While Ultimate Fighting Championship fans in San Jose aren’t getting the title match they expected, changes at the top of the UFC 139 card certainly are not leaving them shortchanged.
A light heavyweight showdown between two of the sport’s all-time greats was confirmed Thursday, as former UFC champion Mauricio (Shogun) Rua will take on ex-Pride Fighting Championship and Strikeforce titleholder Dan Henderson, who recently re-signed with UFC after leaving the fold in 2009.
That match will likely determine the next challenger in the division, UFC president Dana White said on Wednesday in Denver following the pre-UFC 135 news conference. Former champion Rashad Evans, who last month beat UFC legend Tito Ortiz, awaits the winner of Saturday night’s title bout between champion Jon Jones and Quinton (Rampage) Jackson.
According to White, following Evans’ title bout against either Jones or Jackson, “it would be tough not to give the winner (of the Henderson-Rua bout) the next shot.”
Also at UFC 139, Wanderlei Silva — a former Pride champion and one of the most popular fighters in mixed-martial-arts history — was announced as the replacement for ex-UFC champion Vitor Belfort in a middleweight co-main event versus local star Cung Le. Read more...
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