More than a day has passed since UFC 139 ended, and it's still running through my mind. I watched the NFL all Sunday, and I still couldn't stop thinking about the Henderson/Rua main event, Wanderlei Silva's unlikely win, and every other great performance that helped create such a memorable event. Below are Cagewriter's Three Stars. Tell us yours in the comments or on Facebook.
No. 1 star -- Dan Henderson: His walkout shirt read "Hearts and minds overcome all," and it turned out to be an indicator of the kind of main event that would happen at UFC 139. Henderson came out hard and seemed close to finishing off Rua early on, but used every bit of heart to survive in the later rounds as Rua dominated. Henderson extended his win streak to four, earned a title shot of some sort, and a $70,000 bonus. Not too shabby for a 41-year-old.
No. 1a star -- Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: The other half of Henderson's amazing fight deserves as much recognition as Henderson. He withstood punches that have knocked out Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante, and Michael Bisping. With his face bloody and swollen, Rua engineered a comeback that fell just shy of a win in the eyes of the judges.
No. 2 star -- Wanderlei Silva: A bit of magic abounds when Silva hits the cage looking like his vintage self. He showed why he has the nickname "The Axe Murderer" as he withstood Cung Le's kicks, and then earned the TKO in the second round. There is no guarantee that we will get to see much more of him in the Octagon as he has taken much punishment over his 15-year MMA career. Instead of worrying about what's next for him, let's just enjoy that his magic was present in San Jose on Saturday.
No. 3 star -- Michael McDonald: He's 20, he has unlimited potential, and he has another memorable win under his belt. McDonald's knockout left Alex Soto with a very short UFC debut, and earned McDonald a $70,000 Knockout of the Night bonus. That's a record of 14-1 for McDonald before he even becomes old enough to drink after his American fights.
*Yep, that's actually four stars.
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