Murilo Rua
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| Murilo Rua | |
|---|---|
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname | Ninja |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (181 cm) |
| Weight | 185 lb (83 kg) |
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
| Born | May 22, 1980 |
| Fighting out of | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Town of birth | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Team/Association | Chute Boxe Academy (Former)[1] Universidade da luta |
| Fighting style | Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 8 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
Murilo "Ninja" Rua (born May 22, 1980 in Curitiba, Brazil) is a mixed martial artist. He currently fights in EliteXC. He is the older brother of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He is known for his well-rounded fighting skills, in particular Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Rua is a veteran of PRIDE Fighting Championships, where he once enjoyed a reputation as one of the strongest middleweights in the world. "Ninja" fights at 185 pounds, but has also fought at 205 pounds and heavyweight. He is the former Elite XC middleweight champion and holds notable wins over Mario Sperry, Akira Shoji, Daijiro Matsui, Mark Weir and Joey Villasenor.
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[edit] Biography
Murilo Rua started his career at Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil, a Muay Thai training group which has produced champions like Wanderlei Silva. Ninja's first foray into MMA was with Brazilian based Meca World Vale Tudo, there he amassed an impressive 5-0-1 record before signing with Pride Fighting Championships.
Ninja made his PRIDE debut against Daijiro Matsui in September of 2001, which he won via referee stoppage after repeated kicks and stomps. After losing a close decision to Dan Henderson, Rua went on to defeat such fighters as Alex Andrade, Akira Shoji, Alexander Otsuka and Mario Sperry. The latter being the beginnings of the long lasting rivalry between Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team. Rua lost to Ricardo Arona in a close battle of attrition, and Sergei Kharitonov in the PRIDE Total Elimination 2004, where Ninja fought as a heavyweight.
At PRIDE 29 Fists of Fire he faced Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Jackson won via a split decision that did not seem to reflect the events of the match. Jackson appeared embarrassed with the result and attempted to offer the winner's trophy to Rua following the decision. Commentators such as Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten, who were present at the bout, also have stated that they thought Ninja won the encounter.
Rua fought three more times in PRIDE before switching over to British MMA promotion Cage Rage. His first bout, against English UFC veteran Mark Weir, resulted in a victory by submission. He also defeated Alex Reid before capturing the vacant Elite XC middleweight belt by via a second round TKO of Joey Villasenor, knocking Villasenor down and using ground and pound. In his first title defense of the Elite XC middleweight belt, Ninja fought ICON sport middleweight champion Robbie Lawler, and was defeated via a third round TKO at EliteXC: Uprising. His most recent fight was a win over Muay Thai fighter and Cage Rage contender Xavier Foupa-Pokam at Cage Rage 24: Feel the pain.
On December 18, 2007 , Sherdog.com reported that both Murilo and his brother Mauricio Rua have left the Chute Boxe camp with plans to open up their own facility in Massachusetts. The Ruas' new camp was named Universidade da Luta which translates to "University of Fighting" and instead was opened in the Ruas' hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.
Ninja was initially scheduled to fight Phil Baroni on the May 31st EliteXC card, however, for undisclosed reasons he will now be fighting Tony Bonello on the June 14th card instead.
[edit] Personal life
Murilo and his longtime girlfriend got married on October 8, 2004 in Curitiba, Brazil.[3]
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Mixed martial arts
- Former EliteXC middleweight champion
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 24 matches | 15 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 5 | 4 |
| By submission | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15-8-1 |  Xavier Foupa-Pokam |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | CR 24 - Feel the Pain | 1 December 2007 | 2 | 3:47 |  UK |
| Win | 16-8-1 |  Tony Bonello |
KO (Kick) | EliteXC | 12 July 2008 | 1 | 1:56 | California, United States |
| Loss | 14-8-1 | Robbie Lawler |
TKO (Strikes) | EliteXC - Uprising | 15 September 2007 | 3 | 2:04 | Hawaii, United States |
| Win | 14-7-1 | Joey Villasenor |
TKO (Strikes) | StrikeForce-EliteXC - Shamrock vs. Baroni | 22 June 2007 | 2 | 1:05 | California, United States |
| Win | 13-7-1 |  Alex Reid |
TKO (Cut on the Shin) | CR 21 - Judgement Day | 21 April 2007 | 1 | 0:28 | UK |
| Win | 12-7-1 | Mark Weir |
Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | CR 18 - Battleground | 30 September 2006 | 2 | 1:15 | UK |
| Loss | 11-7-1 |  Denis Kang |
KO (Punches) | PRIDE - Bushido 11 | 4 June 2006 | 1 | 0:15 |  Saitama, Japan |
| Loss | 11-6-1 | Paulo Filho |
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE - Bushido 10 | 2 April 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 11-5-1 |  Murad Chunkaiev |
Submission (Heel Hook) | PRIDE 30 - Fully Loaded | 23 October 2005 | 1 | 3:31 | Saitama, Japan |
| Loss | 10-5-1 | Quinton Jackson |
Decision (Split) | PRIDE 29 - Fists Of Fire | 20 February 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan |
| Loss | 10-4-1 | Sergei Kharitonov |
KO (Punches) | PRIDE - Total Elimination 2004 | 25 April 2004 | 1 | 4:14 | Saitama, Japan |
| Win | 10-3-1 | Alexander Otsuka |
Submission (Side Choke) | PRIDE 27 - Inferno | 1 February 2004 | 1 | 1:25 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | 9-3-1 | Akira Shoji |
KO (Flying Knee) | PRIDE - Shockwave 2003 | 31 December 2003 | 1 | 2:24 | Saitama, Japan |
| Loss | 8-3-1 | Kevin Randleman |
TKO (Cut) | PRIDE 24 - Cold Fury 3 | 23 December 2002 | 3 | 0:20 | Japan |
| Loss | 8-2-1 | Ricardo Arona |
Decision | PRIDE 23 - Championship Chaos 2 | 24 November 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 8-1-1 | Mario Sperry |
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 20 - Armed and Ready | 28 April 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
| Win | 7-1-1 | Alex Andrade |
Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 18 - Cold Fury 2 | 23 December 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| Loss | 6-1-1 | Dan Henderson |
Decision (Split) | PRIDE 17 - Championship Chaos | 3 November 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 6-0-1 | Daijiro Matsui |
TKO (Strikes) | PRIDE 16 - Beasts From The East | 24 September 2001 | 3 | 0:51 | Osaka, Japan |
| Win | 5-0-1 | Rogerio Sagate |
Submission (Keylock) | Meca 5 - Meca World Vale Tudo 5 | 9 June 2001 | 1 | 3:54 | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Draw | 4-0-1 | Akihiro Gono |
Draw | Shooto - To The Top 4 | 1 May 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Win | 4-0 | Leopoldo Serao |
TKO (Cut) | Meca 4 - Meca World Vale Tudo 4 | 16 December 2000 | 1 | 7:00 | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Win | 3-0 | Luiz Claudio das Dores |
Submission (Strikes) | Meca 3 - Meca World Vale Tudo 3 | 14 November 2000 | 1 | 3:00 | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Win | 2-0 | Israel Albuquerque |
Submission (Shoulder Injury) | Meca 2 - Meca World Vale Tudo 2 | 12 August 2000 | 1 | 1:36 | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Win | 1-0 | Adriano Verdelli |
Submission (Triangle Choke) | Meca 1 - Meca World Vale Tudo 1 | 27 May 2000 | 1 | 3:08 | Brazil |
[edit] References
- ^ Fight Finder: Murilo Rua. Sherdog (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe. ESPN.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-3-9.
- ^ Chute Boxe star and Pride veteran Murilo "Ninja" Rua finally got married to his long time girlfriend Ana Paula Sanson on October 8th in the city of Curitiba, Brazil.
