(This story first appeared in Friday’s USA TODAY .) NATAL, Brazil – Billed as a slugfest between two heavy-handed MMA stars, the first meeting of Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua wasn’t expected to last long. When a wobbly Rua struggled to keep his balance 60 seconds into the November 2011 matchup, blood streaming from the Brazilian’s left eye and trickling down his face, that prediction appeared sound. Yet somehow the two knockout artists continued to battle toe-to-toe for five rounds, putting on one of the most memorable matchups in UFC history. “I remember being in the corner and thinking to myself somewhere in the fourth round, ‘Man, we’re watching history,’” Eduardo Alonso, Rua’s manager, tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie. “I was just getting that feeling, hearing the buzz from the crowd.
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‘Shogun’ on Henderson rematch: ‘I’ll take the win any way I can get it’ – MMA Junkie