UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Dana Black
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson. November 19, 2011. HP Pavilion, San Jose, California. The first UFC event in San Jose — the longtime home base of Strikeforce. Dan Henderson defeated Mauricio Rua in a five-round war that was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing in 2018 as its first-ever inductee.
Henderson won by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in a fight widely considered one of the greatest in MMA history. Both fighters absorbed massive punishment across 25 minutes. Neither was stopped. UFC president Dana White stated afterwards that he believed the fight should have been scored a draw. Both Henderson and Rua were taken to hospital after the bout.
The event featured two Fight of the Night awards in the same night: the main event and the Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le co-main event. Le made his UFC debut in his hometown of San Jose. Michael McDonald KO’d Alex Soto in 1:17. Urijah Faber submitted Brian Bowles.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Quick Stats
3. The Build-Up
4. Main Event
5. Co-Main Event
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
11. References
Quick Stats
Date: November 19, 2011
Venue: HP Pavilion (now SAP Center), San Jose, California, USA (first UFC in San Jose; Strikeforce’s home city)
Attendance: 13,832; Gate: $1,268,600
Main Event: Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua — LHW (5 rounds; #1 contender bout)
Result: Henderson def. Rua — UD (48-47 x3) — Fight of the Year 2011; UFC HOF Fight Wing 2018; Dana White: should have been a draw; both hospitalised
Notable: Wanderlei TKOs Cung Le (Le UFC debut in hometown); TWO FOTNs in one night; Faber sub Bowles; McDonald KOTN; $75k bonuses
The Build-Up
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos had been the original UFC 139 main event, moved to the inaugural UFC on Fox event. Dan Henderson had just re-signed with the UFC after his Strikeforce stint. His fight with Rua was positioned as a No. 1 contender’s bout for the LHW title. The fight between two PRIDE-era legends — who had never met despite both being at the summit of the sport simultaneously — was anticipated as a career-defining collision.
Main Event
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua — Light Heavyweight (5 rounds)
Both fighters traded power shots from round one. Henderson’s right hand — the H-bomb — dropped Rua multiple times. Rua got up every time and landed his own shots. Neither man looked for safety. By rounds four and five, Rua had turned the tide; he was landing more and Henderson was absorbing punishment. The judges scored it 48-47 for Henderson on all three cards.
Dana White, who scored the fight live, said post-fight that he believed it should have been a draw. Fight Metric data supported Rua’s case statistically. The scorecards gave Henderson the decision regardless. Neither fighter attended the post-fight press conference; both were taken to hospital for evaluation.
Co-Main Event
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le — Middleweight (Le UFC debut in his hometown)
Cung Le, the Strikeforce middleweight champion and San Jose native, made his UFC debut in front of his hometown crowd. Le landed some significant shots and put on a fight the crowd appreciated. Silva eventually found his range with knees and hammerfists that put Le down in round two. McCarthy stopped the fight. Dana White awarded a second Fight of the Night bonus to cover both the main event and this co-main.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey — Decision — R3 — LW
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown — Decision — R3 — WW
Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace — Decision — R3 — BW
Gleison Tibau def. Rafael dos Anjos — Decision — R3 — LW
Chris Weidman def. Tom Lawlor — TKO — R? — MW
Michael McDonald def. Alex Soto — KO — R1, 1:17 — BW; KO Night ($75k to McDonald)
Main Card
Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury — Decision — R3 — LHW
Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — LHW
Martin Kampmann def. Rick Story — Decision — R3 — WW
Urijah Faber def. Brian Bowles — Submission (RNC) — R2, 1:27 — BW; Sub Night ($75k to Faber); Faber earns Cruz title shot
Wanderlei Silva def. Cung Le — TKO (Knees/Hammerfists) — R2, 4:49 — MW; Co-Main; Fight of the Night ($75k each; Le UFC debut in San Jose hometown)
LHW #1 Contender (5 rounds) — Main Event
Dan Henderson def. Mauricio Rua — Decision (Unanimous) — R5, 5:00 (48-47 x3) — Fight of the Year 2011; UFC HOF Fight Wing 2018; Fight of the Night ($75k each)
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night (x2): Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua AND Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le — $75,000 to each fighter in both fights (two FOTNs awarded in the same night).
Sub of the Night: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles — $75,000 to Faber.
KO of the Night: Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto — $75,000 to McDonald.
Records & Milestones
UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing — Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua inducted in 2018 as the first-ever Fight Wing inductee, recognising the greatest fights in UFC history.
First UFC in San Jose — Strikeforce’s longtime home arena; the merger of Strikeforce into the UFC made this event a symbolic arrival.
Two Fight of the Night bonuses in one event — Dana White awarded FOTN to both the main event and the Silva/Le co-main, which was extremely rare.
Legacy & Impact
Henderson vs. Rua at UFC 139 is the fight that MMA fans point to as a converter — if someone shows any curiosity about the sport, this fight is shown to them. Twenty-five minutes of two men absorbing punishment from each other without looking for exits. Henderson’s H-bomb dropped Rua. Rua got up. Henderson’s H-bomb dropped Rua again. Rua got up again. At the end, Dana White thought it was a draw. The judges gave it to Henderson by a single point.
UFC 139 as an entire event delivered from prelims to main event. Weidman, McDonald, Faber, Kampmann, Bader, Wanderlei in his hometown, Cung Le’s debut in San Jose, and the greatest non-title LHW fight in UFC history as the closing act. The event had no weaknesses.
FAQ
What made Henderson vs Shogun at UFC 139 so special?
Both fighters absorbed enormous amounts of punishment across 25 minutes without either one stopping the other. Henderson knocked Rua down multiple times; Rua recovered each time and fought back. Dana White scored it a draw but all three judges gave it to Henderson 48-47.
Was UFC 139 the first UFC event in San Jose?
Yes. San Jose was the longtime home base of Strikeforce and its HP Pavilion arena. UFC 139 was the first UFC event held there following the Strikeforce acquisition.
Was UFC 139 Henderson vs Rua inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame?
Yes. In 2018, the Henderson vs. Rua fight was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s newly created Fight Wing, making it the first fight to receive that honour.
Did Dana White think Henderson deserved to win at UFC 139?
No. Dana White stated post-fight that he believed the fight should have been scored a draw. Fight Metric data supported Rua's statistical case. The judges scored it 48-47 for Henderson on all three scorecards.
Why were there two Fight of the Night awards at UFC 139?
Dana White felt both the main event (Henderson vs. Rua) and the Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le co-main event deserved the bonus. He awarded Fight of the Night to both fights, which was an unusual decision.
References
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