Understandably, Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson had no idea they were making history at UFC 139. At the center of a violent clash, all they could do was keep fighting for a win.

“It wasn’t until I got back to the hotel that I heard people saying things like ‘greatest fight of all time,’” Henderson remembers of his brawl with “Shogun.” “The fight wasn’t much fun while I was in it.”

To this day, the fighters receive raves from fans about that night. This past Saturday, it received the ultimate gesture of appreciation when the promotion inducted the 2011 brawl into the “Fight” wing of UFC Hall of Fame.

“I’m honored what ‘Shogun’ and I went through is going to be remembered like this,” Henderson said.

Although Rua (25-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC) lost to Henderson (32-15 MMA, 9-9 UFC) that night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., he thinks of the UFC’s honor like another title, one he’ll add to a mantle that includes UFC and PRIDE straps.

“When I get old, I’m going to be showing my Hall of Fame trophy to my grandkids, my son, their friends and anyone who comes to my house,” he said with a laugh.

Henderson is much more appreciative of the bout now that he can watch it as a civilian. When he found out how many punches and takedowns had been exchanged during his 25 minutes in the cage, he was shocked.

“I didn’t remember him taking me down five times or us landing more bombs than we’d landed in our careers,” he said. “I had to watch the fight back to appreciate how exciting it was.”

For Rua, he remembers the power in Henderson’s punches.

“I’m really happy that I was able to withstand them – especially in the first two rounds when Dan was really going for the knockout – and come back to take the fight to him,” he said. “I was always trying to win the fight, and even when Dan was on top I wanted to fight back all the time.

“In the fourth and fifth rounds, I took over and it was Dan’s turn to take my punches. He could handle my punches at the end, but I gave my max, all my heart. I lost, but I am proud that we had a great fight.”

Three years later, the pair fought a rematch at UFC Fight Night 38. The outcome was far more decisive; Henderson rocked Rua with his famed right hand in the third round and earned a TKO.

Henderson, 47, retired from the sport in 2016 after a failed bid for the UFC middleweight title. Rua, 36, continues to compete and currently enjoys a three-fight winning streak. He next meets onetime UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir (15-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in July at UFC Fight Night 134.

“I still have a lot of things I accomplished,” Rua said.

But if they somehow found their way back into the octagon, Rua said the same fireworks would still be there.

“I think our fighting styles are what made this fight a UFC Hall of Fame fight,” he said. “We are both aggressive, we always walk forward and together we made for a special combination in the octagon. I think Dan Henderson and me would have a great fight even if we fought 1000 times.”

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