Appreciate Henderson-Rua II for what it is, not how it's billed

Relevancy isn't everything in this game. Sometimes a fight is just a fight. It appears out of nothingness and takes us nowhere, but in the here and now it's

Jeff Wagenheim | Mar 21, 2014

Appreciate Henderson-Rua II for what it is, not how it's billed /

Mauricio "Shogun" Rio and Dan Henderson will go at it again on Sunday in Brazil :: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images/SI

Henderson-Rua II is being billed as the most anticipated rematch in UFC history. — Henderson-Rua II is being billed as the most anticipated rematch in UFC history :: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images/SI

Relevancy isn't everything in this game. Sometimes a fight is just a fight. It appears out of nothingness and takes us nowhere, but in the here and now it's sublime. That's the mindset that best fits this bout. If we attach to it all of the expectations built up from watching Henderson and Rua do battle back in 2011 -- that is, if we treat it like "the most anticipated rematch in UFC history" -- we're destined for disappointment. But if we just sit back and watch, with no rewriting of a glorious past and no expectation for a crowning future, we might just end up with another exhilarating viewing experience.

Published Mar 21, 2014

JEFF WAGENHEIM

Paradoxically, Jeff Wagenheim considers himself a pacifist (except when driving in traffic) but nonetheless writes about mixed martial arts, the world's most combative sport (other than driving in traffic). As a veteran of three decades in magazines and newspapers, he's a bit grayer than most who attend UFC fights, even along press row. (A fan watching an MMA media panel show recently referred to him as "that crazy hippie uncle," to which Jeff responds, "Groovy, man!") Wagenheim also has tackled pro football for SI.com, and writes about sports and the arts for The Boston Globe. When he's not on the road chasing the UFC, Jeff spends Sunday afternoons spinning Sleepy LaBeef and Boozoo Chavis records for a popular (but not pop) radio show in western Massachusetts.