Dan Henderson vs Mauricio Rua – MMA Preview: UFC 139
Two of the rising fighters in the MMA (mixed martial arts) division will meet in the hexagonal ring at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 139. The venue for their brawl is the HP Pavilion situated in San Jose, California. Dan Henderson, nicknamed Hendo will take on Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on November 19, 2011.
The 41-year old Henderson, who participated in the Olympic games of 1992 and 1996 in the Greco-Roman Wrestling, would try to take advantage with his punches and kicks to the abdomen when he would battle against 29-year old Rua.
Henderson has been doing well lately, as he created havoc in his last three fights. His last win was over Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenk, a Russian mixed martial arts fighter, contested at the Strike Force event in July 2011. It is a fight, which fans still remember. Henderson won the match by a technical knockout over Emelianenk after he gave some serious blows to the Russian.
If Henderson shows the same aggressive strategy in his match on November 19, 2011, then Rua could end up on the losing side.
Rua, nicknamed Shogun, won his last bout against Forrest Griffin, at UFC 134, which was also via a technical knockout.
Going into the match, Rua would have a higher chance to win through submission as he has a 31% submission record as compared to Henderson’s 18% ratio. Henderson would have an upper hand in terms of takedowns. He has a 43% success rate with his takedowns while Rua has a 31% success rate.
The striking accuracy of both the players is nearly equal with Rua having a 37% rate and Henderson standing with 39%.
Hendo will be the crowd favourite but Rau’s chances cannot be negated either. Both fighters weigh the same at 250 lbs (pounds) and they have the same height, balancing each others’ height advantage.
The turning point in the match would come the moment a fighter goes down on the mat, giving the opponent to implement his submission maneuver. Rua would have to be watchful against Henderson’s rear naked choke attack, and for that he must stay on his feet to counter the attack.
On the other hand, Henderson would be careful not to become the victim of Rua’s hammer fists, which have earned him many wins in the past. Talking about wins, Rua has won 20 matches and lost 5 with no draw.
His opponent, Henderson, has won 28 matches and lost 8 with no draw either. Rua can be an aggressive opponent by Henderson’s higher match winning ratio compared to Rua would give him a slight edge to use the ring and his moves.
The much-anticipated fight would be an interesting one as neither of the two fighters would go down easily. Their stamina and offensive nature would matter the most.
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