After loss to Henderson, 'Shogun' Rua to undergo surgery for badly broken nose

Ex-UFC champ Mauricio Rua (22-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) could undergo surgery this week to repair a badly broken nose suffered in his headlining rematch with Dan Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 38.

Rua’s manager, Eduardo Alonso, confirmed the news to FOX Sports and said the fighter will visit a doctor on Tuesday in advance of getting the procedure done.

Alonso said Rua escaped further damage in the back-and-forth fight, which won both fighters a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Rua took a short right hand in the third round that knocked him to the canvas and led to a stoppage win for Henderson, who was winless in 2013 with three straight losses.

The fight was a rematch from a “Fight of the Year” meeting at UFC 139 that saw Henderson emerge with a unanimous decision after five rounds.

Immediately after the conclusion of the rematch, cameras showed Rua’s nose was badly bent toward the right side of his face.

The Brazilian now goes back to the drawing board after previously knocking out James Te Huna in the co-headliner of UFC Fight Night 33 this past December. The win snapped a two-fight skid with losses to Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 38, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.