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Revision as of 16:43, 25 October 2009

Mauricio Rua
BornMauricio Milani Rua
(1981-11-25) November 25, 1981 (age 42)
Curitiba, Brazil
Other namesShogun
NationalityBrazil Brazilian
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)[2]
Division205
Reach76.0 in (193 cm)[3]
StyleMuay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofCuritiba, Brazil
TeamUniversidade da luta[4]
Rank  black belt in BJJ
Years active2002–present MMA
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins18
By knockout15
By submission1
By decision2
Losses4
By knockout1
By submission2
By decision1
Other information
Notable relativesMurilo Rua, brother
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: September 29, 2009

Mauricio Milani Rua (born November 25, 1981[5] in Curitiba, Brazil) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter currently fighting as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Nicknamed "Shogun," Rua is the winner of the PRIDE Fighting Championship's 2005 Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix and holds notable wins over such fighters as Chuck Liddell, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Ricardo Arona, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nino Schembri.[6] He is the younger brother of fellow MMA fighter Murilo "Ninja" Rua.

Biography

Mauricio was born 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 occasionally run marathons as well.[7] He has an older brother Murilo (born 1980) and a younger brother Marco "Shaolin" Rua.[7] Both are mixed martial artists training at Chute Boxe, though Marco does not compete on a professional level.

Shogun himself has stated that he began training in Muay Thai at the age of 15, and began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 17.[8] (In contrast, Pride announcer Mauro Ranallo once claimed that Shogun began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at the age of six and Muay Thai at seven, and achieved a 10–0 Muay Thai record.[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 at the Chute Boxe Academy. In addition to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he also currently trains in wrestling and western boxing.[10][11]

Mixed martial arts career

Rua started his professional career at vale tudo events in Brazil, achieving three stoppages due to strikes, including a win over future Chute Boxe teammate Evangelista Santos. In a fast-paced bout, Santos matched Rua on the feet until Rua took Santos to the ground and forced a stoppage due to strikes from mount. Rua then entered the International Fighting Championship's (IFC) "Global Domination" tournament. Rua won his first bout against Eric Wanderlai due to punches, but in the second bout suffered the first loss of his career to Renato Sobral due to guillotine choke in the third round. Sobral had to fight for nearly two minutes in order to adjust the guillotine and force the tap out.

Pride Fighting Championship

File:Susumu05.png
Mauricio Rua attacks Hiromitsu Kanehara with a flying stomp. Rua exhibited noted ability with his kicks and stomps against grounded opponents throughout his career in Pride.

Following his defeat in the IFC tournament, Shogun made his way to Japan to enter the Pride Fighting Championship. He made his Pride debut at the inaugural Pride Bushido 1, a side promotion for lighter weight fighters. In his three Bushido appearances, Rua defeated Akira Shoji, Akihiro Gono, and Yasuhito Namekawa all by strikes in the first round. With his success, Rua graduated to his debut in a main Pride event at Pride 29, where he faced former professional wrestler Hiromitsu Kanehara. Rua defeated Kanehara by stomp early in the first round.

Rua's success and similar background led to comparisons with his Chute Boxe teammate and Pride Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. However, when he entered the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as a heavy underdog. For the first round of the tounament at Pride Total Elimination 2005, he faced Quinton Jackson, whom he had challenged after Jackson won a controversial split decision over his brother, Murilo at PRIDE 29. Jackson had been the runner-up in the Pride 2003 Middleweight 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 later stated that Rua was the best fighter he had ever fought.[12] In the second round at Pride Critical Countdown 2005, Rua faced Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, a member of Chute Boxe's rival academy Brazilian Top Team. Rua defeated Nogueira by unanimous decision. On August 28, 2005, Rua participated in Pride Final Conflict 2005, in which the last two rounds of the tournament were held on the same night. Rua defeated Alistair Overeem by TKO in the first round, while Ricardo Arona defeated Rua's teammate Wanderlei Silva by decision. Rua and Arona faced each other in the final bout of the tournament. At 2:54 in the first round, Rua knocked Arona out with punches to win the bout and become the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix winner.

In the very next fight after his Grand Prix win, Rua suffered the second loss of his career. At Pride 31, He faced heavyweight wrestler and Pride Grand Prix 2000 winner Mark Coleman. As Coleman executed a takedown, Rua landed awkwardly and dislocated his elbow, forcing a stoppage due to injury. Rua bounced back with a string of victories. At Pride Final Conflict Absolute he defeated French kickboxer Cyrille Diabate by TKO due to stomps. At Pride 32 he submitted former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman with a kneebar at 2:35 of the first round. In his final Pride appearance at Pride 33, he fought a rematch with Alistair Overeem and knocked the Dutchman out at 3:37 of the first round.

By the end of his run at Pride, Rua was ranked as the top light heavyweight in the world by Nokaut,[13] Sherdog,[14] and MMAWeekly.com.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After the UFC bought out Pride, Rua signed on with the UFC and made his highly anticipated debut in the organization at UFC 76. The fight was Rua's first fight under the Unified Rules of MMA, which allow elbows but prohibit kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent. Facing The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner Forrest Griffin, Rua was widely regarded as the top light heavyweight fighter in the world and considered a heavy favorite to win.[16] However, Rua had difficulty with the larger Griffin and became exhausted in the second round of the fight. After losing both of the previous rounds, Rua ultimately succumbed to a rear naked choke in the final seconds of the third round. Some blame his poor cardiovascular fitness on the fact that Rua suffered a knee injury during training for the fight. He re-injured the knee during the fight and had elective surgery afterwards.[17]

Rua left Chute Boxe in January 2008 and opened his own camp, Universidade da luta, with his brother Murilo in his hometown, Curitiba, Brazil.[18]

Rua's surgery forced him to drop out of UFC 85. Instead, he was granted a rematch with Mark Coleman at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. Shogun defeated Coleman by TKO with 24 seconds left in the third round. The fight earned co-Fight of the Night honors and a $40,000 bonus. In spite of the award, Rua drew criticism for his lackluster performance against Coleman, who was 44 years old and had not competed in over two years.[19][20] Rua's next fight took place at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada against former longtime UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell. Rua came into the fight in better shape than his last two outings, and knocked out Liddell in the first round with a devastating left hook followed by hammer fists. With this victory, Rua returned to the top-ten rankings for the light heavyweight division.

At UFC 104 Rua lost a controversial unanimous decision to UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. During the fight Rua landed more strikes in every one of the five rounds[21], including a number of kicks which left the champion's body and legs visibly marked. Nonetheless, all three judges scored the fight 48-47 for Machida, resulting in widespread booing from the audience and a swell of dissenting posts on Internet forums. UFC President Dana White strongly criticized the judging, stating during the post-fight press conference, "I thought Shogun won the fight" and that he was "ready to make the rematch as fast as we can". [22]

Personal life

On September 12, 2007, Rua married physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro.[23] The couple is expecting their first child, a daughter, in January 2010.[24]

Championships and awards

Pride FC

2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Fight of the Night Honors
Knockout of the Night Honors

MMA record

Professional record breakdown
22 matches 18 wins 4 losses
By knockout 15 1
By submission 1 2
By decision 2 1
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 18-4 Brazil Lyoto Machida Decision (Unanimous) UFC 104: Machida vs. Shogun October 24, 2009 5 5:00 United States Los Angeles, CA For UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Winx 18–3 United States LiddelChuck Liddell TKO (Punches) UFC 97: Redemption April 18, 2009 1 4:28 Canada Montreal, Canada Won Knock Out of the Night
Winx 17–3 United States ColemanMark Coleman TKO (Punches) UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson January 17, 2009 3 4:36 Republic of Ireland Dublin, Ireland Won Fight of the Night
xLoss 16–3 United States GriffinForrest Griffin Submission (Rear Naked Choke) UFC 76: Knockout September 22, 2007 3 4:45 United States Anaheim, United States UFC Debut
Win 16–2 Netherlands Overeem 2Alistair Overeem KO (Punches) PRIDE 33: Second Coming February 24, 2007 1 3:37 United States Las Vegas, United States
Win 15–2 Japan NakamuraKazuhiro Nakamura Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Shockwave 2006 December 31, 2006 3 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 14–2 United States RandlemanKevin Randleman Submission (Kneebar) PRIDE 32: The Real Deal October 21, 2006 1 2:35 United States Las Vegas, United States
Win 13–2 France Diabate Cyrille Diabate TKO (Stomps) PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute September 10, 2006 1 5:29 Japan Saitama, Japan
xLoss 12–2 United States ColemanMark Coleman TKO (Broken Arm) PRIDE 31: Unbreakable February 22, 2006 1 0:49 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 12–1 Brazil AronaRicardo Arona KO (Punches) PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 August 28, 2005 1 2:54 Japan Saitama, Japan Won Pride 2005 Middleweight GP Final
Win 11–1 Netherlands Overeem 1Alistair Overeem TKO (Punches) PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 August 28, 2005 1 6:42 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight GP Semifinal
Win 10–1 Brazil Nogueira Antônio Rogério Nogueira Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 June 26, 2005 3 5:00 Japan Saitama, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight GP Quarterfinal
Win 9–1 United States JacksonQuinton Jackson TKO (Soccer Kicks) PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 April 23, 2005 1 4:47 Japan Osaka, Japan Pride 2005 Middleweight GP Opening Round
Win 8–1 Japan KaneharaHiromitsu Kanehara TKO (Stomp) PRIDE 29: Fists of Fire February 20, 2005 1 1:40 Japan Saitama, Japan
Win 7–1 Japan NamekawaYasuhito Namekawa TKO (Punches) PRIDE Bushido 5 October 14, 2004 1 6:02 Japan Osaka, Japan
Win 6–1 Japan GonoAkihiro Gono TKO (Soccer Kicks) PRIDE Bushido 2 February 15, 2004 1 9:04 Japan Yokohama, Japan
Win 5–1 Japan Shoji Akira Shoji TKO (Punches and Stomp) PRIDE Bushido 1 October 5, 2003 1 3:47 Japan Saitama, Japan
xLoss 4–1 Brazil SobralRenato Sobral Submission (Guillotine Choke) IFC – Global Domination September 6, 2003 3 3:07 United States Denver, United States IFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal
Win 4–0 Brazil WanderleiErik Wanderley TKO (Punches) IFC – Global Domination September 6, 2003 2 2:54 United States Denver, United States IFC Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinal
Win 3–0 Brazil SantosEvangelista Santos TKO (Punches) Meca World Vale Tudo 9 August 1, 2003 1 2:31 Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 2–0 Brazil AntonioÂngelo Antônio TKO (Soccer Kicks) Meca World Vale Tudo 8 May 16, 2003 1 0:55 Brazil Curitiba, Brazil
Win 1–0 Brazil CapoeiraRafael Capoeira KO (Head Kick) Meca World Vale Tudo 7 November 8, 2002 1 4:00 Brazil Curitiba, Brazil

Championships and accomplishments

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Status Date Championship Weight Location
Winner ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu South American Championship[8] 80 kg Brazil Brazil
5th ? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mundial Championship (blue belt level)[8] 80 kg Brazil Brazil

Muay Thai

Status Date Championship Weight Location
Winner 2003 STORM Muay Thai[25] Middleweight Brazil Brazil

Mixed Martial Arts

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

Honorary titles and apellations

  • Sherdog 2005 Fighter of the year[26]
  • Full Contact Fighter #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World[27]
  • MMA Weekly 2007 #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Pride Profile". Pride FC. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  2. ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua UFC Profile". UFC. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  3. ^ UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson (Television Production). Dublin, Ireland: Zuffa, LLC. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe". ESPN.com. 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  5. ^ "Sherdog.com Profile". Sherdog. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  6. ^ "Shogun gets the black belt". Graciemag. October 17, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  7. ^ a b "NINJA AND SHOGUN INTERVIEW". PrideFC. December 1, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c {{cite web url=http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=474 title=MAURICIO RUA INTERVIEW date=December 27, 2005 accessdate=August 13, 2007 publisher=PrideFC}}
  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 butt". Portal do VT. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007. 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 August 13, 2007.
  12. ^ "Mixed martial arts notebook Well-traveled UFC president has big plans for the sport". OregonLive.com. June 22, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007. Add UFC news: White recently signed Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, who [sic] 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
  13. ^ "Nokaut's TOP 10 Fighter Rankings". Nokaut. August 18, 2007.
  14. ^ "Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". MMAWeekly. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  15. ^ "LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION Top 10 Ranking". MMAWeekly. August 8, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  16. ^ "Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida". Nokaut.com. July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2007.
  17. ^ "Shogun goes under the knife". mmafrenzy. September 26, 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  18. ^ "Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Looking Forward To New Camp". MMAFightLine. January 28, 2008. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  19. ^ "Rua rewarded despite atrocious performance".
  20. ^ "WEC, Condit continue together". USATODAY.com. April 27, 2008. Retrieved 08-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ http://fightmetric.com/fights/Machida-Shogun.html
  22. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/machida-rua-agree-to-immediate-rematch-20544
  23. ^ The Chute Boxe athlete had married in the last September first with the physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro in Maringá , Paraná state,
  24. ^ "Mauricio Rua - A 'Shogun's Tale". UFC.com. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  25. ^ "Figher->Premiações:". Mauricio Shogun Official Website. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  26. ^ "Sherdog.com Names "Shogun" & Gomi 2005 Fighters of the Year". Sherdog.com. January 1, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  27. ^ "FULL CONTACT FIGHTER WORLD RANKINGS". FCFighter. August 13, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  28. ^ "MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED". MMAWeekly. June 6, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
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