Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson Recall Their UFC 139 Fight After Hall of Fame Induction

Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson spoke following the induction of their UFC 139 fight into the Fight wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Highlights are below, per MMAjunkie:

Henderson on the reaction to the fight: “It wasn’t until I got back to the hotel that I heard people saying things like ‘greatest fight of all time.’ The fight wasn’t much fun while I was in it.”

Henderson on the fight being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame: “I’m honored what ‘Shogun’ and I went through is going to be remembered like this.”

Rua on the honor: “When I get old, I’m going to be showing my Hall of Fame trophy to my grandkids, my son, their friends and anyone who comes to my house.”

Henderson on finding out how many punches and takedowns were exchanged during the fight: “I didn’t remember him taking me down five times or us landing more bombs than we’d landed in our careers. I had to watch the fight back to appreciate how exciting it was.”

Rua on Henderson’s punches: “I’m really happy that I was able to withstand them – especially in the first two rounds when Dan was really going for the knockout – and come back to take the fight to him. I was always trying to win the fight, and even when Dan was on top I wanted to fight back all the time. In the fourth and fifth rounds, I took over and it was Dan’s turn to take my punches. He could handle my punches at the end, but I gave my max, all my heart. I lost, but I am proud that we had a great fight.”

Rua on a possible rematch some day: “I think our fighting styles are what made this fight a UFC Hall of Fame fight. We are both aggressive, we always walk forward and together we made for a special combination in the octagon. I think Dan Henderson and me would have a great fight even if we fought 1000 times.”