Shogun vs Hendo rematch announced for UFC Fight Night 38

Shogun vs Hendo II announced as the main event for UFC Fight Night 38

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

A UFC fight for the ages is set be revisited as Dan Henderson (29-11) and Shogun Rua (22-8) get set to meet again at UFC Fight Night 38. It was announced on Thursday that the two veterans will square off in Brazil on March 23.

The pair first met in an instant classic back at UFC 139 in November 2011 in which Henderson came out on the right end of a hard fought decision in what many considered to be the fight of the year. Since then, both men have gone on to suffer a down turn of fortunes.

Henderson has lost three straight since then, most recently suffering the first knockout loss of his career to Vitor Belfort. Before that he lost two controversial decisions to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Rua has similarly been struggling for form, failing to string a winning run together. He spectacularly knocked out James Te Huna in little over a minute back in December. Prior to that he lost successive fights to Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen.

The fight sees Henderson return to the UFC after entering free agency after his fight with Belfort. It also sees Henderson head south, back to Brazil, to have another attempt at picking up a win.

It remains to be seen how Henderson can bounce back after being brutally knocked out back in November.

Whilst Rua was victorious in his last outing, as always, it all depends on what kind of condition he can get himself into ahead of this rematch.

The fight is between the number six and seven ranked light heavyweights, but it would seem that both men, at least Henderson at 43-years-old, could very well be about to begin their final attempt at a run in the UFC.

If history has taught us anything it's that rematches of legendary fights very rarely live up to the expectation, but the fact is we will be getting Henderson vs Shogu II. All we can do is accept that and hope that the rematch gets close to the first fight in terms of excitement.

UFC Fight Night 38 takes place on March 23 from the Ginasio Nelio Dias, Natal, Brazil.

Kingdom MMA Awards 2013: Fight of the Year

Kingdom MMA Fight of the Year Award 2013: Jones vs Gustafsson
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

The general consensus amongst fans is that 2013 has been one of, if not the best years in MMA history. From The UFC, to Bellator and on and on, we have witnessed fights that will stick in fans memories for many years to come.

Fans have been blessed with epic fights this year with the UFC serving up classics like Bermudez vs Grice, Melendez vs Sanchez and Silva vs Hunt. Bellator have done their bit too by giving us Chandler vs Alverez 2, the Axis TV broadcasted local shows gave us Leonard Garcia vs Nick Gonzalez at Legacy 23, and literally every single women’s fight this year can only be described as frigging awesome.

Not to be outdone, UK MMA got in on the action too, with Cage Warriors delivering brilliant fights between Jordan Desborough and Brett Johns, as well as Danny Roberts vs Hendry Fadipe. Bamma had the short but sweet Barnaoui vs Fletcher, while Ashley Reece and Martin Chester put on one of the best amateur bouts of all time at FCC 8.

But when it’s all said and done, the one fight that stuck in the minds of the staff at Kingdom MMA was Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson.

One of the most exciting title fights of all time, Jones vs Gustafsson was a war, a five-round battle of precise strikes and hard-nosed chins – a war!

Back and forth two warriors wen to toe-to-toe, one the pound-4-pound king of MMA, the other one a huge underdog which no one gave a chance going in to the fight. Jones vs Gustafsson is MMAs equivalent to Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed.

Gustafsson took the fight to Jones, he landed a crisp jab all night, and become the fight fighter to ever take Jones down in the UFC; in fact many people actually thought Gustafsson won.

Whoever you thought won the fight there is no disputing that Jones and Gustafsson put on one hell of a fight, with both man showing the heart of a champion - here’s hoping to a rematch in 2014.

Congratulations to both Jones and Gustaffason for the fight of the year performance.

Press Release: UFC London 2014 Ticket Information

Press Release: UFC London 2014 Ticket Information

Tickets for UFC® FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: GUSTAFSSON vs. MANUWA at The O2 on Saturday 8th March 2014 will go on sale to the public on 31st January 2014 at 10am. Ticket prices range from £40-£850 for the UFC VIP Experience. 

Londoner Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa will face his biggest test to date as he goes up against Sweden’s Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson, who recently came off a narrow loss against world light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones.

The UFC has also announced that fan favourite Brad “One Punch” Pickett will make his flyweight debut against USA’s Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall. Pickett, who is also from London, dropped down from the bantamweight division in October.

The undefeated Manuwa has a unique opportunity to prove himself against his weight division’s number one title contender Gustafsson. “I cannot wait to enter the Octagon in London, where I grew up,” Manuwa said, “and to headline an event at The O2 after just three fights in the UFC is incredible. People think I am crazy and need a few more fights but I always say if you want to be the best you have to beat the best.”

“Alex is a huge test for me, but it is one I have long dreamed of. I’m ready to take this opportunity to climb up the light-heavyweight ladder and get closer to my goal of being a UFC champion.  I asked for this fight and thought Alex would avoid me, but he is a true professional and I have great respect for him; he knows my record and he knows how unpredictable every fight can be in the UFC. We’ve seen Silva, Jones and GSP all showing their vulnerability this year.”

His opponent Gustafsson said: “His clean record is impressive but I am one opponent away from challenging the champion again and I will fight my heart out to get a win in March.”

The Swede added that he does not believe that competing in London will be an advantage for Manuwa: “We will put on a hell of a show, but I am not sure who will have the hometown advantage since I expect an invasion of Swedish fans to come and support me.”

Brad Pickett said: “For me this is absolutely massive. I’ve fought in the UFC a couple of times in the UK, and the crowds have always been great, but to actually be competing at home in London is something I’ve always wanted.”

UFC FIGHT NIGHT London will also feature Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson taking on Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, for the second time in six months.  The original bout took place at UFC Manchester in October this year, but was deemed a no-contest due to an unintentional illegal knee from Guillard.  The two will look to settle the score once and for all next March.

Iceland’s Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson is set to face his toughest test to date in Russia’s Omari “Lakec” Akhmedov as the two meet in a welterweight bout. Nelson’s return to the Octagon will be met with eager anticipation after he underwent surgery on his knee earlier this year, leaving him sidelined after two notable performances in the UFC. The two opponents will both be looking to maintain their undefeated record, standing 11-0 and 12-0 respectively. 

Sweden’s Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi will make his second Octagon appearance after stepping in as a late replacement for Alex Gustafsson against Gegard Mousasi in Stockholm last April. Latifi will take on French light-heavyweight Cyrille “Snake” Diabate, who last fought in London earlier this year. Another addition to the card will see England’s Danny “The Cheesecake Assassin” Mitchell make his UFC debut against Brazil’s Igor Araujo. The Doncaster athlete has a challenging test in front of him with Araujo’s record of five consecutive wins.

Fight Club™ members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to this event from 29th January via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. To join UFC Fight Club™ go to UFC.com.

Tickets will be available to UFC Newsletter subscribers from 30th January. To sign up to the UFC Newsletter visit UFC.com and enter your email address.


Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa will be available via www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.theo2.co.uk.

Video: MMA Does the Harlem Shake

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