be a lock for best fight of the night and a solid Fight of the Year candidate. Alvarez, ranked near the top five in most rankings coming in, was immediately put on the defensive by Chandler, who earned his title shot by winning the organization's Season 4 Lightweight Tournament, winning three fights in three months earlier this year. The first 20 seconds of this bout were a firefight with Chandler putting Alvarez in huge trouble against the fence only to have the champion come back with shots of his own. After that, both competitors settled in although Chandler once again sent Alvarez to the canvas as the round came to a close. After a solid second round, it appeared Alvarez was taking over in the third, as he put the former Missouri wrestler in big trouble with a shot to the body. Alvarez teed off on Chandler but Chandler displayed an outstanding chin and absorbed some of Alvarez's best shots. Despite being on the wrong end of a beating in the third, Chandler came out strong in the fourth, hurting Alvarez and getting on top of him. Alvarez gave up his back and Chandler wasted no time in clamping on a rear-naked choke, forcing Alvarez, now 22-3, to tap at the 3:06 mark of the round. The loss ended Alvarez's seven-fight win streak, which spanned almost two years. Chandler (9-0) has a lot of people talking. It was certainly a breakthrough performance that was seen by a season-high in viewers. No matter where these four fighters go from here, the night of Nov. 19, 2011 will go down as one of the most memorable in the history of the sport.
