Mauricio Rua

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Mauricio Rua
Statistics
Nickname Shogun
Height 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)[1]
Weight 205 lb (93 kg/14.6 st)[1][2]
Nationality Brazilian
Born November 25, 1981 (1981-11-25) (age 26)
Fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil
Town of birth Curitiba, Brazil
Team/Association Universidade da luta [3]
Fighting style Vale Tudo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 16
  By knockout 13
  By submission 1
Losses 3
Draws 0
No contests 0

Mauricio Milani "Shogun" Rua (born November 25, 1981[4] in Curitiba, Brazil) is a mixed martial arts fighter, and the winner of the PRIDE Fighting Championships' 2005 Middleweight (205lb) Grand Prix. He holds notable wins over Ricardo Arona, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Quinton Jackson, Kevin Randleman, Alistair Overeem, and Kazuhiro Nakamura and is known for his aggressive fighting style and excellent versatility.

Rua fights out of Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil, a Muay Thai training group which features fighters such as Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Evangelista Santos. Rua and his older brother Murilo "Ninja" Rua, a fellow Chute Boxe member, are very close,[5] and Mauricio states it was a dream of his for the two to be able to fight on the same card.[5] He has received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nino Schembri[6]

Contents

[edit] Biography

Rua was born on November 25, 1981 in Curitiba, Brazil. His family also lives in Curitiba. His father is a successful businessman that runs his own business. His mother was a track athlete and is currently a marathon runner. The Rua brothers also run marathons sometimes.[7] He has two brothers, his older brother, Murilo (born 1980) and his younger brother, Marco "Shaolin" Rua[7]. Marco is also a mixed martial artist and Marco is currently training at Chute Boxe, though not at a professional level like his older brothers.

On September 1, 2007, Rua married physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro.[8]

[edit] Martial arts background

Rua began training martial arts with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of six and Muay Thai at seven, at which he became 10-0.[9] He was very successful in BJJ championships at the Blue and Purple belt level. Rua followed his older brother's footsteps after Murilo started training in Muay Thai with the Chute Boxe Academy. In addition to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he also currently trains in wrestling and western boxing.[10][11]

[edit] Meca World Vale Tudo

Rua started his career at the Meca World Vale Tudo event in Brazil. On his debut, Rua fought Rafael Capoeira, knocking him out with a head kick in the first round. At Meca World Vale Tudo 9, Shogun fought and beat current teammate Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos. The fight was very fast paced and "Cyborg" had Rua in trouble on his feet, forcing him to take the fight to the ground and finish it with punches from the mount, after Santos defended plenty of submission attempts.

[edit] IFC

Rua's first loss came at the hands of Renato "Babalu" Sobral during the IFC tournament "Global Domination" on September 6, 2003 by submission (guillotine choke). Though the fight was very even, Rua was caught in a guillotine in the third round. "Babalu" had to fight for nearly two minutes in order to adjust the guillotine and get "Shogun" to tap out. Earlier that night, "Shogun" showed great ground skills escaping submission after submission attempt from Eric Wanderlei. Early in the second round, Rua knocked Wanderlei out with punches to the face.

[edit] PRIDE Fighting Championship

Mauricio Rua attacking Hiromitsu Kanehara with a flying stomp. Rua has exhibited noted ability with his kicks and stomps against grounded opponents throughout his career in PRIDE FC.
Mauricio Rua attacking Hiromitsu Kanehara with a flying stomp. Rua has exhibited noted ability with his kicks and stomps against grounded opponents throughout his career in PRIDE FC. [12]

Rua exhibited a great ground game in his early fights in PRIDE,[13] but defeated his first five opponents in the first rounds with punches, stomps, and soccer kicks. Rua moved on from his PRIDE Bushido fights to the larger PRIDE 29 with his match against Hiromitsu Kanehara, going in referred to by the commentators as the "heir apparent" to famed teammate Wanderlei Silva.[14] He won with soccer kicks and stomps to the face at 1:40 in the first round, with the commentators noting that even famed 225 lb. striker Mirko Cro-cop wasn't able to take out Kanehara in a full fight.[15]

Rua then entered the PRIDE 2005 205 lb. Grand Prix tournament as a heavy underdog. His first opponent would be Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, whom he had challenged after Jackson won a controversial split decision over his brother, Murilo "Ninja" Rua, at the previous PRIDE event, PRIDE 29. Jackson had been the runner-up in the PRIDE 2003 205 lb. Grand Prix, but Mauricio dominated the favored fighter from beginning to end, breaking Jackson's ribs with knee strikes and ending the fight with soccer kicks to the face in the first round. Jackson has stated that Rua is the best fighter he has ever fought.[16]

Rua's next fight in the tournament would be against rival academy Brazilian Top Team member Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Rua was able to edge out a unanimous decision against Nogueira. On August 28, 2005, "Shogun" cemented his place in MMA history when he won the 2005 Grand Prix tournament by defeating Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona, both by TKO in the first round.

Rua came back at PRIDE 31 where he suffered his second loss, now at the hands of heavyweight Mark Coleman. The fight was stopped when Rua dislocated his elbow following a takedown by Coleman in which he landed awkwardly. Rua has repeatedly expressed interest in a rematch with Coleman.

After the elbow injury, Rua returned to the ring on September 10, 2006 to face French striker Cyrille Diabate. Rua defeated Diabate via TKO (stomps). On October 21, 2006, Rua defeated former UFC champion Kevin Randleman with a kneebar two minutes into the first round. After PRIDE 32 Rua said that he wants to fight in the Middleweight GP in 2007, and fight as a Heavyweight in 2008[17], however it is unknown how likely that scenario would be following Zuffa Inc. purchasing PRIDE. On December 31, 2006, at PRIDE Shockwave 2006, Rua defeated Kazuhiro Nakamura by unanimous decision after out-grappling the judoka. His last fight was a knockout victory at PRIDE 33 in a rematch against Dutchman Alistair Overeem.

By the end of his run at PRIDE, Rua was ranked as the top light heavyweight in the world by Nokaut, Sherdog.com, and MMAWeekly.com.[18][19][20]

[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship

After the sale of PRIDE FC, Rua signed a lucrative deal with the UFC and made his debut for the organization at UFC 76 on September 22, 2007. Notable rule differences between PRIDE FC and the UFC (which uses the Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Combat) include the prohibition of kicking, stomping or kneeing to the head of a downed opponent.

In his UFC debut, Rua took on The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Forrest Griffin. Widely regarded as one of the top light heavyweights in the world at the time of the fight, Shogun was considered a heavy favorite to win.[21] Rua and Griffin battled in a close fight, with Rua having trouble with the larger Griffin. However, after Rua became exhausted during the second round, he was unable to keep pace against Griffin and repeatedly gave up his back while scrambling on the ground[citation needed]. With only 15 seconds remaining in the fight Griffin locked in a rear naked choke, forcing Rua to tap out.[22]

Both Mauricio and his brother Murilo left Chute Boxe in January 2008 with plans to open up their own facility in Massachusetts.[23] The Ruas' new camp was named Universidade da luta which translates to "University of Fighting" (or just "UDL") and instead was opened in the Ruas' hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.

Rua's next fight was to be against former UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell in June 2008.[24]

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua suffered a ruptured ACL during training, the same injury he suffered in 2007 during training for his bout against Forrest Griffin. He is currently scheduled to have surgery and can not participate in UFC 85. Rashad Evans had been announced as Rua's replacement, however Chuck Liddell then injured his hamstring leaving the bout undecided. Shortly after, a bout between welterweights Matt Hughes and Thiago Alves was set to headline the event. Rua said he wants to fight against Chuck later this year.[citation needed]

[edit] Mixed martial arts record

As of September 2007, Rua has compiled a professional record of 16 wins and 3 losses, with 13 wins by knockout and one by submission.[25]

Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
xLoss Flag of the United States GriffinForrest Griffin Submission (rear naked choke) UFC 76: Knockout 02007-09-22 22 September 2007 3 4:45 Flag of the United States Anaheim, United States
Win Flag of the Netherlands Overeem 2Alistair Overeem KO (strikes) PRIDE 33: Second Coming 02007-02-24 24 February 2007 1 3:37 Flag of the United States Las Vegas, United States
Win Flag of Japan NakamuraKazuhiro Nakamura Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Shockwave 2006 02006-12-31 31 December 2006 3 5:00 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
Win Flag of the United States RandlemanKevin Randleman Submission (kneebar) PRIDE 32: The Real Deal 02006-10-21 21 October 2006 1 2:35 Flag of the United States Las Vegas, United States
Win Flag of France Diabate Cyrille Diabate TKO (stomps) PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute 02006-09-10 10 September 2006 1 5:29 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
xLoss Flag of the United States ColemanMark Coleman TKO (elbow dislocation) PRIDE 31 02006-02-22 22 February 2006 1 0:49 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
Win Flag of Brazil AronaRicardo Arona KO (strikes) PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 02005-08-28 28 August 2005 1 2:54 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan Won PRIDE 2005 93 kg Grand Prix
Win Flag of the Netherlands Overeem 1Alistair Overeem TKO (strikes) PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 02005-08-28 28 August 2005 1 6:42 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
Win Flag of Brazil Nogueira Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 02005-06-26 26 June 2005 3 5:00 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
Win Flag of the United States JacksonQuinton Jackson TKO (soccer kicks) PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 02005-04-23 23 April 2005 1 4:47 Flag of Japan Osaka, Japan
Win Flag of Japan KaneharaHiromitsu Kanehara TKO (soccer kicks) PRIDE 29 02005-02-20 20 February 2005 1 1:40 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
Win Flag of Japan NamekawaYasuhito Namekawa TKO (punches) PRIDE Bushido 5 02004-10-14 14 October 2004 1 6:02 Flag of Japan Osaka, Japan
Win Flag of Japan GonoAkihiro Gono TKO (soccer kicks) PRIDE Bushido 2 02004-02-15 15 February 2004 1 9:04 Flag of Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win Flag of Japan Shoji Akira Shoji KO PRIDE Bushido 1 02003-10-05 5 October 2003 1 3:47 Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan
xLoss Flag of Brazil SobralRenato Sobral Submission (guillotine choke) IFC - Global Domination 02003-09-06 6 September 2003 3 3:07 Flag of the United States Denver, United States
Win Flag of Brazil WanderleiEric Wanderlei TKO (punches) IFC - Global Domination 02003-09-06 6 September 2003 2 2:54 Flag of the United States Denver, United States
Win Flag of Brazil SantosEvangelista Santos TKO (punches) Meca World Vale Tudo 9 02003-08-01 1 August 2003 3 N/A Flag of Brazil Curitiba, Brazil
Win Flag of Brazil AntonioAngelo Antonio TKO (soccer kicks) Meca World Vale Tudo 8 02003-08-01 1 August 2003 1 0:55 Flag of Brazil Curitiba, Brazil
Win Flag of Brazil CapoeiraRafael Capoeira KO (kick) Meca World Vale Tudo 7 02003-08-01 1 August 2003 1 4:00 Flag of Brazil Curitiba, Brazil

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

[edit] Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Status Date Championship Weight Location
Winner ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu South American Championship[26] 80 kg Flag of Brazil Brazil
5th ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mundial Championship[26] 80 kg Flag of Brazil Brazil

[edit] Muay Thai

Status Date Championship Weight Location
Winner 2003 STORM Muay Thai[27] Middleweight Flag of Brazil Curitiba, Brazil

[edit] Mixed Martial Arts

Status Date Championship Weight Location
Winner 2005 PRIDE Grand Prix Tournament Middleweight Flag of Japan Saitama, Japan

[edit] Honorary titles and apellations

  • Sherdog 2005 Fighter of the year[28]
  • Full Contact Fighter #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World[29]
  • MMA Weekly 2007 #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World[30]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Pride Profile. Pride FC (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  2. ^ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua UFC Profile. UFC (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  3. ^ The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe. ESPN.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-3-9.
  4. ^ Sherdog.com Profile. Sherdog (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  5. ^ a b Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Speaks" Interview with Eduardo Alonso. Subfighter (July 22, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-13. “Man, I think I get more nervous watching my brother fight. It's the same with him. When I was warming up before my last fight, he started to get emotional and almost cried. That's how much we care for each other."
    "I believe that was one more dream that I could achieve, as I always wanted to fight in the same card as my brother. I expect to be able to do it again many times in the future. I try to help my brother as much as I can, but he certainly helps me much more being more experienced. I also think it's good that we fight on the same card cause this would make fans card for us even more I believe."”
  6. ^ Shogun gets the black belt. Graciemag (October 17, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  7. ^ a b NINJA AND SHOGUN INTERVIEW. PrideFC (December 1, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  8. ^ The Chute Boxe athlete had married in the last September first with the physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro in Maringá , Paraná state,
  9. ^ Commentator Mauro Ranallo, at 0:15 of round 1 of Mauricio Rua vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara, PRIDE 29. "Shogun started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of six, Muay Thai at seven. Was 10 and 0 in Muay Thai."
  10. ^ Mauricio Shogun e Murilo Ninja. Portal do VT (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13. “I have been training a lot of Muay Thai, a lot of Jiu Jitsu, a lot of Wrestling”
  11. ^ Ninja e Shogun at Chute Boxe. Dailymotion (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  12. ^ In the above match, commentator Bas Rutten states Rua's skill against grounded opponents owes to Chute Boxe's specific training practice of attacking padded, grounded training partners.
  13. ^ During the English broadcast, MMA legend Royce Gracie stated that Rua has a very good ground game.
  14. ^ Mauro Ranallo: "He's a well-versed Muay Thai fighter, well-versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and really, a lot of people feel he is indeed the heir apparent to Wanderlei Silva." Bas Rutten: "Yes, and that's including me."
  15. ^ Bas Rutten, PRIDE 29. "I mean, Cro-cop could not take him out ... in a full fight! And now, he just demolishes him."
  16. ^ Mixed martial arts notebook Well-traveled UFC president has big plans for the sport. OregonLive.com (June 22, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13. “Add UFC news: White recently signed Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, who current UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson called the best fighter he'd ever faced. Rua (16-2) will make his UFC debut Sept. 22”
  17. ^ Exclusive Interview: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. MMA365 (October 13, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-13. “My plans include get better and fight the middleweight GP in 2007 and I am the owner of the belt and I will do everything to retain it. But my plans also include fighting as a heavyweight in 2008.”
  18. ^ LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION Top 10 Ranking. MMAWeekly (August 8, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  19. ^ Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings. MMAWeekly (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  20. ^ Nokaut's TOP 10 Fighter Rankings. Nokaut (August 18, 2007).
  21. ^ Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida. Nokaut.com (2007-07-19). Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
  22. ^ TUF Sledding for Liddell, Shogun. Sherdog.com (2007-09-22). Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
  23. ^ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Looking Forward To New Camp. MMAFightLine (2008-01-28). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  24. ^ On March 4th, it was revealed that Shogun had reinjured his knee and would be undergoing a second surgery to repair it. He has been forced to withdraw from the Liddell fight and there is no indication as to when his return to the octagon will be. Shogun signs to face Chuck Liddell. MMAWeekly (2008-02-01). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  25. ^ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: Professional fight record. Sherdog.com (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
  26. ^ a b MAURICIO RUA INTERVIEW. PrideFC (December 27, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  27. ^ Figher->Premiações:. Mauricio Shogun Official Website (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  28. ^ Sherdog.com Names "Shogun" & Gomi 2005 Fighters of the Year. Sherdog.com (January 1, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  29. ^ FULL CONTACT FIGHTER WORLD RANKINGS. FCFighter (August 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  30. ^ MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED. MMAWeekly (June 6, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.