UFC 139 Results and Play-by-Play
Nov 19, 2011
Sherdog.com will report from the H.P. Pavillion at 5:50 p.m. ET
with play-by-play and live results of UFC
139, which is headlined by a light heavyweight clash between
Mauricio
Rua and Dan
Henderson.
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Round 1
Castillo slips on a kick to the midsection and Bailey rushes him. Castillo drives forward, though, and puts Bailey on his back inside the first 30 seconds. Quickly scrambling to his feet, Bailey puts his back on the fence as Castillo continues trying for a double-leg. Castillo lifts Bailey into the air and slams him to the mat; Bailey gets up and the sequence repeats, but Bailey breaks the fall with his arm. Castillo works from tight half-guard in the center of the cage midway through the opening round. He nearly steps into mount, but Bailey turns, digs an underhook and defends, absorbing some hard shots to the ribs for his trouble. Bailey seems on the verge of escape a few times, but Castillo is all over him, adjusting and keeping Bailey on his back. Castillo is posturing up and breaking through Bailey’s guard with punches in the last minute. He hops into full mount with 30 seconds to go and Bailey hip-escapes. Castillo is unrelenting as the clock ticks down, bashing Bailey with hard right hands on the floor. Bailey begins to turns over and referee Jason McCoy decides he’s seen enough. Danny Castillo takes the win via technical knockout at 4:52 of the first round.
Matt Brown vs. Seth Baczynski
Round 1
The welterweight righties both miss with lead left hooks to start, then Baczynski gets through with a hard right. He dips low when Brown comes inside and hustles “The Immortal” into the fence. Brown lands a knee in the clinch and socks Baczynski in the ear. Baczynski backs up and throws a level elbow, and Brown answers with another hard knee. Brown weaves out of the way of a Baczynski combination and the men clinch along the cage. Baczynski dumps Brown to the floor with a double-leg and Brown immediately wraps him up in full guard. Brown executes a hip sweep and stands over Baczynski, who scoots away and hops to his feet. Brown digs a left hand to Baczynski’s ribs and the “Polish Pistola” answers with a right to the face. Baczynski puts Brown on the fence again and Brown goes back to drilling knees inside. Baczynski throws a few knees of his own in return, though they’re not as effective. Baczynski grabs a guillotine choke with 10 seconds left and finishes the round with a knee to Brown’s face.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Baczynski
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Round 2
Baczynski slaps on an arm-in guillotine as he’s driven to the ground by Brown. The choke is very, very tight, but Brown keeps trying to posture and resist. Baczynski loses the arm, but keeps wrenching the choke and eventually gets the tap. Brown is frustrated, but he had nowhere to go. The end comes officially at 42 seconds of round two.
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres
Round 1
The rangy Torres lands long leg kicks to open, pawing with his jab while Pace tries to close the range with big overhand rights. Pace circles away, then stands in front of Torres, waiting to counterstrike. Torres goes high and low with kicks, cracks Pace with a right hook. He nearly chops the back leg out from beneath pace, waits a moment, then rushes Pace with a speedy combination. Pace puts a hard, step-in knee on Torres’ body, then another. He clinches the former WEC champ into the cage and Torres widens his base to stay up. With 90 seconds to go, Torres grabs a guillotine with his right arm, but Pace quickly extracts his head and continues leaning against his man. Torres turns for a kimura, tumbles to the ground with Pace and loses it. They’re back on the feet with 30 ticks left and the bantamweights exchange combos. Torres slugs Pace with a big right and just misses with another overhand haymaker.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres
Round 2
Torres is mixing up his kicks to begin the second, going to the legs, body and head. He snipes at Pace with jabs and left hooks while Pace sits back, whiffing on leg kicks and punches. Pace charges forward and drives Torres to the floor. Torres uses butterfly hooks as he isolates Pace’s arms, negating any chance at offense. Pace advances to side control on Torres’ right with two minutes remaining in the round, then briefly goes to north-south as Torres scrambles to his feet. Torres puts Pace on the fence now, popping him with short lefts and knees to the body and thighs. Pace snakes his left arm around Torres’ head, doesn’t get anywhere with the guillotine try. Torres stays busy with knees and punches in the clinch to the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres
Round 3
Torres backs Pace up with punching-leg kick combinations early in the last frame, keeping the shorter man at bay with feints and twitches. Pace is air-mailing his punches, but gets inside with a solid knee to the guts. Torres’ volume continues to win the day, however, as he piles on the jabs and evades almost all of Pace’s offensive maneuvers. Pace ties up and Torres reverses him into the fence, working the face and body with knees, punches, elbows, even shoulder shrugs. Pace looks spent, bloodied at the nose as the fight enters its final 120 seconds. They break off and Pace walks Torres down with his hands at his waist. Torres is still bouncing, circling, sticking Pace with jabs and then side-stepping. Pace tries to tie up again, and again Torres takes the dominant position on the fence. The vet splits off, but keeps applying pressure as the clock winds down, pushing forward with punches and doing a front flip toward Pace at the final horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Miguel Torres.
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Round 1
The lightweight southpaws feel one another out in the opening minute, dos Anjos circling the perimeter to his left, Tibau stalking the center. Dos Anjos tries to load up on a big right hand while Tibau is more successful pushing forward with combinations. Dos Anjos tries mixing up his angles now, flicking out leg kicks sporadically. Tibau puts a three-piece combo on dos Anjos and drives him to the ground in the middle of the cage. Dos Anjos nearly sweeps but winds up on bottom in the scramble, though he’s not there long. Back on the feet with two minutes to go, the round is still very much up for grabs. Dos Anjos gets inside with a combination and puts Tibau on the ground at the base of the cage with a double-leg. Tibau soon posts and pops back up, and the Brazilians go back to circling. Tibau goes low for a single-leg, then stands back up and tags the backpedaling dos Anjos with some hard shots. Dos Anjos tries for another takedown before the horn, but Tibau stays on his feet this time.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos
Round 2
Referee Jason McCoy pauses the action early in the second to have a piece of tape cut from Tibau’s glove, but they’re soon back to business. Dos Anjos lands a solid right hook as Tibau ducks inside for a single-leg, and Tibau backs out. Another nice lead uppercut from dos Anjos has Tibau shooting again. Dos Anjos easily steps out of the way, circles and peppers with another combo. Now it’s dos Anjos shooting against the cage and Tibau defending to a stalemate. Halfway through the fight, they’re back to trading. Dos Anjos backs Tibau into the fence, timing a punch to get inside and clinch. Tibau reverses and the pair jockeys for position with over-unders. They split and dos Anjos begins firing off one-twos. Tibau rushes with a flurry and a right hand buckles the knees of dos Anjos. Tibau smells blood and stands back, picking his shots and putting hard hands on dos Anjos at will. Dos Anjos looks out on his feet, just barely clinging to consciousness as he leans on the cage. He regains his wits enough to circle out and avoid more punishment from Tibau.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Tibau
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Round 3
Dos Anjos appears to have recovered well between rounds, as he’s the more active fighter early in the third frame, keeping Tibau guessing with combos and kicks. Tibau shoots a telegraphed shot and misses with a murderous left hook. Dos Anjos keeps the leg kicks coming and the combinations in Tibau’s face. Tibau hasn’t mounted much offense midway through the final round, seemingly content to sit back. Finally, he rushes forward and puts dos Anjos on his back at the base of the fence. Dos Anjos gets to his feet and turns the position, pinning Tibau on the cage with a single-leg. They clinch with over-unders now, exchanging position on the fence. Dos Anjos struggles to finish a single-leg in the last 30 seconds and finally gives it up. Tibau gets the last word, socking dos Anjos with a left hook.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Tibau (30-27 Tibau)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos (29-28 Tibau)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos (29-28 dos Anjos)
Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 for dos Anjos, while another has the same score for Tibau. The third and deciding judge scores the bout 30-27 for the winner by split decision, Gleison Tibau.
Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor
Round 1
Lawlor comes straight forward to put hands on Weidman, and Weidman creates some space. He soon closes that space, though, placing Lawlor on his seat against the fence. Weidman tries to keep Lawlor down with a single-leg while Lawlor attempts to use the fence to stand. Weidman pulls his man away from the cage and puts Lawlor on his side, setting up a brabo choke. Lawlor leaves his head in perfect position for Weidman and the choke is extremely deep when Weidman rolls it over. Lawlor has no escape and no time to tap; he goes to sleep and is rescued by referee Dan Stell at the 2:07 mark.
Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto
Round 1
The bantamweights touch gloves and McDonald flurries. Soto tries to leap in with a knee and McDonald fends him off with punches. A right hand down the pipe lands for McDonald, then a two-piece combo. McDonald times a leg kick and comes over the top with a nasty right hand which puts Soto on the floor. McDonald goes wild and gives chase as Soto scrambles to his feet and tries to recover on the fence. Soto can’t evade the punishment for long and a big right uppercut sends him down again. McDonald turns out Soto’s lights with a few more right hands and referee Josh Rosenthal jumps in. The impressive knockout victory for Michael McDonald comes after just 56 seconds.
Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz
Round 1
The wrestlers box stiffly around the cage, Bader getting inside to pop Brilz with a hard right uppercut. They circle some more and Bader walks Brilz into the fence, then clips him with a straight right on the temple. The punch doesn’t look like much, but Brilz goes down like a heap of bricks, flat on his face, and Bader pounces. Referee Jason McCoy saves the helpless Brilz, awarding Bader the knockout win at the 1:17 mark.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Round 1
Bonnar takes the outside while Kingsbury pushes out from the center with tight combinations. Kingsbury muscles Bonnar into the fence and the 205’ers trade rough knees and punches in the over-under position. Bonnar zaps Kingsbury with a hard punch at range, but soon after clips him with a kick to the groin. Kingsbury recovers quickly and turns Bonnar’s head with a left hand in an exchange. They tie up, trade knees, and Kingsbury walks Bonnar into the fence for some more clinch work. Kingsbury gets Bonnar to the mat, but Bonnar pops back up, turning his back to create space. Kingsbury chases him down, Bonnar shoots a knee to the midsection. They clinch once more, Bonnar taking the outside now and looking for a single-leg. He backs Kingsbury up with punches and changes to the left leg, finally spinning Kingsbury down with a minute to go. Bonnar moves to side control on Kingsbury’s left, drops a few punches and hooks the leg to keep him in place. With 20 seconds left, Bonnar takes full mount and throws punches, pinning down Kingsbury’s right arm at the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Round 2
The start of the second is delayed a few moments as Bonnar has some stray tape clipped from his glove. When they go, it’s Kingsbury getting busy with combos, punches and kicks to the body. Bonnar catches a middle kick and takes Kingsbury’s back standing, hustling him into the cage. Kingsbury turns and Bonnar spins him down with a single-leg. Nearly having his back taken in the process, Kingsbury puts his back on the mat. Bonnar tries to extract his leg to move to side control, and he does. He lays across Kingsbury’s shoulders and drills him with sideways elbows, short punches. He’s looking for the crucifix, but Kingsbury is defending well. Bonnar moves to north-south, then side control on the left, keeping busy with punches the whole way. He nearly isolates the arm on this side, considers a north-south choke, then goes back to pounding with two minutes still to go. Bonnar traps the arm for a split-second and Kingsbury takes it back. Bonnar switches to a topside guillotine with a minute to go and Kingsbury slips out of this as well. Back in Kingsbury’s half-guard, the offense of Bonnar slows, but the “American Psycho” postures up and explodes just before the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Round 3
Kingsbury comes out looking to establish his jab, but it’s not long before Bonnar has his back standing again. Bonnar wrests him to the ground and Kingsbury gets his back to the canvas as Bonnar passes to the side. It’s back to north-south position for Bonnar, and now he appears to be framing up the choke with more intent. Kingsbury blocks it with his hand and shrimps to his side, and Bonnar instead goes to side control on the left. Bonnar hunts for a kimura, can’t find it, goes back to trying for the crucifix. He’s got Kingsbury’s far-side arm pinned as he drops partially blocked right hands. Bonnar is transitioning at will with 90 seconds to go, elbowing the body of Kingsbury and keeping him locked on the ground. Kingsbury nearly picks the ankle and slides out, but Bonnar stays heavy and works slowly from north-south again. At the 10-second clapper, Bonnar postures up and finishes strong with ground-and-pound. The San Jose crowd boos at the finish and a visibly upset Bonnar mouths the words “I’m sorry.”
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Official result: Two judges score the bout 30-27, while one submits a lopsided 30-25 card, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Stephan Bonnar.
Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann
Round 1
Story rushes straight ahead, winging heavy punches while Kampmann circles away against the fence. Story keeps the combos coming, putting hard shots on Kampmann’s body and nose. Both men come out of the skirmish bleeding on the eyebrow and Kampmann sticks Story with a speedy hook, then steps off. Story is relentless in his attack on the body, continually digging into the Dane with punches. Story slips a punch and slugs Kampmann behind the ear with a wide left. A few rights get through for Kampmann, but he misses with the step-in knee. Story’s face is showing the worse damage as the round enters its final minute, red blood streaking the right side of his face. He tries for a takedown, comes up with nothing. Story backs out and does more damage to Kampmann’s body before the frame finishes.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Story
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Story
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Story
Round 2
The welterweights feint and feel the distance in close quarters early in round two, neither man really letting go. Story goes to the body again, but Kampmann strings together a nice combination and piles on with some crisp right hands. Kampmann lands the straight right again and then shakes out his hand. Story’s punches are growing increasingly wild while Kampmann’s strikes are becoming more accurate. Story rips another punch to the body, circles away and paws at the blood around his eye. They tie up and Kampmann whips Story to the floor. Kampmann looks for an arm-triangle setup from half-guard and Story defends ably. Still a minute to go in the round and Kampmann is heavy atop Story, popping him with right hands as he works for mount. Kampmann goes for the arm-triangle again and Story clasps his hands in defense. Kampmann finishes out the round on top.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Round 3
Story is right in Kampmann’s face to begin the final frame, punching the body and spinning him around against the fence. Kampmann backs out, puts some punches in Story’s face and takes the outside with a double-leg shot on the cage. Story walks him along the outside and keeps a wide base, but Kampmann pulls him down anyhow. Story hops to his feet instantly, giving his back as he does so. Story breaks away from Kampmann’s clutches and they’re back to slugging. Kampmann shoots, gets stuffed, then gets taken down on the cage. He pops back up and walks inside on Story, cracking him with a hard right straight and a knee to the body. Kampmann gets a waistlock on the fence, then they go to over-unders. Kampmann takes Story’s back standing with a rear-waistlock and nearly ragdolls him to the floor. Story is back up instantly, only to be shoved into the fence again. They work off the cage and Kampmann trips Story down in the middle. Story hops up and drives straight forward, dumping Kampmann at the base of the fence. Kampmann is quickly vertical and again latches onto Story’s back standing. Story gives up his back and Kampmann locks up a body triangle, working for a rear-naked choke to the final horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 Kampmann; a second has it 29-28 Story. The third judge sees it 30-27 for the winner by split decision, Martin Kampmann.
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles
Round 1
Faber ducks under hard punches from Bowles to punch at the body. He tries to rush Bowles into the fence and Bowles steps away. Bowles lands a hard right, but a combo from Faber has him covering and backing up on the fence. Faber’s speed is getting the better in the early going, as the “California Kid” is able to pop in and out with punches while eluding Bowles’ long strikes. Faber lights him up with a combo and Bowles is covering. Another flurry comes from Faber, but Bowles is off the cage and looking recovered now. Faber crouches low and comes inside for a shot behind a forearm to the throat. Bowles avoids this takedown, but not the next one, which sees him planted at the base of the fence with Faber in his closed guard. Bowles grabs a guillotine on the way down and soon releases it, instead defending against the hard ground-and-pound. Faber stands up with 30 seconds left and dodges upkicks to bust through Bowles’ guard with a big shot.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Faber
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Faber
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Faber
Round 2
Bowles snipes at Faber with a few long jabs, a four-punch combo, but all of them miss. A massive lead uppercut from Faber has Bowles in deep trouble, staggering backward into the fence, and Faber is all over him. Faber mauls with punches, knees to the body, vicious elbows, but Bowles survives the onslaught. Faber grabs a guillotine and rolls Bowles over, and it’s elementary from here. Bowles resists for a moment before he’s forced to capitulate, referee Jason McCoy officially waving the contest off at 1:27 of the second round.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le
Round 1
Le takes the center of the Octagon and immediately begins pushing outward with range-finding punches and side-kicks. Silva, meanwhile, hops around the perimeter, staying out of Le’s range. Le wades into an exchange and moves backward for the first time after eating a punch. He clips Silva with a spinning back-fist and goes sky high with a turning kick which misses Silva’s face. Le is back on his forward trajectory, and another spinning back-fist puts Silva on his knees. The Brazilian pops back up and is met by more lightning fast punches from Le, then a spinning kick which lands on his shoulder. Silva plays possum but Le doesn’t bite, instead steadily walking “The Axe Murderer” down. Le feints and Silva flinches, leaping backward. Le is still moving forward with 90 seconds left in the period, and whips a turning heel kick into Silva’s body. Silva comes forward now and socks Le with a pair of punches. Le is swiping at his own right eye, which is cut and dripping blood. Silva has a high kick just blocked, but he keeps the pressure on, swarming Le with punches. The barrage stops by the end of the round, but the momentum clearly swung in Silva’s direction.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Le
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Le
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Le
Round 2
The pace slows considerably at the start of the second, neither man committing to moving forward. Le takes the reins about 70 seconds in as he begins finding his range with punches and thudding kicks to the body. Midway through the round, Silva circles the outside, waiting to counter, and does find an opening to tag Le with a left. Le begins kicking at the legs of Silva, but stays in the pocket too long and eats a right hand. Silva chases Le down with another combination, then gets backed up by a side-kick. Silva checks a leg kick and backs out of the way as Le feints side-kicks. The Brazilian rushes Le on the fence and puts him in dire straits again with a right high kick, a vicious right hand and follow-up knees to the guts. Le survives on rubber legs and Silva grabs the Thai plum, busting Le’s nose with a knee to the face. Le bounces off the cage and drives forward for a single-leg, and Silva socks him with a few hammerfists before referee Dan Stell steps in for the TKO stoppage. Le’s nose is absolutely destroyed. Wanderlei Silva wins his first fight in 21 months at 4:49 of the second round.
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua
Round 1
The light heavyweight legends inch toward one another in the middle of the cage, Rua swinging a right hand just over Henderson’s head. Rua shoots in and gets stuffed by Henderson, who grabs a front headlock and seems near to submitting the Brazilian. Rua survives, only to be bombarded by a flurry from Henderson against the cage. Shogun emerges steady but bloodied, walking Henderson to the other side of the cage, where he’s dropped again. Henderson shoves Rua to the ground from the clinch and walks off. Henderson is loading up on his right hand, waiting for Rua to walk into his range. Rua is bloodied around the left eye, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting him midway through the round. Rua shoots again and Henderson shuts it down, making Rua pay with punches as he exits. An overhand right-left uppercut gets through for Henderson and Rua moves forward on him. Henderson is in trouble after taking a right hook behind the ear, on his knees, defending an onslaught from Rua. He gets to his feet and goes back to looking for the right hand while Rua begins stringing combinations together. Rua comes inside with a flurry and clinches Henderson into the cage with 30 seconds to go, then finishes the round kneeing at the American’s legs.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 2
Henderson begins pumping his jab while Rua goes low with leg kicks. They tie up and Rua gets the outside position as he shoves Hendo into a cage post. Rua tries to exit with a big shot and leaves himself open to a Henderson flurry. An uppercut has Rua covering up on the fence while Henderson rips away with punches to the body and arms. Rua escapes with a nice left hand of his own and shows his freshness by dancing away from Henderson. Rua blitzes with long punches which don’t land but allow him to tie up again. Henderson reverses the position, though, and bloodies Rua’s nose further with punches. Henderson slows down for a moment as he holds Rua to the cage with underhooks, 90 seconds to go in the second. Henderson works short knees to Rua’s legs as referee Josh Rosenthal implores the light heavyweights to work. Rosenthal splits them up with 40 seconds left and Rua tags Hendo with a wide right. Henderson replies with a combo to the head and body, and that’s where the round ends.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 3
Getting the third underway, referee Rosenthal tells the fighters it’s the “last round,” but Henderson corrects him. Hendo gets right inside on Shogun and unloads a few uppercuts in the clinch. He’s soon backed up by a body kick and punches from Rua, and Henderson shoots unsuccessfully. A massive right hand from Henderson lands on Rua’s temple and the Brazilians falls to his side. Henderson goes absolutely wild with punches, trying to stop the turtling Rua as Rosenthal hovers nearby, but he can’t geet the stop. Rua rolls for a leglock and he’s got Henderson’s left leg in his grasps. Henderson slips out and back to his feet, where he’s hugged against the fence by a grisly Rua. Shogun looks absolutely exhausted as he tries for a single-leg and absorbs elbows with 90 seconds left in the third. Henderson keeps the elbows coming until Rua angrily dumps him to the mat. Shogun tees off with punches but Henderson easily pops back up. Pinning Hendo on the fence, Rua connects with another pair of punches before the end of the round.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 4
Shogun gets a takedown along the fence, but Henderson gets on top and traps Shogun’s arm, rolling him over. They get back to the feet and Henderson gets the takedown this time, latching on a topside guillotine. Rua doesn’t appear to be in serious trouble and pops his badly swollen head out from under Hendo’s arm after a moment. Henderson raises up and slugs Rua with a right hand, then stands and comes crashing down with more punishment. Rua somehow gets to his feet, stumbles, falls and gets up again. His nose is a bloodied mess, his eyes swollen, but Rua keeps pushing forward on Henderson, who’s looking equally spent now. A right hand from Shogun has Henderson looking for escape and Rua gives chase. Henderson can barely punch now, his head hanging low and his hands by his waist. Rua gets a takedown in the middle of the cage and mounts Henderson, then takes his back. Henderson twists around to top position and can muster only one elbow before the horn. Henderson staggers to his feet, unsteady on his way back to the corner.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Rua
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rua
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rua
Round 5
Henderson tries to tie up and gets whirled to the floor by Shogun, who moves straight into side control. Rua is on Henderson’s right with the cage on the other side. Shogun jumps into mount and drops tired punches while Henderson tries to push off the fence with his feet. Rua postures up to punch and loses the mount as Hendo stuff him back to half-guard. Rua gets back to mount with 2:45 left on the clock and Henderson rolls, giving up his back. Rua struggles to set up an arm-triangle choke, can’t get it and takes mount again when Henderson flips over. Rua puts a pair of punches directly on the back of Henderson’s head and is warned by Rosenthal. Henderson has nothing to offer from the bottom, just surviving as the fight goes to its last 60 seconds. Rua finishes the fight in full mount and the San Jose crowd goes wild for the first non-title UFC fight to go five rounds, an instant classic.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-46 Henderson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-47 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-47 Draw)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 48-47 for the winner by unanimous decision, Dan Henderson.
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Danny
Castillo vs. Shamar
Bailey
Round 1
Castillo slips on a kick to the midsection and Bailey rushes him. Castillo drives forward, though, and puts Bailey on his back inside the first 30 seconds. Quickly scrambling to his feet, Bailey puts his back on the fence as Castillo continues trying for a double-leg. Castillo lifts Bailey into the air and slams him to the mat; Bailey gets up and the sequence repeats, but Bailey breaks the fall with his arm. Castillo works from tight half-guard in the center of the cage midway through the opening round. He nearly steps into mount, but Bailey turns, digs an underhook and defends, absorbing some hard shots to the ribs for his trouble. Bailey seems on the verge of escape a few times, but Castillo is all over him, adjusting and keeping Bailey on his back. Castillo is posturing up and breaking through Bailey’s guard with punches in the last minute. He hops into full mount with 30 seconds to go and Bailey hip-escapes. Castillo is unrelenting as the clock ticks down, bashing Bailey with hard right hands on the floor. Bailey begins to turns over and referee Jason McCoy decides he’s seen enough. Danny Castillo takes the win via technical knockout at 4:52 of the first round.
Matt Brown vs. Seth Baczynski
Round 1
The welterweight righties both miss with lead left hooks to start, then Baczynski gets through with a hard right. He dips low when Brown comes inside and hustles “The Immortal” into the fence. Brown lands a knee in the clinch and socks Baczynski in the ear. Baczynski backs up and throws a level elbow, and Brown answers with another hard knee. Brown weaves out of the way of a Baczynski combination and the men clinch along the cage. Baczynski dumps Brown to the floor with a double-leg and Brown immediately wraps him up in full guard. Brown executes a hip sweep and stands over Baczynski, who scoots away and hops to his feet. Brown digs a left hand to Baczynski’s ribs and the “Polish Pistola” answers with a right to the face. Baczynski puts Brown on the fence again and Brown goes back to drilling knees inside. Baczynski throws a few knees of his own in return, though they’re not as effective. Baczynski grabs a guillotine choke with 10 seconds left and finishes the round with a knee to Brown’s face.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Baczynski
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Brown
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-10
Round 2
Baczynski slaps on an arm-in guillotine as he’s driven to the ground by Brown. The choke is very, very tight, but Brown keeps trying to posture and resist. Baczynski loses the arm, but keeps wrenching the choke and eventually gets the tap. Brown is frustrated, but he had nowhere to go. The end comes officially at 42 seconds of round two.
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres
Round 1
The rangy Torres lands long leg kicks to open, pawing with his jab while Pace tries to close the range with big overhand rights. Pace circles away, then stands in front of Torres, waiting to counterstrike. Torres goes high and low with kicks, cracks Pace with a right hook. He nearly chops the back leg out from beneath pace, waits a moment, then rushes Pace with a speedy combination. Pace puts a hard, step-in knee on Torres’ body, then another. He clinches the former WEC champ into the cage and Torres widens his base to stay up. With 90 seconds to go, Torres grabs a guillotine with his right arm, but Pace quickly extracts his head and continues leaning against his man. Torres turns for a kimura, tumbles to the ground with Pace and loses it. They’re back on the feet with 30 ticks left and the bantamweights exchange combos. Torres slugs Pace with a big right and just misses with another overhand haymaker.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres
Round 2
Torres is mixing up his kicks to begin the second, going to the legs, body and head. He snipes at Pace with jabs and left hooks while Pace sits back, whiffing on leg kicks and punches. Pace charges forward and drives Torres to the floor. Torres uses butterfly hooks as he isolates Pace’s arms, negating any chance at offense. Pace advances to side control on Torres’ right with two minutes remaining in the round, then briefly goes to north-south as Torres scrambles to his feet. Torres puts Pace on the fence now, popping him with short lefts and knees to the body and thighs. Pace snakes his left arm around Torres’ head, doesn’t get anywhere with the guillotine try. Torres stays busy with knees and punches in the clinch to the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres
Round 3
Torres backs Pace up with punching-leg kick combinations early in the last frame, keeping the shorter man at bay with feints and twitches. Pace is air-mailing his punches, but gets inside with a solid knee to the guts. Torres’ volume continues to win the day, however, as he piles on the jabs and evades almost all of Pace’s offensive maneuvers. Pace ties up and Torres reverses him into the fence, working the face and body with knees, punches, elbows, even shoulder shrugs. Pace looks spent, bloodied at the nose as the fight enters its final 120 seconds. They break off and Pace walks Torres down with his hands at his waist. Torres is still bouncing, circling, sticking Pace with jabs and then side-stepping. Pace tries to tie up again, and again Torres takes the dominant position on the fence. The vet splits off, but keeps applying pressure as the clock winds down, pushing forward with punches and doing a front flip toward Pace at the final horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Torres (30-27 Torres)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Miguel Torres.
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Round 1
The lightweight southpaws feel one another out in the opening minute, dos Anjos circling the perimeter to his left, Tibau stalking the center. Dos Anjos tries to load up on a big right hand while Tibau is more successful pushing forward with combinations. Dos Anjos tries mixing up his angles now, flicking out leg kicks sporadically. Tibau puts a three-piece combo on dos Anjos and drives him to the ground in the middle of the cage. Dos Anjos nearly sweeps but winds up on bottom in the scramble, though he’s not there long. Back on the feet with two minutes to go, the round is still very much up for grabs. Dos Anjos gets inside with a combination and puts Tibau on the ground at the base of the cage with a double-leg. Tibau soon posts and pops back up, and the Brazilians go back to circling. Tibau goes low for a single-leg, then stands back up and tags the backpedaling dos Anjos with some hard shots. Dos Anjos tries for another takedown before the horn, but Tibau stays on his feet this time.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos
Round 2
Referee Jason McCoy pauses the action early in the second to have a piece of tape cut from Tibau’s glove, but they’re soon back to business. Dos Anjos lands a solid right hook as Tibau ducks inside for a single-leg, and Tibau backs out. Another nice lead uppercut from dos Anjos has Tibau shooting again. Dos Anjos easily steps out of the way, circles and peppers with another combo. Now it’s dos Anjos shooting against the cage and Tibau defending to a stalemate. Halfway through the fight, they’re back to trading. Dos Anjos backs Tibau into the fence, timing a punch to get inside and clinch. Tibau reverses and the pair jockeys for position with over-unders. They split and dos Anjos begins firing off one-twos. Tibau rushes with a flurry and a right hand buckles the knees of dos Anjos. Tibau smells blood and stands back, picking his shots and putting hard hands on dos Anjos at will. Dos Anjos looks out on his feet, just barely clinging to consciousness as he leans on the cage. He regains his wits enough to circle out and avoid more punishment from Tibau.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Tibau
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Tibau
Round 3
Dos Anjos appears to have recovered well between rounds, as he’s the more active fighter early in the third frame, keeping Tibau guessing with combos and kicks. Tibau shoots a telegraphed shot and misses with a murderous left hook. Dos Anjos keeps the leg kicks coming and the combinations in Tibau’s face. Tibau hasn’t mounted much offense midway through the final round, seemingly content to sit back. Finally, he rushes forward and puts dos Anjos on his back at the base of the fence. Dos Anjos gets to his feet and turns the position, pinning Tibau on the cage with a single-leg. They clinch with over-unders now, exchanging position on the fence. Dos Anjos struggles to finish a single-leg in the last 30 seconds and finally gives it up. Tibau gets the last word, socking dos Anjos with a left hook.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Tibau (30-27 Tibau)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos (29-28 Tibau)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 dos Anjos (29-28 dos Anjos)
Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 for dos Anjos, while another has the same score for Tibau. The third and deciding judge scores the bout 30-27 for the winner by split decision, Gleison Tibau.
Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor
Round 1
Lawlor comes straight forward to put hands on Weidman, and Weidman creates some space. He soon closes that space, though, placing Lawlor on his seat against the fence. Weidman tries to keep Lawlor down with a single-leg while Lawlor attempts to use the fence to stand. Weidman pulls his man away from the cage and puts Lawlor on his side, setting up a brabo choke. Lawlor leaves his head in perfect position for Weidman and the choke is extremely deep when Weidman rolls it over. Lawlor has no escape and no time to tap; he goes to sleep and is rescued by referee Dan Stell at the 2:07 mark.
Michael McDonald vs. Alex Soto
Round 1
The bantamweights touch gloves and McDonald flurries. Soto tries to leap in with a knee and McDonald fends him off with punches. A right hand down the pipe lands for McDonald, then a two-piece combo. McDonald times a leg kick and comes over the top with a nasty right hand which puts Soto on the floor. McDonald goes wild and gives chase as Soto scrambles to his feet and tries to recover on the fence. Soto can’t evade the punishment for long and a big right uppercut sends him down again. McDonald turns out Soto’s lights with a few more right hands and referee Josh Rosenthal jumps in. The impressive knockout victory for Michael McDonald comes after just 56 seconds.
Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz
Round 1
The wrestlers box stiffly around the cage, Bader getting inside to pop Brilz with a hard right uppercut. They circle some more and Bader walks Brilz into the fence, then clips him with a straight right on the temple. The punch doesn’t look like much, but Brilz goes down like a heap of bricks, flat on his face, and Bader pounces. Referee Jason McCoy saves the helpless Brilz, awarding Bader the knockout win at the 1:17 mark.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Round 1
Bonnar takes the outside while Kingsbury pushes out from the center with tight combinations. Kingsbury muscles Bonnar into the fence and the 205’ers trade rough knees and punches in the over-under position. Bonnar zaps Kingsbury with a hard punch at range, but soon after clips him with a kick to the groin. Kingsbury recovers quickly and turns Bonnar’s head with a left hand in an exchange. They tie up, trade knees, and Kingsbury walks Bonnar into the fence for some more clinch work. Kingsbury gets Bonnar to the mat, but Bonnar pops back up, turning his back to create space. Kingsbury chases him down, Bonnar shoots a knee to the midsection. They clinch once more, Bonnar taking the outside now and looking for a single-leg. He backs Kingsbury up with punches and changes to the left leg, finally spinning Kingsbury down with a minute to go. Bonnar moves to side control on Kingsbury’s left, drops a few punches and hooks the leg to keep him in place. With 20 seconds left, Bonnar takes full mount and throws punches, pinning down Kingsbury’s right arm at the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Round 2
The start of the second is delayed a few moments as Bonnar has some stray tape clipped from his glove. When they go, it’s Kingsbury getting busy with combos, punches and kicks to the body. Bonnar catches a middle kick and takes Kingsbury’s back standing, hustling him into the cage. Kingsbury turns and Bonnar spins him down with a single-leg. Nearly having his back taken in the process, Kingsbury puts his back on the mat. Bonnar tries to extract his leg to move to side control, and he does. He lays across Kingsbury’s shoulders and drills him with sideways elbows, short punches. He’s looking for the crucifix, but Kingsbury is defending well. Bonnar moves to north-south, then side control on the left, keeping busy with punches the whole way. He nearly isolates the arm on this side, considers a north-south choke, then goes back to pounding with two minutes still to go. Bonnar traps the arm for a split-second and Kingsbury takes it back. Bonnar switches to a topside guillotine with a minute to go and Kingsbury slips out of this as well. Back in Kingsbury’s half-guard, the offense of Bonnar slows, but the “American Psycho” postures up and explodes just before the horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar
Round 3
Kingsbury comes out looking to establish his jab, but it’s not long before Bonnar has his back standing again. Bonnar wrests him to the ground and Kingsbury gets his back to the canvas as Bonnar passes to the side. It’s back to north-south position for Bonnar, and now he appears to be framing up the choke with more intent. Kingsbury blocks it with his hand and shrimps to his side, and Bonnar instead goes to side control on the left. Bonnar hunts for a kimura, can’t find it, goes back to trying for the crucifix. He’s got Kingsbury’s far-side arm pinned as he drops partially blocked right hands. Bonnar is transitioning at will with 90 seconds to go, elbowing the body of Kingsbury and keeping him locked on the ground. Kingsbury nearly picks the ankle and slides out, but Bonnar stays heavy and works slowly from north-south again. At the 10-second clapper, Bonnar postures up and finishes strong with ground-and-pound. The San Jose crowd boos at the finish and a visibly upset Bonnar mouths the words “I’m sorry.”
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Bonnar (30-27 Bonnar)
Official result: Two judges score the bout 30-27, while one submits a lopsided 30-25 card, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Stephan Bonnar.
Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann
Round 1
Story rushes straight ahead, winging heavy punches while Kampmann circles away against the fence. Story keeps the combos coming, putting hard shots on Kampmann’s body and nose. Both men come out of the skirmish bleeding on the eyebrow and Kampmann sticks Story with a speedy hook, then steps off. Story is relentless in his attack on the body, continually digging into the Dane with punches. Story slips a punch and slugs Kampmann behind the ear with a wide left. A few rights get through for Kampmann, but he misses with the step-in knee. Story’s face is showing the worse damage as the round enters its final minute, red blood streaking the right side of his face. He tries for a takedown, comes up with nothing. Story backs out and does more damage to Kampmann’s body before the frame finishes.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Story
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Story
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Story
Round 2
The welterweights feint and feel the distance in close quarters early in round two, neither man really letting go. Story goes to the body again, but Kampmann strings together a nice combination and piles on with some crisp right hands. Kampmann lands the straight right again and then shakes out his hand. Story’s punches are growing increasingly wild while Kampmann’s strikes are becoming more accurate. Story rips another punch to the body, circles away and paws at the blood around his eye. They tie up and Kampmann whips Story to the floor. Kampmann looks for an arm-triangle setup from half-guard and Story defends ably. Still a minute to go in the round and Kampmann is heavy atop Story, popping him with right hands as he works for mount. Kampmann goes for the arm-triangle again and Story clasps his hands in defense. Kampmann finishes out the round on top.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kampmann
Round 3
Story is right in Kampmann’s face to begin the final frame, punching the body and spinning him around against the fence. Kampmann backs out, puts some punches in Story’s face and takes the outside with a double-leg shot on the cage. Story walks him along the outside and keeps a wide base, but Kampmann pulls him down anyhow. Story hops to his feet instantly, giving his back as he does so. Story breaks away from Kampmann’s clutches and they’re back to slugging. Kampmann shoots, gets stuffed, then gets taken down on the cage. He pops back up and walks inside on Story, cracking him with a hard right straight and a knee to the body. Kampmann gets a waistlock on the fence, then they go to over-unders. Kampmann takes Story’s back standing with a rear-waistlock and nearly ragdolls him to the floor. Story is back up instantly, only to be shoved into the fence again. They work off the cage and Kampmann trips Story down in the middle. Story hops up and drives straight forward, dumping Kampmann at the base of the fence. Kampmann is quickly vertical and again latches onto Story’s back standing. Story gives up his back and Kampmann locks up a body triangle, working for a rear-naked choke to the final horn.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Kampmann (29-28 Kampmann)
Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 Kampmann; a second has it 29-28 Story. The third judge sees it 30-27 for the winner by split decision, Martin Kampmann.
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles
Round 1
Faber ducks under hard punches from Bowles to punch at the body. He tries to rush Bowles into the fence and Bowles steps away. Bowles lands a hard right, but a combo from Faber has him covering and backing up on the fence. Faber’s speed is getting the better in the early going, as the “California Kid” is able to pop in and out with punches while eluding Bowles’ long strikes. Faber lights him up with a combo and Bowles is covering. Another flurry comes from Faber, but Bowles is off the cage and looking recovered now. Faber crouches low and comes inside for a shot behind a forearm to the throat. Bowles avoids this takedown, but not the next one, which sees him planted at the base of the fence with Faber in his closed guard. Bowles grabs a guillotine on the way down and soon releases it, instead defending against the hard ground-and-pound. Faber stands up with 30 seconds left and dodges upkicks to bust through Bowles’ guard with a big shot.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Faber
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Faber
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Faber
Round 2
Bowles snipes at Faber with a few long jabs, a four-punch combo, but all of them miss. A massive lead uppercut from Faber has Bowles in deep trouble, staggering backward into the fence, and Faber is all over him. Faber mauls with punches, knees to the body, vicious elbows, but Bowles survives the onslaught. Faber grabs a guillotine and rolls Bowles over, and it’s elementary from here. Bowles resists for a moment before he’s forced to capitulate, referee Jason McCoy officially waving the contest off at 1:27 of the second round.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le
Round 1
Le takes the center of the Octagon and immediately begins pushing outward with range-finding punches and side-kicks. Silva, meanwhile, hops around the perimeter, staying out of Le’s range. Le wades into an exchange and moves backward for the first time after eating a punch. He clips Silva with a spinning back-fist and goes sky high with a turning kick which misses Silva’s face. Le is back on his forward trajectory, and another spinning back-fist puts Silva on his knees. The Brazilian pops back up and is met by more lightning fast punches from Le, then a spinning kick which lands on his shoulder. Silva plays possum but Le doesn’t bite, instead steadily walking “The Axe Murderer” down. Le feints and Silva flinches, leaping backward. Le is still moving forward with 90 seconds left in the period, and whips a turning heel kick into Silva’s body. Silva comes forward now and socks Le with a pair of punches. Le is swiping at his own right eye, which is cut and dripping blood. Silva has a high kick just blocked, but he keeps the pressure on, swarming Le with punches. The barrage stops by the end of the round, but the momentum clearly swung in Silva’s direction.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Le
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Le
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Le
Round 2
The pace slows considerably at the start of the second, neither man committing to moving forward. Le takes the reins about 70 seconds in as he begins finding his range with punches and thudding kicks to the body. Midway through the round, Silva circles the outside, waiting to counter, and does find an opening to tag Le with a left. Le begins kicking at the legs of Silva, but stays in the pocket too long and eats a right hand. Silva chases Le down with another combination, then gets backed up by a side-kick. Silva checks a leg kick and backs out of the way as Le feints side-kicks. The Brazilian rushes Le on the fence and puts him in dire straits again with a right high kick, a vicious right hand and follow-up knees to the guts. Le survives on rubber legs and Silva grabs the Thai plum, busting Le’s nose with a knee to the face. Le bounces off the cage and drives forward for a single-leg, and Silva socks him with a few hammerfists before referee Dan Stell steps in for the TKO stoppage. Le’s nose is absolutely destroyed. Wanderlei Silva wins his first fight in 21 months at 4:49 of the second round.
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua
Round 1
The light heavyweight legends inch toward one another in the middle of the cage, Rua swinging a right hand just over Henderson’s head. Rua shoots in and gets stuffed by Henderson, who grabs a front headlock and seems near to submitting the Brazilian. Rua survives, only to be bombarded by a flurry from Henderson against the cage. Shogun emerges steady but bloodied, walking Henderson to the other side of the cage, where he’s dropped again. Henderson shoves Rua to the ground from the clinch and walks off. Henderson is loading up on his right hand, waiting for Rua to walk into his range. Rua is bloodied around the left eye, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting him midway through the round. Rua shoots again and Henderson shuts it down, making Rua pay with punches as he exits. An overhand right-left uppercut gets through for Henderson and Rua moves forward on him. Henderson is in trouble after taking a right hook behind the ear, on his knees, defending an onslaught from Rua. He gets to his feet and goes back to looking for the right hand while Rua begins stringing combinations together. Rua comes inside with a flurry and clinches Henderson into the cage with 30 seconds to go, then finishes the round kneeing at the American’s legs.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 2
Henderson begins pumping his jab while Rua goes low with leg kicks. They tie up and Rua gets the outside position as he shoves Hendo into a cage post. Rua tries to exit with a big shot and leaves himself open to a Henderson flurry. An uppercut has Rua covering up on the fence while Henderson rips away with punches to the body and arms. Rua escapes with a nice left hand of his own and shows his freshness by dancing away from Henderson. Rua blitzes with long punches which don’t land but allow him to tie up again. Henderson reverses the position, though, and bloodies Rua’s nose further with punches. Henderson slows down for a moment as he holds Rua to the cage with underhooks, 90 seconds to go in the second. Henderson works short knees to Rua’s legs as referee Josh Rosenthal implores the light heavyweights to work. Rosenthal splits them up with 40 seconds left and Rua tags Hendo with a wide right. Henderson replies with a combo to the head and body, and that’s where the round ends.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 3
Getting the third underway, referee Rosenthal tells the fighters it’s the “last round,” but Henderson corrects him. Hendo gets right inside on Shogun and unloads a few uppercuts in the clinch. He’s soon backed up by a body kick and punches from Rua, and Henderson shoots unsuccessfully. A massive right hand from Henderson lands on Rua’s temple and the Brazilians falls to his side. Henderson goes absolutely wild with punches, trying to stop the turtling Rua as Rosenthal hovers nearby, but he can’t geet the stop. Rua rolls for a leglock and he’s got Henderson’s left leg in his grasps. Henderson slips out and back to his feet, where he’s hugged against the fence by a grisly Rua. Shogun looks absolutely exhausted as he tries for a single-leg and absorbs elbows with 90 seconds left in the third. Henderson keeps the elbows coming until Rua angrily dumps him to the mat. Shogun tees off with punches but Henderson easily pops back up. Pinning Hendo on the fence, Rua connects with another pair of punches before the end of the round.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Round 4
Shogun gets a takedown along the fence, but Henderson gets on top and traps Shogun’s arm, rolling him over. They get back to the feet and Henderson gets the takedown this time, latching on a topside guillotine. Rua doesn’t appear to be in serious trouble and pops his badly swollen head out from under Hendo’s arm after a moment. Henderson raises up and slugs Rua with a right hand, then stands and comes crashing down with more punishment. Rua somehow gets to his feet, stumbles, falls and gets up again. His nose is a bloodied mess, his eyes swollen, but Rua keeps pushing forward on Henderson, who’s looking equally spent now. A right hand from Shogun has Henderson looking for escape and Rua gives chase. Henderson can barely punch now, his head hanging low and his hands by his waist. Rua gets a takedown in the middle of the cage and mounts Henderson, then takes his back. Henderson twists around to top position and can muster only one elbow before the horn. Henderson staggers to his feet, unsteady on his way back to the corner.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Rua
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rua
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-9 Rua
Round 5
Henderson tries to tie up and gets whirled to the floor by Shogun, who moves straight into side control. Rua is on Henderson’s right with the cage on the other side. Shogun jumps into mount and drops tired punches while Henderson tries to push off the fence with his feet. Rua postures up to punch and loses the mount as Hendo stuff him back to half-guard. Rua gets back to mount with 2:45 left on the clock and Henderson rolls, giving up his back. Rua struggles to set up an arm-triangle choke, can’t get it and takes mount again when Henderson flips over. Rua puts a pair of punches directly on the back of Henderson’s head and is warned by Rosenthal. Henderson has nothing to offer from the bottom, just surviving as the fight goes to its last 60 seconds. Rua finishes the fight in full mount and the San Jose crowd goes wild for the first non-title UFC fight to go five rounds, an instant classic.
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-46 Henderson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-47 Draw)
Mike Whitman scores the round 10-8 Rua (47-47 Draw)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 48-47 for the winner by unanimous decision, Dan Henderson.
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