5 Dan Henderson top fights Mauricio Rua in a UFC 139 bout CHAPTER 1 EPIC BATTLE Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua could barely stand They had fought for five rounds in a mixed martial arts MMA match They were exhausted Henderson had broken his thumb Rua had suffered a possible skull fracture The fighters had exchanged punches and kicks They had wrestled each other to the mat They had smashed each other into the cage surrounding the ring
6 Henderson and Rua were competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC The event was UFC 139 It took place on November 19 2011 in San Jose California Both fighters had won MMA championships Both had defeated strong opponents to get to this championship match On this day they were evenly matched Rua landed the first strike to start the match It was a low kick Henderson answered with hard punches to Rua’s head Throughout the match the fighters hit with their elbows They grappled on the mat Every time one fighter seemed in control the other came back By the end Rua and Henderson were bleeding Their faces were swollen They were so tired they could barely hold their arms up The judges named Henderson the winner He won by one point He called it one of the toughest fights of his life It is considered one of the greatest MMA fights of all time
7 MMA combines moves from all of the combat and martial arts sports MMA fighters use the kicks of karate They use throws and chokes like judo fighters They punch and hit like boxers They grapple like wrestlers MMA fighters have to learn techniques from many different fighting styles They have to be strong and tough They cannot be afraid of getting hit Dan Henderson left and Mauricio Rua right were exhausted from the long bloody fight
