UFC Fight Night 38- Shogun vs. Henderson 2: 3 things you need to know

The UFC travels to Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil for UFC Fight Night 38, where Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua will become violently re-acquainted with one another. 

A rematch of a legendary fight

When Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua face off in the Octagon on Sunday, they'll have the impossible task of trying to live up to one of the most spectacularly brutal fights of the past five years.

For five rounds at UFC 139, Shogun and Henderson stood toe-to-toe and hurled absolute bombs at each other. It was like some sort of sadistic game of chicken, where each man would take turns tossing anvils at the other's granite chin, quietly hoping that the next blow would separate their foe from consciousness.

There's no way of knowing for sure, but that first epic meeting of legends may have taken years off of both men's careers. The 43-year-old Henderson, who is already past his best before date for a professional athlete, hasn't won a fight since, dropping split decisions to Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans before being finished by strikes by a rejuvenated Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 32. it was the first time Henderson had been KO'd. 

Shogun has gone 2-2 since their first meeting, losing to Chael Sonnen and Alexander Gustafsson, while claiming victories over Brandon Vera and James Te Huna. Although he's only 32 years old, Shogun is about 108 in fight years, and looked pretty shopworn in every one of those fights, relying on his prodigious power to turn the lights out on Te Huna and Vera.

The real question is: do either of these men have enough tread left on their tires to make this fight half as exciting as their first, almost mythical, brawl?

Answer: hopefully.

[Photo Courtesy: YellMagazine]

Henderson's last bout on TRT

Dan Henderson has been on testosterone-replacement therapy since 2007, and was the first fighter in the UFC to legally use it. He'll likely be the last.

The UFC, following the lead of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, has banned the use of TRT, so UFC Fight Night 38 will be the last time Henderson will be able to legally use it while stepping foot in the Octagon.

Although, as was already mentioned, Henderson is ancient for a professional athlete (especially one in a sport where people punch each other in the face), he doesn't see the TRT ban sounding the death knell for his MMA career. 

"I don't think TRT has anything to do with my skills as a fighter," Henderson told USA Today. "I think I get sick a little bit less and have a little more energy. I don't lay on the couch as much when I'm on TRT, but it's not the reason I've done as well as I've done in the sport."

"I have no plans of retiring at all, I just signed a six-fight deal, and I plan on achieving my goals within those six fights."

There's a distinct Brazilian flavor

As is customary with any UFC event in Brazil, the card is packed with local flavor, and with legends like Shogun, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva entering the twilight of their careers, this is the perfect opportunity for a shiny new star to break out in a country rich in MMA history. 

Although there are several veterans from The Ultimate Fighter Brazil on the card who have had wider television exposure, Jussier da Silva, who fights on the prelim card, could finally have his breakout performance in the UFC.

Da Silva was long considered one of the best 125-pounders in the world before the UFC adopted the division, but unfortunately for "Formiga", he has faltered under the bright lights. Formiga has gone 1-2 during his Zuffa run, suffering brutal losses to Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson, two of the weight class' elite. 

A win over the well-known, but backsliding, Scott Jorgensen, could thrust the grappling ace back into the top-five of a relatively thin flyweight division, something he's looking to do right in his own backyard: Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 Fight Card