With UFC 139: SHOGUN vs. HENDO on Nov. 19 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. quickly approaching, the Ultimate Fighting Championship® will host a media conference call with the stars of the card Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and former PRIDE® champion Dan Henderson will be on the call, as will middleweight co-main event stars Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le.
Highlights from the media call below…
“Shogun” Rua:
- I’m 100% recovered from my injuries. As a fighter, I like to stay active and stay busy, fight often and keep a rhythm. I hope to keep this rhythm going and stay active for a long time.
- This is certainly a marquee fight for me. Dan Henderson is a legend. This fight means a lot to me, but I’m not thinking about fighting for the belt or what is next. I’m only thinking about this fight.
- (On Henderson’s fight with Rua’s brother) That was a great fight, very competitive. My brother helped me a lot on strategy for this fight.
Dan Henderson:
- It does feel good to realize that this is probably where I’m going to end up and finish my career in the UFC. I’m excited about it, and the fact that they’ve got a pretty big FOX deal is exciting as well.
- I’m not going to worry about [the next matchup] right now. I think as long as I do what I need to do inside the cage, the rest will take care of itself.
- I definitely feel like I’ve got a lot of fight left in me. I’m excited about fighting Shogun. It’s something the fans have been looking forward to for a long time.
- Obviously I’d like to represent Strikeforce while being their champion. But I don’t feel any pressure to perform because of coming from Strikeforce. They had some top fighters and champions in there, so not I’m worried about proving anything.
- I’m going to stick to my gameplan, try to outstrike him, and be better in every aspect of MMA.
- A loss is a loss. I guess I can get knocked out just like anybody else. I’ve been lucky enough not to get hit on the button.
- I really haven’t given a whole lot of thought to (Jon Jones). He is very unorthodox, but I havent really given it much thought. None of that can happen if I don’t show up on Saturday.
- I wasn’t satisfied with the contract offer I got from the UFC (in 2009).
- (Is he happy with the new contract) Absolutely. They’re happy and I’m happy that the deal panned out.
- I’m not worried about (title shots) right now. It all depends on timing and who’s available at the time. I’ll worry about it after this fights. I’m open to (shots in either weigh class).
- I don’t burn bridges. I had no hard feelings and didn’t take anything personal. I just felt I was worth more and I was going to explore certain options, so I did.
- Yeah, (the weight class situation) is up in the air right now. It is what it is. If I was to cut weight, there would be only one matchup I would do that for. But things change. I’m open to doing whatever.
Wanderlei Silva:
- Never considered retirement. I’m in good shape, have been fighting for 20 years, and am not going anywhere.
- I think my performance is going to make me fight again.
- What happened (against Chris Leben) can happen to everybody. You can’t tell Cain Velasquez he has to retire now because he lasted one minute.
- It’s hard to mimic (Le’s) style. It’s hard to fight guys that can fight like him. Had to bring guys from Taekwondo and other mixed martial arts.
- The fans can expect a great matchup. We have a stand-up style. I’m hoping we make a good show for fans around the world.
Cung Le:
- I’ve had a long layoff but this time around I’ve made sure i stayed in shape. Back in February, I was back in the gym sparring, grappling and wrestling.
- Fighting in the UFC is an honor.
- For me to fight Wanderlei Silva, I’m excited. I’m not worried about anything else but this fight.
- There isn’t a clause in my contract to have a certain number of fights a year. I have a duel career with fighting and movies, and I’m just happy to be fighting this weekend.
- This is a great matchup between myself and Wanderlei. We both come to fight.
- Every fight on this card is exciting. It’s going to be a great card for fans to watch.
- The last time I came off a movie set was in February, I took a week off, then it was back in the gym.
- Whatever movies are lined up, my manager will take care of that. Right now, it’s Wanderlei Silva.
- I’m a fighter first, before I’m an actor.
- I might have retired if this opportunity hadn’t come around. Everything happens for a reason, so I jumped at it. I’m honored.
- This is like going from the CFL to the NFL.
- Scott Coker gave me his blessing when the UFC came to me.
- It’s an honor to fight someone like Wanderlei for my UFC debut. I wouldn’t want anything less.
- This is a great match-up for the fans. Striker versus striker. it’s gonna be like an all-star team with so many great fights on the card
