"Without a doubt, it was one of the top three best fights ever in MMA, without a doubt. I have so much respect for both of those guys to dig down that deep in a five round fight. That was like our Ali-Frazier three you know what I mean, it was incredible. This is one of those tough fights. In the first round, they both knocked each other down, you give Henderson the first three rounds, you give Shogun four, and you give Shogun 10-8 in the last round for a dominate round; it's a draw. It's one of those tough ones but that's how I scored it. But who the hell am I?"
-- UFC President Dana White tells the media at the UFC 139 post-fight conference (watch full video here) that the epic 205-pound battle between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua, which "Hendo" won via unanimous decision, should have been a draw. The former Pride FC stars treated fans to a back-and-forth battle for the ages, with Henderson dominating Rua for the first three rounds of the fight, nearly finishing him on a few attempts. However, in the (non) "championship" rounds, the Brazilian turned the tide and nearly came close to finishing Henderson himself. Shogun clearly won the fourth and the case could be made that he could have been awarded the fifth round with a score of 10-8, which would have had the fight end in a draw. In a fight which saw both fighters floored to the canvas, a near miraculous comeback from Rua, and great back-and-forth exchanges, many fans were left wanting more. Perhaps if the judges would have seen it the same way as the UFC head honcho, an instant rematch would have likely been in the works, giving fans a continuation of the instant classic. Do you share the same sentiments as White? Or did "Hendo" clearly win the fight as the judges declared? Round six, anyone?