makemymark

Henderson - Shogun: The greatest fight ever?

I blogged recently about the growing popularity of mixed martial arts, notably that of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the idea that disillusioned boxing fans are now following the sport.

 I would describe myself as a boxing loyalist. There is something special about staying up to a ridiculous hour and watching a big fight from across the Atlantic. Watching sporting history unfold while everyone else is sleeping is special: Holyfield outclassing Tyson, the Barrera – Morales epics, De La Hoya pushing Floyd Mayweather Junior to the limit. At a ridiculous hour on Sunday morning I witnessed sporting history unfold, perhaps the greatest fight I’ve seen. And I wasn’t watching boxing.

Dan Henderson clashed with Shogun Rua in a UFC light-heavyweight title eliminator, the main event of UFC 139. The two men are heavy-handed MMA legends and the fight was described as ten years in the making. It was worth the wait.

 The action was explosive from the opening round. Henderson established dominance quickly with a series of brutal strikes. Shogun’s face was a bloody mess but he stood strong and launched attacks of his own. While the technical grace of boxing is less apparent in an MMA contest, I was blown away by the amount of clean punches both men were landing and taking. Henderson continued to dominate the exchanges. At the end of the third round he floored Shogun with an overhand right and attempted to finish the fight. Miraculously, Shogun avoided defeat but his prospects looked bleak.

Then, when a stoppage in the fourth round looked inevitable, the fight took a dramatic u-turn. Shogun landed a devastating uppercut on Henderson’s chin and followed it up with a flurry of combinations. Suddenly he was the dominant one and Henderson was out on his feet, reacting to attacks instinctively and countering. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The fifth round followed the same pattern. Shogun chased Henderson and took him down. He knew he needed a stoppage to win the fight and desperately looked to ground and pound. Henderson looked a spent force but his experience and defensive positioning carried him through to the final bell. The judges’ decisions were unanimous, there was no controversy, Henderson won the fight and Shogun won massive respect. Both men displayed undeniable warrior spirit.

The excitement was incredible. I reluctantly found myself in the midst of a conversion. I’m not quite ready to abandon boxing, there is a series of great contests in December that I can’t wait to see. I love the sport but MMA is my new mistress.