• UFC 139

UFC to lock Henderson and Shogun in same cage

Mauricio Shogun Rua is coming off a superb victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 © Getty Images

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The UFC secured two major pieces of business on Monday evening, firstly by re-signing Dan Henderson, and then by throwing him into a mega collision with Mauricio Shogun Rua at UFC 139.

Henderson, who fought for both the UFC middleweight and light-heavyweight titles before leaving the promotion in 2009, returns as the Strikeforce 205lb king. Standing opposite him will be the former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rua, who is battling to get back to a rematch with Jon Jones.

Based on name alone, it is difficult to find two more celebrated individuals in the sport of MMA. Both men have dominated the PRIDE scene at times during their careers, and both men have been involved in blockbuster UFC title match-ups. The only difference is that Shogun won one.

Henderson is arguably in the best form of his life. He looks far more powerful at 205lbs, having previously spent years as a middleweight, and the 41-year-old defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in his last outing.

Shogun is also far from being "past it" despite his humbling defeat to Jones at UFC 128. The Brazilian bounced back in his last fight, stopping Forrest Griffin to gain revenge for a previous defeat.

The UFC is yet to confirm whether the bout will headline UFC 139 in San Jose, although it is almost unthinkable that it won't. Clarification over whether Henderson vacates the Strikeforce belt also remains unforthcoming.

UFC 139 already has a host of big fights on the card, with Vitor Belfort taking on Cung Le, while Rick Story meets Martin Kampmann. Brian Bowles and Urijah Faber also go head-to-head in the bantamweight division.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.