UFC 139 Conference Call: PRIDE Never Dies

By Alex Mattis

This Saturday night, two legends of MMA will collide for the first time. Dan Henderson battles Mauricio Shogun Rua to determine who moves closer to a title shot. The event also features the UFC debut of the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Cung Le. Le’s move to the octagon bears no housewarming gifts as he will be greeted by one of the most violent and beloved of all time, Wanderlei Silva.

After a two-year hiatus from the company, Dan Henderson returns to the UFC this Saturday. “It does feel good that is probably where I’m going to end up and finish my career in the UFC.”

Following his iconic knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100, Henderson and the UFC couldn’t come to terms on a new contract: “I felt I was worth more, and explored other options.” The option he took was a move to Strikeforce where he went 3-1; winning the promotion’s light heavyweight title and knocking out Fedor Emelianeko.

Despite the age of 41,Henderson assures “I’ve got a lot of fight left in me.”

It has been an up-and-down run for Shogun Rua ever since he first came into the UFC. A long road of injuries and disappointing performances finally turned around when Rua knocked out Lyoto Machida and won the UFC light heavyweight title in May of 2010. His first title defense didn’t go as well as he was dominated and dethroned by Jon Jones. He sprung back and returned to form in August with a 1^st round stoppage of Forrest Griffin. Rua asserts that he is ready to go and “I think I’m 100% recovered from my injuries.” When questioned about his former PRIDE opponent, Shogun replied with, “Dan Henderson is a legend…this fight means a lot to me.”

“I’m excited about fighting Shogun,” added Henderson. “He’s a tough opponent, well-round, and definitely a challenge.”

The co-main event will be one of those striker vs. striker affairs that we have all come to love. Cung Le is getting propelled into main-event-status immediately upon his arrival to the UFC. “I feel good. Fighting in the UFC is an honor,” said Le.

His opponent, Wanderlei Silva, is at an interesting place in his career; nearing the end. Silva stated with great commitment that “I never give up,” but taking a look at the past few years of his career could lead someone to think he should throw in the towel. This Saturday night is a huge fight for Wanderlei and for his future with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I need a good performance and a good fight.” Coming in from Strikeforce, Le also has a tremendous amount of pressure to win but it doesn’t seem to faze him: “I’m excited. I’m not worried about anything else.” Despite being a replacement for Vitor Belfort, Silva is 100% committed to this fight. “I’m in great condition and I’m going to show that on Saturday.”

UFC 139 goes down this Saturday night inSan Jose,CA. The pay-per-view broadcast boasts a loaded undercard with a potential bantamweight title eliminator between Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story, and TUF 1 star Stephan Bonnar facing the rising threat of Kyle Kingsbury. Catch the early action on Facebook and SPIKE TV. Dig it!