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Mauricio Milani "Shogun" Rua (born November 25, 1981[5] in Curitiba, Brazil) is a mixed martial arts fighter, and the winner of the PRIDE Fighting Championships' 2005 Middleweight (205lb) Grand Prix. He is known for his aggressive fighting style and for his extreme versatility. He has received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nino Schembri[6]. Mauricio is the younger brother of Murilo "Ninja" Rua. BiographyRua 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 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]
Martial arts backgroundRua 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]
Meca World Vale TudoRua 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 now former teammate Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos. The fight was very fast paced as "Cyborg" was matching Rua on the feet. This resulted in Rua taking Santos out of his game by taking the fight to the ground where he would eventually stop him after raining down punches from mount.
IFCRua's first loss came at the hands of 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.
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. [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 (102 kg) striker Mirko Filipović 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 in dramatic fashion 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. 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, www.fighting-mma.com and MMAWeekly.com.[17][18][19]
Ultimate Fighting ChampionshipAfter 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. Coming to the UFC Mauricio "Shogun" Rua had to make significant changes to adjust himself for the UFC rules (knees and kicks to the head of a downed opponent not allowed in North American MMA Rules). In his UFC debut, Rua took on The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Forrest Griffin. Widely regarded as the best light heavyweight in the world, Shogun was considered a heavy favorite to win.[20] 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. Some blame his poor cardiovascular fitness on the fact that Rua suffered a knee injury during training for the fight, re-injured himself during the fight, and had elective surgery afterwards. [21] Both Mauricio and his brother Murilo left Chute Boxe in January 2008 with plans to open up their own facility in Massachusetts.[22] 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. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua suffered a ruptured ACL during training, the same injury he is rumored to have suffered in 2007 during training for his bout against Forrest Griffin[citation needed]. He was then scheduled to have surgery and could 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. He was medically cleared to regularly train again by October or November. Shogun has been granted a rematch with Mark Coleman at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Shogun defeated Coleman at UFC 93 via TKO with 24 seconds left in the 3rd round. In the fight both fighters gassed early (Coleman in the 1st round and Shogun in the 2nd round) and fought most of the fight with their hands down and finally Shogun was able to take advantage and finish the fight. Shogun Rua vs. Mark Coleman was named co-fight of the night (along with Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle). Shogun, and his "fight of the night" award, received some criticism following his performance in the fight due to the fact that Coleman was 44 years old, hadn't competed in over 2 years, and because of Rua's apparent inability to finish the fight in the first 14 minutes. [23] [24] In a post-fight press conference, Rua admitted that he was a fan of Coleman, even before he became a professional MMA fighter[25]. Dana White has announced that Shogun's next fight is at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada against Chuck Liddell.
Mixed martial arts recordAs of January 2009[update], Rua has compiled a professional record of 17 wins and 3 losses, with 14 wins by knockout and one submission.[26] | Professional record breakdown | | 21 matches | 18 wins | 3 losses | | By knockout | 15 | 1 | | By submission | 1 | 2 | | By decision | 2 | 0 |
Result  | Opponent  | Method  | Event  | Date  | Round  | Time  | Location  | Notes  |
|---|
| | LiddelChuck Liddell | | UFC 97: Redemption | 02009-04-18 April 18, 2009 | | | Template:Country data CR San Jose, Costa Rica | | | Winx | ColemanMark Coleman | TKO (Strikes) | UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson | 02009-01-17 January 17, 2009 | 3 | 4:36 | Dublin, Ireland | Won Fight Of The Night | | xLoss | GriffinForrest Griffin | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC 76: Knockout | 02007-09-22 September 22, 2007 | 3 | 4:45 | Anaheim, United States | UFC Debut | | Win | Overeem 2Alistair Overeem | KO (Punches) | PRIDE 33: Second Coming | 02007-02-24 February 24, 2007 | 1 | 3:37 | Las Vegas, United States | | | Win | NakamuraKazuhiro Nakamura | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Shockwave 2006 | 02006-12-31 December 31, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | | | Win | RandlemanKevin Randleman | Submission (Kneebar) | PRIDE 32: The Real Deal | 02006-10-21 October 21, 2006 | 1 | 2:35 | Las Vegas, United States | | | Win | Diabate Cyrille Diabate | TKO (Stomps) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 02006-09-10 September 10, 2006 | 1 | 5:29 | Saitama, Japan | | | xLoss | ColemanMark Coleman | TKO (elbow dislocation) | PRIDE 31: Unbreakable | 02006-02-22 February 22, 2006 | 1 | 0:49 | Saitama, Japan | | | Win | AronaRicardo Arona | KO (Punches) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 02005-08-28 August 28, 2005 | 1 | 2:54 | Saitama, Japan | Won PRIDE 2005 205 lb. Grand Prix | | Win | Overeem 1Alistair Overeem | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 02005-08-28 August 28, 2005 | 1 | 6:42 | Saitama, Japan | | | Win | Nogueira Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 | 02005-06-26 June 26, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | | | Win | JacksonQuinton Jackson | TKO (Soccer Kicks) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 | 02005-04-23 April 23, 2005 | 1 | 4:47 | Osaka, Japan | | | Win | KaneharaHiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (Stomp) | PRIDE 29: Fists of Fire | 02005-02-20 February 20, 2005 | 1 | 1:40 | Saitama, Japan | | | Win | NamekawaYasuhito Namekawa | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE Bushido 5 | 02004-10-14 October 14, 2004 | 1 | 6:02 | Osaka, Japan | | | Win | GonoAkihiro Gono | TKO (Soccer Kicks) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | 02004-02-15 February 15, 2004 | 1 | 9:04 | Yokohama, Japan | | | Win | Shoji Akira Shoji | TKO (Punches and Stomp) | PRIDE Bushido 1 | 02003-10-05 October 5, 2003 | 1 | 3:47 | Saitama, Japan | | | xLoss | SobralRenato Sobral | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | IFC - Global Domination | 02003-09-06 September 6, 2003 | 3 | 3:07 | Denver, United States | | | Win | WanderleiEric Wanderlei | TKO (Punches) | IFC - Global Domination | 02003-09-06 September 6, 2003 | 2 | 2:54 | Denver, United States | | | Win | SantosEvangelista Santos | TKO (Punches) | Meca World Vale Tudo 9 | 02003-08-01 August 1, 2003 | 1 | N/A | Curitiba, Brazil | | | Win | AntonioAngelo Antonio | TKO (Soccer Kicks) | Meca World Vale Tudo 8 | 02003-08-01 August 1, 2003 | 1 | 0:55 | Curitiba, Brazil | | | Win | CapoeiraRafael Capoeira | KO (Head Kick) | Meca World Vale Tudo 7 | 02003-08-01 August 1, 2003 | 1 | 4:00 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
Championships and accomplishments
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu| Status | Date | Championship | Weight | Location |
|---|
| Winner | ? | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu South American Championship[27] | 80 kg | Brazil | | 5th | ? | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mundial Championship[27] | 80 kg | Brazil |
Muay Thai| Status | Date | Championship | Weight | Location |
|---|
| Winner | 2003 | STORM Muay Thai[28] | Middleweight | Curitiba, Brazil |
Mixed Martial Arts| Status | Date | Championship | Weight | Location |
|---|
| Winner | 2005 | PRIDE Grand Prix Tournament | Middleweight | Saitama, Japan |
Honorary titles and apellationsFull Contact Fighter #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World [30] MMA Weekly 2007 #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World [31]
See also
References- ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Pride Profile". Pride FC. August 13, 2007. http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=fighters&fID=138. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua UFC Profile". UFC. August 13, 2007. http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=694. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ (January 17, 2009). UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson [Television Production]. Dublin, Ireland: Zuffa, LLC.
- ^ "The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe". ESPN.com. 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3253436&type=story. Retrieved on March 9, 2008.
- ^ "Sherdog.com Profile". Sherdog. August 13, 2007. http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=5707. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Shogun gets the black belt". Graciemag. October 17, 2005. http://www.graciemag.com/?c=145&a=2835. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ a b "NINJA AND SHOGUN INTERVIEW". PrideFC. December 1, 2005. http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=507. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ The Chute Boxe athlete had married in the last September first with the physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro in Maringá , Paraná state,
- ^ 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."
- ^ "Mauricio Shogun e Murilo Ninja". Portal do VT. August 13, 2007. http://portaldovaletudo.uol.com.br/site/interna.php?id=218. Retrieved on August 13, 2007. "I have been training a lot of Muay Thai, a lot of Jiu Jitsu, a lot of Wrestling"
- ^ "Ninja e Shogun at Chute Boxe". Dailymotion. August 13, 2007. http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/chute%2Bboxe/video/x1tcng_ninja-e-shogun-at-chute-boxe. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ 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.
- ^ During the English broadcast, MMA legend Royce Gracie stated that Rua has a very good ground game.
- ^ 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."
- ^ Bas Rutten, PRIDE 29. "I mean, Cro-cop could not take him out ... in a full fight! And now, he just demolishes him."
- ^ "Mixed martial arts notebook Well-traveled UFC president has big plans for the sport". OregonLive.com. June 22, 2007. http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1182477312164070.xml&coll=7&thispage=2. Retrieved on August 13, 2007. "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"
- ^ "LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION Top 10 Ranking". MMAWeekly. August 8, 2007. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/topten.asp?articleid=15&zoneid=15. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". MMAWeekly. August 13, 2007. http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=8577&my_page=3. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Nokaut's TOP 10 Fighter Rankings". Nokaut. August 18, 2007. http://www.nokaut.com/?id=54&lang=e&cur=eur.
- ^ "Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida". Nokaut.com. July 19, 2007. http://www.nokaut.com/?id=12&solo_news=949&lang=e&cur=eur. Retrieved on July 19, 2007.
- ^ "Shogun goes under the knife". mmafrenzy. September 26, 2007. http://mmafrenzy.com/2007/09/26/mauricio-%E2%80%9Cshogun%E2%80%9D-rua-going-under-the-knife/. Retrieved on September 26, 2007.
- ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Looking Forward To New Camp". MMAFightLine. January 28, 2008. http://www.mmafightline.com/news/2008/128/mauricio_shogun_rua_314774.shtml. Retrieved on February 6, 2008.
- ^ "Rua rewarded despite atrocious performance". http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AgxLmn84r.K8UBkw8goGVho9Eo14?slug=ki-rua011709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns.
- ^ "WEC, Condit continue together". USATODAY.com. April 27, 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/community/profile.htm?UID=b973fd1960517f32&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ab973fd1960517f32Post%3ac61202e6-f57a-4eaf-bd64-78596e625474. Retrieved on 08-07-06.
- ^ http://www.myvideofight.com/ufc/after-smack-talk-ufc-93.html
- ^ "Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: Professional fight record". Sherdog.com. 2007. http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5707. Retrieved on August 12, 2007.
- ^ a b "MAURICIO RUA INTERVIEW". PrideFC. December 27, 2005. http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=474. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Figher->Premiações:". Mauricio Shogun Official Website. August 13, 2007. http://www.mauricioshogun.com.br/2007/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "Sherdog.com Names "Shogun" & Gomi 2005 Fighters of the Year". Sherdog.com. January 1, 2006. http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=3783. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "FULL CONTACT FIGHTER WORLD RANKINGS". FCFighter. August 13, 2007. http://www.fcfighter.com/ranking. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
- ^ "MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED". MMAWeekly. June 6, 2007. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4081&zoneid=13. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.
External links
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