UFC 139: SHOGUN VS. HENDERSON
NOVEMBER 19, 2011
LIVE FROM SAN JOSE, CALIF.
======FACEBOOK PRELIMS======
Prelim Fight A – Danny Castillo vs. Shamar Bailey (Lightweight)
RD 1 – Castillo slammed Bailey a few times early in the round and controlled on top. Bailey tried to hold on to Castillo to avoid damage. Castillo started posturing up and landed a number of punches. The punches started getting through and doing damage and he passed into mount. Bailey got out of that, but Castillo started unloading and caused a stoppage as the round was ending.
WINNER: Castillo via TKO at 4:52 of the first round
STAR RATING: (*+) The stoppage came because Bailey wasn’t doing anything but covering up, but there wasn’t much to that one. Castillo was the better fighter and got the win, though.
Prelim Fight B – Seth Baczysnki vs. Matt Brown (Welterweight)
RD 1 – Baczynski clipped Brown early with a right as they each circled, but Brown recovered. Baczysnki grabbed a clinch and pressed Brown against the cage. Brown landed some knees with his back on the cage and avoided a flurry as Baczynski attempted to knock him out. Baczysnki finally worked for a takedown and completed it. Brown swept and landed some kicks before letting Baczysnki stand up. Brown landed a hard gut punch and Baczysnki grabbed the clinch again. Brown worked with knees on the cage and held any offense from Baczysnki. Baczynski grabbed a standing guillotine before the round came to an end, and that one probably went to Baczysnki. Brown was aggressive with his back against the cage, though.
RD 2 – Brown scored a takedown early, but Baczynski immediately grabbed a guillotine choke. Brown tried to pop his head out, and fought it for quite a bit of time, but was finally forced to tap.
WINNER: Baczysnki via submission (guillotine choke) at :42 of the second round
STAR RATING: (**-) The first round was a decent back and forth battle between two even opponents, and then Baczysnki caught Brown quick in the second with that choke. Tough break for Brown.
Prelim Fight C – Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace (Bantamweight)
RD 1 – Torres came out to the center and landed a leg kick but ate a left. Torres worked on the outside with leg kicks and punches. Torres worked very tentatively early. Torres connected on a hard right. Pace landed a couple of jabs. Torres cracked him again with a right. Pace threw a knee and pressed in for a clinch. Torres held off the takedown attempt really well against the cage. Torres grabbed for a kimura and they rolled over on the ground and popped up.Torres was unsuccessful on a trip and they separated. Torres landed a combo. He cracked Pace with a hard right late and missed one more. He ended the round with a head kick that was blocked and round one goes to Torres.
RD 2 – Torres went to work on Pace’s legs early. His kicks kept Pace at bay and he effectively worked from the outside. Pace ducked under a punch and took Torres down. Torres landed some elbows from his back. Pace finally worked to side control. Torres escaped and got to his feet and pressed Pace up against the cage. Torres landed a knee to the body and some good short punches to the face. Pace tried to grab a standing guillotine but Torres popped out. He landed some foot stomps and knees. He landed some body punches and knees in the clinch to end a round, another one that goes his way despite getting taken down.
RD 3 – Torres went back to working from the outside. Pace attempted to engage but couldn’t land. Pace got in close eventually for a clinch, but Torres turned him around and landed some knees. Torres continued landing strikes against the cage for the better part of the next minute. They finally separated and Pace walked Torres down, but continuously ate counter punches. Pace got the clinch again and Torres turned him around. Torres backed off and came in with a short combo. Torres landed a side kick and threw a somersault kick to finish the fight. Not a great end to the fight, but Torres should take the decision handily.
WINNER: Torres vía unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) There were some good moments in the fight, and it wasn’t horrible, but there just wasn’t a ton to get excited about. Torres was ahead into the third and he was content to simply control the pace in the final frame to get the win.
Prelim Fight D – Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael dos Anjos (Lightweight)
RD 1 – Tibau pressed the action from the center early. Dos Anjos landed a hard left a minute in. He then pressed and landed a body kick. Tibau walked him down again but didn’t land anything. Neither was too eager to engage. Tibau scored a takedown but dos Anjos turned and got to his feet with a single leg attempt. Dos Anjos landed an uppercut but Tibau landed a counter right. Dos Anjos pressed in and then took Tibau down against the cage. Tibau got up and dos Anjos landed an elbow on the break. Tibau landed a couple of strikes after grabbing a foot. Dos Anjos got back to a single leg, but Tibau held him off. They traded strikes and jockeyed for position as the round ended. Very close first round.
RD 2 – Before anything happened in the round they were halted to cut tape off of Tibau’s hand. Dos Anjos was the early aggressor, though he missed a few strikes. Dos Anjos landed a nice right as Tibau faked a takedown. Tibau grabbed a single leg but Dos Anjos spun out of it. He came in with a body punch. Tibau landed a couple of punches. Dos Anjos landed a left and shot in. Tibau held him off. Dos Anjos walked Tibau down and again grabbed the clinch after a strike. Tibau turned him around and attempted a takedown, but dos Anjos held it off and turned him back around. He landed an elbow on the break. Dos Anjos landed a few strikes. Tibau hurt dos Anjos with a left. Dos Anjos ran back and tried to recover and Tibau started picking his shots. Dos Anjos was severely wobbled, but Tibau couldn’t put him out. Tibau stalked. Dos Anjos missed an uppercut and Tibau walked him down. Dos Anjos survived the round, but that 30 second stretch won the round for Tibau, and this is either even or Tibau’s up two.
RD 3 – Dos Anjos cracked Tibau early with a left. Dos Anjos threw a hard kick to the body. Dos Anjos later got in with a good combo. Tibau caught a leg kick and just missed a counter punch. Tibau landed a left. Tibau scored a takedown with two minutes left. Dos Anjos got to his feet without suffering much damage. He grabbed the single leg but let it go. He landed some knees to the thigh and tried to complete the takedown, but Tibau held it off. Dos Anjos landed a few hard knees. Dos Anjos chased Tibau down to the end of the fight. Very tough fight to score. First and third were very close, and both of them could have gone to dos Anjos despite Tibau having the best stretch of offense in the second. Anything from 29-28 dos Anjos to 30-27 Tibau would make sense here.
WINNER: Tibau via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**-) It was a very tentative fight for much of it, but there were stretches of good action between both. Tibau’s inability to finish in the second almost came back to bite him, but he took the nod in a close fight. Nothing wrong with any of the scores.
Prelim Fight E – Tom Lawlor vs. Chris Weidman (Middleweight)
RD 1 – Lawlor landed an early combo. Weidman ducked under a big right. Weidman threw a kick high but it was blocked. Weidman shot in and scored a takedown 45 seconds in. Lawlor tried to get up against the cage, but Weidman stayed on him and dragged him to the ground. Weidman passed to side control. Weidman locked on the D’Arce choke and Lawlor went out. Wow, big win for Weidman.
WINNER: Weidman via submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:07 of the first round
STAR RATING: (**+) That was a great performance by Weidman. His takedown was fantastic, and he set that choke up nicely and rolled into it to put Lawlor out. Big win.
======SPIKE TV PRELIMS======
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan discuss the night’s pay-per-view card before going right into the intro for the first fight.
FIGHT ONE: MICHAEL MCDONALD VS. ALEX SOTO (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: McDonald engaged early with two quick punches. Soto jumped in with a kick and McDonald connected on a punch. McDonald landed a nice right. Soto popped in with a leg kick. McDonald landed a hard straight right. McDonald dropped Soto with a huge right. Soto recovered, but McDonald stayed on him as he got to his feet. McDonald kept on the attack and dropped him again at the cage with an uppercut. He landed a couple of hard strikes and the ref stopped it. Huge performance by McDonald.
WINNER: McDonald via KO at :56 of the first round
POST FIGHT: McDonald said that’s one of his favorite punches and he’s always looking for it, especially when someone is coming right at him. He said he’s in no rush and is ready for whatever the UFC puts in front of him.
STAR RATING: (***) It may have been only 56 seconds, but that was impressive as all hell from McDonald. The overhand right was delivered perfectly, and he didn’t let Soto get back into the fight even though Soto initially recovered. That was a brutal finish as well after landing the uppercut, as he got in three more that put Soto out for the stoppage.
-The Facebook prelim bout between Seth Baczynski and Matt Brown is shown.
FIGHT TWO: RYAN BADER VS. JASON BRILZ (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bader walked Brilz down early and threw with bad intentions. Brilz got out of the way of the first several strike attempts. Bader landed a nice uppercut. He backed off from Brilz advancing and went back to stalking. Bader landed a couple of short jabs. He came in again and dropped Brilz with a big punch and the ref jumped in before more damage could be done. Just stoppage. Bader connected behind the ear, much like Junior dos Santos on Cain Velasquez last weekend, and Brilz crumpled.
WINNER: Bader via KO at 1:17 of the first round
POST FIGHT: Bader said he’d been working a lot because “losing sucks.”
STAR RATING: (**) That was a big punch from Bader, and we’ve seen that type of punch take out a number of fighters. It’s a rough loss for Brilz, but it was a much needed win for Bader.
-The preliminary card bout between Danny Castillo and Shamar Bailey is next.
-After discussing the main event, they then filled time with the Chris Weidman-Tom Lawlor bout.
-Time for the hard sell from Dana and Rogan for the night’s pay-per-view card, which will kick off in just a few minutes.
======PAY-PER-VIEW CARD======
Goldberg and Rogan welcome the pay-per-view audience. We’ve already seen quite a bit of action on the preliminary card, and this main card broadcast is poised to deliver.
FIGHT THREE: STEPHAN BONNAR VS. KYLE KINGSBURY (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Bonnar immediately came forward with a kick. Kingsbury landed a couple of short strikes and pressed in with a clinch. Bonnar landed a knee to the legs and a couple to the body. Bonnar got separation with a short combo. Bonnar caught Kingsbury with a big left, but then accidentally kicked him low, causing a halt to the action. Kingsbury restarted quickly though. Bonnar landed a couple strikes. Kingsbury connected on a couple. They clinched in the center. Bonnar landed a short elbow to the face. Kingsbury’s nose was bleeding as they continued to battle for position in the clinch. Bonnar tried a throw and Kingsbury held it off. He landed a couple of strikes as Bonnar got up, but Bonnar turned around and landed a couple of very hard punches. Bonnar landed a right and then they clinched again. Bonnar landed a strike and chased Kingsbury down and went for a single leg. Bonnar completed the takedown and passed to side control. Bonnar went for a guillotine and used it to get mount. Kingsbury gave up his back and Bonnar ended the round delivering strikes from the top.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bonnar. Good start for Bonnar. He’s landing strikes, working well in the clinch, and he ended the round big with strikes in the mount.
ROUND TWO: Kingsbury landed a short combo early. Bonnar landed a couple strikes in return. Bonnar threw a kick high and it was blocked. Bonnar blocked a kick and took Kingsbury’s back standing.Kingsbury got turned around, but Bonnar took him down and got into half guard. Bonnar passed to side control. He landed some elbows and short punches. Bonnar got to north-south position and passed to the other side. Bonnar landed some shots to the body. Bonnar tried to work for the mounted crucifix, but Kingsbury broke free. Bonnar went for a guillotine again and looked to mount. Kingsbury got out and got to the half guard. Bonnar tried to grab an arm triangle but couldn’t get out of half guard and he ended the round on top again.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bonnar. Very big round for him, but he didn’t have a near submission or enough damage to warrant a 10-8.
ROUND THREE: Kingsbury pressed in early, but Bonnar caught an early kick and dragged him to the ground. Kingsbury popped up but Bonnar took his back standing and dragged him to the mat. He got into half guard. Bonnar passed to side control and to north-south. He went back to side control. He landed some short strikes as he again looked for the mounted crucifix. The crowd booed, but Bonnar was fighting a smart fight with positional control. Back to north-south for Bonnar, and he landed shots to the body. Kingsbury tried to escape but Bonnar stayed on him. Bonnar finally unloaded some shots as the round wore down.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Bonnar. Bonnar couldn’t get the finish, but he was very clearly the better fighter on the ground. Kingsbury had no answer, and Bonnar picks up his third straight win.
WINNER: Bonnar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)
POST FIGHT: Bonnar said he’s not used to the fans booing during his fights. He said he felt he had control on the ground and didn’t want to risk it and get knocked out. Bonnar apologized to Josh Koscheck for the issue that started their feud when he made a shirt with Koscheck’s image without Koscheck’s knowledge. Good move by him.
STAR RATING: (**-) It wasn’t terribly exciting, but Bonnar fought a very smart gameplan and won the fight convincingly. He found bringing it to the ground worked tonight and he kept on it.
FIGHT FOUR: MARTIN KAMPMANN VS. RICK STORY (WELTERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Story plowed in immediately with punches and kept Kampmann backing up. Story hurt Kampann with a big combination on the cage, but Kampmann survived and broke free. Kampmann was already cut over his right eye a minute in. Kampmann came in and landed a nice right. Story cracked him with a two punch combo. Story went to the body and followed with a good left. Story again connected. He landed hard to Kampmann’s body. Story’s eyebrow was cut as well. Story landed the right again. He connected on a combo to the body. Story landed a short combo. Story’s eye opened up pretty bad, but he was still the aggressor. Story landed another nice combo. Kampmann landed a right. Story landed a combination. Story ducked in and grabbed a clinch, but Kampmann stopped it there. Story landed a straight left. Story landed a nice combination and shot in but again got held off. Kampmann landed a right. They ended the round after a clinch separation.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Story. Very good start for him. Kampmann’s got a tough chin, but Story stayed on him throughout the round and stayed very busy with his strikes.
ROUND TWO: Story out a bit slower than the first round. After Kampmann landed a punch, Story came back over with a very nice right. Story landed a short punch but Kampmann landed a straight right. Kampmann landed a right and Story connected as well. Story landed a good left and a right to the body, but Kampann connected on the right. Story landed a short combo. Kampmann connected on a couple of shots. Kampmann began stalking and grabbed a clinch. Kampmann scored a takedown on Story. Kampmann attempted to set up an arm triangle, but Story defended well. Kampmann continued trying to set up for the choke, but Story was able to control Kampmann’s posture. The inaction led to more boos, however.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. He started landing strikes that round, and two minutes on top will swing things in his favor.
ROUND THREE: Story rushed in and landed a strike and pressed Kampmann to the cage. Story landed a few vicious body shots and then backed off. He again got Kampmann to the cage, but this time Kampmann turned him around and went for a takedown. Kampmann completed a takedown but Story got up. Kampmann stayed on his back standing. Story got loose. Story landed a couple of body shots. Story tried to take Kampmann down, but Kampmann popped back up. The traded shots, and Kampmann then scored a couple of knees in the clinch. Kampmann wrapped Story up but couldn’t immediately drag him down. Kampmann took his back standing again. The crowd grew restless at a lack of action. Kampmann tried for a suplex but Story stayed up. They traded knees. Kampmann tripped Story, but Story got right back up. Story scored a takedown of his own, but Kampmann got right back up. Kampmann dragged Story to the ground again. Kampmann took his back and went for the choke, but time was running out and Story survived to the end of the round.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Kampmann. Story let that fight get away from him, and Kampmann took over in the second and third to (hopefully, for him) earn his first win in his last three fights.
WINNER: Kampmann via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (**) Lots of even back and forth action in the striking department, but Kampmann turned the fight in his favor the last two rounds on the ground and in the clinch.
FIGHT FIVE: URIJAH FABER VS. BRIAN BOWLES (BANTAMWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Faber came to the center and pressed in early. He backed Bowles to the cage and landed a body punch. Faber landed an uppercut as Bowles connected with a jab. Faber landed a good leg kick. He tried to grab a clinch but Bowles broke free. Faber landed a short combo as Bowles covered up. Faber connected with a nice left. Bowles landed a right that was partially blocked. Faber landed a nice right. He popped in with a short combo. He backed away from Bowles’ advance. Faber landed the right nicely and backed off. Faber landed a hard body shot as Bowles connected on a body kick. Faber landed a very nice combo on Bowles against the cage. Faber with another hard shot to the body. Faber threw a kick high but it was blocked. Bowles landed a body shot. Faber landed a right as Bowles connected on a left. Faber tried to ragdoll Bowles against the cage but Bowles stayed standing. Faber shot in and got a big takedown into guard. He tried to pick Bowles up but didn’t get a full slam. Faber exploded with an elbow and Bowles tried to hold onto him. Bowles got his back on the cage but Faber dragged him down and stood up. He landed a few kicks to Bowles’ legs and avoided the up kick. He dropped in with a big elbow and followed with another as he dropped into guard, ending the round on top.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Faber. Very good start for Faber. He’s controlling the pace, connecting on strikes, avoiding damage, and he worked well on the ground.
ROUND TWO: Bowles tried to press in but Faber avoided his strikes. Faber walked him down and hurt him with a big uppercut. He dropped him with a knee and went to work on the ground in half guard. Faber landed a vicious knee to the body and Bowles got to a knee. He landed a crushing elbow to the side of the head and then passed to side control Bowles turned and Faber grabbed for a guillotine choke and forced the tap. What a fight from Faber.
WINNER: Faber via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:27 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Faber said that’s how you finish fights. He told Dominick Cruz he could run but he can’t hide, and he told him to “throw some gel on that widow’s peak.” Faber said he felt he could go anywhere in this fight.
STAR RATING: (***) That was a fantastic performance from Faber. He left no question that he’s deserving of another title shot despite losses in his last four title fights. If he can show that type of killer instinct against Cruz, things might be different to round out their trilogy. Just a huge, huge win by Faber.
FIGHT SIX: WANDERLEI SILVA VS. CUNG LE (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Le took the center and pressed in with a side kick. Silva was kept backing up as Le walked him down. Le got in with a short combo and then backed out. Silva caught Le with a right hand but Le recovered and backed away. Le tentative to engage here, probably for good reason. Le landed a spinning back fist. He went high with a kick and then threw a spinning high kick, but bother blocked. Silva blocked another high kick. Le had a kick blocked and dropped Silva with a spinning back kick. Silva recovered, though. Le landed a wheel kick. He missed the spinning back kick and covered up as Silva threw a few. Le landed a hard straight kick to the body. Le again missed the spinning kick. Silva landed a right to the forehead of Le. Le got in a good kick to the body. Le went high with the wheel kick but it was blocked. Le landed a good right. Le has a cut over his right eye that is bothering him. Silva threw a couple of kicks. He went up high but it was blocked. Le landed the side kick. SIlva cracked Le again. He had Le on the ropes. Silva ended the round strong.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Le. The spinning back fist rocked Silva, but Le wasn’t able to finish him off. Silva came back strong at the end of the round, and if Le can’t recover here Silva will be in a good spot.
ROUND TWO: Le ducked under a strike and tripped Silva up. Silva got back to his feet. Le landed the side kick to the gut. Silva landed a kick to the body. Le connected on a huge right, but Silva stayed up. Le landed a kick to the body. He got in an axe kick. They cracked each other with rights. Le landed a body kick. He went for the spinning kick but it was blocked. They traded shots in the center. Le again landed the right. Side kick landed by Le, then one to the thigh. Silva landed a body kick. Silva landed a left. Le again with a kick to the body. Silva connected on a short combo. Le landed a good side kick to the body again. Both fighters slowed. Silva rushed in with a knee and a head kick. He dropped Le with a big strike on the cage but Le survived. Le got to his feet but Silva cracked him with some big knees. He landed a big knee again and dropped him again. Le was grabbing for a leg as Silva landed some strikes on the ground and the ref stopped the fight. Questionable stoppage, but great back and forth fight.
WINNER: Silva via KO at 4:49 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Announced as a knockout, but that was a ref stoppage, and not a great one at that. Silva talked about working hard and never giving up.
STAR RATING: (***+) That was simply a major display of violence right there. Le was delivering some big shots of his own, and dropped Silva in the fight, but Silva finally wore Le down and went on the attack himself. Though the stoppage was questionable, Silva’s knees in the clinch were fantastic and Le was in bad shape regardless.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: DAN HENDERSON VS. MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Shogun took the center and backed Henderson up early. He landed a leg kick. Henderson landed an inside leg kick and Shogun came over the top. Henderson cracked Shogun and Shogun shot in. Henderson went for a front choke and Shogun got to his feet. Henderson unloaded with a huge flurry and Shogun was a bloody mess already. Henderson cracked Shogun again and Shogun grabbed a leg and clinched. Henderson just threw him to the ground and made him stand. Shogun landed a good knee as he came in. He covered up as Henderson came in with a short combo. Shogun shot in again but Henderson held him off on the cage. Shogun landed a good right. Henderson barely missed the big right. He landed an inside leg kick. “Let’s go Hendo” chant started. Shogun dropped Henderson with a right to the ear. Henderson grabbed a single leg and recovered. He got to his feet and landed a right on Shogun. This is a crazy fight. Henderson landed the right again. Shogun landed a left and got in for the clinch. Henderson landed a couple of knees. Shogun landed some body punches and the round ended.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Shogun had the knockdown that almost stole it, but Henderson hurt him more and more often throughout the round. Great start to the fight.
ROUND TWO: Shogun landed a jab early. Henderson got in with a jab himself. Henderson ducked under a punch and Shogun clinched and pressed him to the cage. They traded knees in the clinch. Shogun landed an elbow to separate and Henderson connected on a short combol. Henderson landed a big right hand and an uppercut but Shogun covered up on the follow up. Shogun landed a right to the body. Henderson landed a left, Shogun landed a right. Shogun landed a two punch combo. Henderson landed a hard punch to the body. Shogun rushed in and grabbed a clinch as Henderson covered up. Henderson turned him around and landed some hard body punches against the cage. Shogun’s face is a mess. Henderson landed a few knees to the thighs. The crowd got a little restless as they slowed down in the clinch. Henderson landed a hard punch to the body. They were separated with 45 seconds left. Shogun landed a jab. He got in two punch combo. Henderson landed a couple of big punches. He got in with a flurry. They squared off as the round ended.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Shogun had some good offense, but Henderson is connecting more and doing more damage.
ROUND THREE: Henderson corrected Josh Rosenthal, who said it was the last round. Three more could come here. Henderson covered up from a couple of punches. Henderson landed a few good punches and Shogun tried to keep him off with a kick. Henderson landed an uppercut and put Shogun on the cage. He was swinging wildly and landed some good strikes. Henderson tripped Shogun up but let him get up. Shogun landed a left. Shogun went for the uppercut. Henderson dropped Shogun with a huge right and started landing some big strikes. Shogun covered up but Henderson started unloading. Shogun grabbed a hold of Henderson. Shogun went for a leg and Henderson had to defend the heel hook. Henderson got out and Shogun got up. Wow. I don’t know how he survived that. Henderson used up a lot of energy there. Shogun dropped down for a single leg and Henderson landed a few elbows to the side of his head. Shogun is an absolute bloody mess. Shogun again dropped down and ate some big elbows. Shogun completed the takedown though and landed some big strikes. He took Henderson’s back as Henderson stood up. Shogun landed a hard left. They separated and Henderson landed a couple. The round ended with another square off.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-9 Henderson. Nearly a 10-8, but Shogun scored with some offense of his own. Henderson’s beating him up tonight, though.
ROUND FOUR: Shogun stalked and shot for a takedown and completed it early. Henderson popped up and defended, but Shogun went back for it. Henderson then scrambled and got Shogun in the crucifix. Henderson went for a choke and the got to mount but Shogun scrambled out and they’re standing again. Shogun landed a couple of jabs. Henderson shot in and scored a takedown to side control. Henderson grabbed for a one arm guillotine as Shogun tried to sweep. Henderson lost the choke. Shogun got to full guard. Henderson landed a right and then stood up. He dropped down with a big right. Shogun rolled to his knees and Henderson landed a knee to the body. Shogun got to his feet again. Both are very tired, but leaving everything in the cage. Henderson landed the right but not flush, and Shogun connected on a counter uppercut. Shoguun landed a left. Shogun landed a hard uppercut and rocked Henderson. Henderson backed away, and then shot in. Henderson threw a big right. He’s still hurt. Henderson might have been playing possum a little. Shogun connected on a couple and Henderson landed a big right. Shogun scored a takedown and passed to mount. He postured and landed some big strikes. He took Henderson’s back but Henderson spun out and got into guard. He ended the round with a right.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-10. Shogun landed the huge uppercut, but Henderson had the early damage and positional control and he didn’t do enough to fully steal the round back.
ROUND FIVE: Henderson’s hands were low to start, and they’re both exhausted. Henderson rushed in and they clinched. Shogun got Henderson down and landed in side control. He landed a hard knee to the body. And another. He passed to mount and postured up. Henderson tried to cover up. He grabbed control of Shogun’s body. Shogun again postured up. Henderson tried to roll. Henderson grabbed a guillotine as he got Shogun to half guard. He had to let it go. He passed again to full mount. Henderson gave up his back. Shogun set up for an arm triangle on the side. He landed a hard strike and let it go. Henderson got back to half guard briefly but Shogun mounted again. Shogun postured and landed some big shots. Henderson again got him back to half guard. He passed to mount yet again. Henderson is just trying to survive. Shogun landed more strikes. He postured up again and landed a few hammerfists. Henderson again escaped the mount. Shogun mounted again with 20 seconds left. He landed some big shots and Henderson landed an elbow to the thigh. Henderson escaped the mount but was mounted once more as the round, and the fight, ended. Man, what a fight.
Penick’s Scorecard: 10-8 Shogun. It will be too little, too late, I think, but that was a huge finish to an instant classic. What a fight.
WINNER: Henderson via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
POST FIGHT: Henderson said “that guy can take an effing punch”. He said he knew he had the first three, though he had one of them 10-8.
STAR RATING: (****+) That’s one of the best fights I’ve ever seen, hands down. Shogun survived some absolutely brutal beatings in the first through third rounds, and somehow came back to dominate the final frame. This was just a fantastic, fantastic main event fight, and both fighters left absolutely everything in the cage. This was the proof that non-title main events deserve five rounds. Incredible, incredible fight.
-Rogan and Goldberg reveal that Urijah Faber took the “Submission of the Night” award and run down the night’s action.
-That’s another event in the books. Thanks for joining us for the live report tonight. We’ll have plenty more up on the site tonight and tomorrow, so make sure to stick around as we’ll have more reaction and commentary to the night’s results!
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