Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua has something in common with sporting icons Jimmy White, Ivan Lendl and Steven Gerrard.
White never won a World Snooker Championship at The Crucible, Lendl never triumphed in a Wimbledon final at Centre Court, and Stevie G’s trophy cabinet is bereft a league winner’s medal. Similarly, Rua is the best MMA fighter never to strap championship gold around his waist.
At 28, the Brazilian still has time, and his quest continues this Saturday (8 May) at UFC 113 in an eagerly awaited rematch against light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Rua dropped a deeply controversial decision to karate poster-boy Machida last October.
A product of the legendary Brazilian ‘Chute Box’ camp, Rua began training MMA at 17 years old. Chute Box sparring is notorious for blurring the line between practice and full-blown combat. Thus, daily gym warfare against stablemates like Wanderlei Silva and Anderson Silva allowed Rua to hone the all-action, ‘wild man’ style that has won him legions of fans.
Most of Rua’s early career was fought in the now-defunct Japanese ‘Pride’ organisation. Of his 12 Pride wins (2003 – 2007), ten were brutal first round KOs. During the same period, teammate Wanderlei Silva enjoyed a five-year unbroken reign as Pride champion, and their friendship prevented Rua ever fighting for the title.
Rua’s post-Pride form has been patchy. An upset loss to Forrest Griffin was followed by a sloppy stoppage win over Mark Coleman at UFC 93 in Dublin. But a convincing first round KO of Chuck Liddell earned Rua a title shot at UFC 104, during which he appeared to fell the belt from Machida with a masterful Muay Thai kicking strategy.
The judges thought otherwise, and many view this Saturday’s rematch as an opportunity for Rua to right an injustice while finally realising his potential.
– Alan Murphy
