UFC 139 Our Signed Wanderlei Silva Poster To Celebrate His Career & Fight vs Cung Le

UFC 131: Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson Battle Live Tomorrow Night

Former champions Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson go head-to-head, plus Wanderlei Silva faces Cung Le and Urijah Faber battles Brian Bowles! UFC 139 - Saturday, Nov. 19 - 9pm ET / 6pm PT Live on Pay-Per-View and UFC.TV

See The Prelims Live & Free On Facebook
Watch prelim action live and free on Facebook ("LIKE" the UFC page to watch) starting at 5:50pm ET / 2:50pm PT

Watch The UFC 139 Weigh-In Live Today On UFC.com
Fighters step onto the scale at approximately 7pm ET / 4pm PT


UFC 139 Shogun vs. Hendo conference call
by Ross Cascio November 16, 2011

STUDIO MMA, LOS ANGELES - With UFC 139 Shogun vs Hendo coming up this Saturday November 19th, four of the main card fighters gathered for a conference call. The light heavyweight bout between MMA legends Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Maurico "Shogun" Rua is the type of dream fight Read more...

The light heavyweight bout between MMA legends Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Maurico "Shogun" Rua is the type of dream fight that fans have been hoping to see inside the octagon since the UFC took the Pride Fighting Organization into its fold in 2007. Former Pride champion and current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Henderson acknowledged, "I'm excited about fighting Shogun. It's a fight that I've wanted for a long time".

Rua, a former Pride middleweight Grand Prix and former UFC light heavyweight champion, shared the same sentiments saying, "This is a marquee fight for me. Dan Henderson is a legend in the sport". Rua went on to explain that the fight between his younger brother Murilio "Ninja" Rua and Henderson in Pride back in 2001, which the younger Rua won, has helped Shogun game-plan for the upcoming bout. Shogun said, "I've watched the fight between my brother and Dan Henderson many times. My brother helped me with strategy for Dan Henderson".

The fight will mark Henderson's first fight back with the UFC since a contract dispute saw him leave the promotion and head to Strikeforce in 2009. Henderson said that, "the timing was right to return to the UFC" adding, "I have no regrets about going to Strikeforce but the UFC belt is one of my goals". The Rua vs. Henderson matchup has the potential to be explosive and is being viewed as a number one contender's match that will have title implications in the light heavyweight, and perhaps even middleweight, division. Despite this speculation about upcoming fights, both fighters seem dialed in for Saturday night. Rua said, "My whole focus is on Dan Henderson. It's going to be a great fight". Henderson added, "I'm going to do what I need to do in the cage and worry about everything else after". Regarding a potential rematch with long-reigning middleweight champ Anderson Silva however Henderson hinted, "I'm never enthused about cutting weight but if I was to cut weight now there's only one matchup I would do it for."

Storied fighters Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le were also on hand to talk about their upcoming middleweight bout at UFC 139. The fight is an intriguing and exciting matchup with storylines that are almost the polar opposite of Rua vs. Henderson. While Rua and Henderson are jockeying for position in UFC title pictures, Silva and Le are, in a sense, fighting to prove that they belong in the UFC. Cung Le is a former IKF light heavyweight San Shou world champion and he's making his UFC debut against Silva. Le crossed over into MMA and into Strikeforce in 2006, prior to the UFC's takeover of the promotion and has yet to fight on MMA's biggest stage. Le went 7-1 in Strikeforce over the course of four years but said he feels a sense of validation now that he is fighting in the UFC. Le said, "UFC is the top of the food chain" and, "it feels like going from the Canadian Football League to the NFL". Le supporters are hoping that he can prove his mettle against former Pride middleweight champ Silva, one of the most famed and ferocious Brazilian fighters in MMA history, who has faced questions about retiring after dropping three of his last four fights, two of which came by knockout in the first round. Wanderlei shrugged off the retirement issue saying, "I'm healthy. I'm in great condition and I'm ready to prove that on Saturday night". Silva went on to add, "My performance will make it clear I can fight again". Le, who is fighting in his hometown of San Jose, has also faced some questions about distractions coming from his ongoing movie career but he too compartmentalized those distractions saying, "I'm a fighter first before I'm an actor". It's clear both fighters will be out to make a statement on Saturday night.

With so many big name fighters and storylines spanning from the past to the future of MMA, UFC 139 - Shogun vs. Hendo is sure to be an exciting event for MMA fans.