Quijano: The greatest fight in MMA history?

Monday, November 21, 2011

IT'S not every day that you hear UFC commentator Joe Rogan blurt out something like: “We’re witnessing probably the greatest fight in MMA history.”

But while Joe has seen it all in the world of mixed-martial arts, I believe that he was a tad too generous in his gushing assessment. Nonetheless, I would concede that Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139 comes pretty darn close to that honor. Here’s a recap:

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THE FIGHT. Both combatants wasted no time and immediately went down to business.

Henderson started out with some leg kicks while “Shogun” came forward behind some jabs.

Rua immediately went for takedown but Henderson defended well and caught Rua with a front face headlock. Rua managed to escape but Henderson immediately rained blows on him while the latter was leaning on the cage. Rua survived the onslaught but was cut in the left eyebrow.

Rua again tried for a takedown but Henderson defended well. Both men exchanged blows along the two-minute mark and Rua landed a clubbing overhand right that sent Henderson down. Both men scrambled up and the round ended with both men clinching along the cage.

In the second, both men started out throwing bombs, but Henderson stunned Rua with a left hand followed by a right and the latter covered up. Around the 2:20 mark, Rua responded with a flurry that drove Henderson back. Both men clinched and the ref was constrained to pry them apart and restart the action. Both men got into an exchange but Henderson is more accurate with his counters.

Both men unloaded to start the third round, but Henderson connected with some nasty-looking uppercuts. At around the 3:21 mark, Henderson connected with a booming right hand and down went “Shogun.” “Hendo” desperately tried to finish off the fallen Brazilian, raining hammer fists and blows. The fight could arguably have been stopped at that point but Shogun held on to survive the onslaught, fighting back with a submission attempt on the American’s exposed ankle.

Henderson clinched along the cage and Rua attempted some punishment of his own but the round clearly belonged to Henderson.

In the fourth, after a brief scramble, a tiring Henderson was taken down but ended up trying a rear-naked choke on Shogun who managed to turn his body to escape.

Henderson scored a takedown at around the 3:30 mark but is clearly too spent to make use of his superior position. He attempted some ground and pound but Rua scrambles out of the way.

A weary Henderson was caught with a huge uppercut at the 1:34 mark and the fight took a downhill turn for him. He desperately tried a takedown but Shogun defended well.

Rua landed some bombs, and at around the 33-second mark, he took Henderson down and did some nasty ground and pound. Henderson managed to survive the round as time expired.

A weakened and visibly exhausted Henderson was thoroughly dominated in the final round. He was taken to the ground early and was subjected to some vicious ground-and-pound for almost the entirety of the round.

The punishment dished out by Shogun was frightening, but somehow through guile, guts, and sheer luck, Henderson survived to hear the final bell and win via unanimous decision.

CAÑIGA. Speaking of MMA, the Last Round salutes Johnlery “Ian” Cañiga, son of Yawyan Ardigma Grandmaster Ekin, for emerging as the Grand Champion of the Navarro MMA Championships in Pacifica, California.

The quiet, unassuming Ian did us proud by pioneering a different path for Cebuano MMA fighters to emulate.

Most of the current superstars in MMA started out competing and winning in several amateur tournaments in the USA and at 20 years of age, the future looks very bright for this BS Criminology student.

LAST ROUNDS. Are on two supermen that masquerade as my good friends, Joel Garganera and Ruel “Weng-weng” Binolirao, who recently finished the grueling 100-kilometer Ultramarathon from Bogo to Cebu.

Whew! I get winded just driving up to Bogo for my hearings, but you guys did it on foot. Cheers!

(jingo_quijano@yahoo.com)