Mauricio Rua

MMAstatsbox|name=Mauricio Rua


nick=Shogun
height=height|ft=5|in=11.5cite web
url=http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=fighters&fID=138
title=Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Pride Profile
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Pride FC]
weight=convert|205|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=oncite web
url=http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=694
title=Mauricio "Shogun" Rua UFC Profile
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=UFC]
birthdate=birth date and age|year=1981|month=11|day=25
died=
nationality=flagicon|BrazilBrazilian
fightingfrom=Curitiba, Brazil
hometown=Curitiba, Brazil
fightteam= Universidade da luta cite web
url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3253436&type=story
title=The downfall of BTT and Chute Boxe
year=2008
accessdate=2008-3-9
publisher=ESPN.com]
fightstyle=Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai
wins=16
losses=3
draws=0
nocontest=0
ko=13
submissions=1|

Mauricio Milani "Shogun" Rua (born November 25, 1981cite web
url=http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?FighterID=5707
title=Sherdog.com Profile
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Sherdog] 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 Schembricite web
url=http://www.graciemag.com/?c=145&a=2835
title=Shogun gets the black belt
date=October 17, 2005
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Graciemag] . Mauricio is the younger brother of Murilo "Ninja" Rua.

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.cite web
url=http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=507
title=NINJA AND SHOGUN INTERVIEW
date=December 1, 2005
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=PrideFC] He has two brothers, his older brother, Murilo (born 1980) and his younger brother, Marco "Shaolin" Rua. 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. [ [http://www.onzuka.com/news.html The Chute Boxe athlete had married in the last September first with the physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro in Maringá , Paraná state,] ]

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. [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."] 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.cite web
url=http://portaldovaletudo.uol.com.br/site/interna.php?id=218
title=Mauricio Shogun e Murilo Ninja
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Portal do VT
quote= I have been training a lot of Muay Thai, a lot of Jiu Jitsu, a lot of Wrestling] cite web
url=http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/chute%2Bboxe/video/x1tcng_ninja-e-shogun-at-chute-boxe
title=Ninja e Shogun at Chute Boxe
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Dailymotion]

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 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.

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.

PRIDE Fighting Championship

Rua exhibited a great ground game in his early fights in PRIDE, [During the English broadcast, MMA legend Royce Gracie stated that Rua has a very good ground game.] 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. [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."] 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 Filipović wasn't able to take out Kanehara in a full fight. [Bas Rutten, PRIDE 29. "I mean, Cro-cop could not take him out ... in a full fight! And now, he just demolishes him."]

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.cite web
url=http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1182477312164070.xml&coll=7&thispage=2
title=Mixed martial arts notebook Well-traveled UFC president has big plans for the sport
date=June 22, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=OregonLive.com
quote=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]

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 2008cite web
url=http://www.mma365.com/interviews/shogun_rua_pride_real_deal.html
title=Exclusive Interview: Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
date=October 13, 2006
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=MMA365
quote=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.] , 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.cite web
url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/topten.asp?articleid=15&zoneid=15
title=LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION Top 10 Ranking
date=August 8, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=MMAWeekly] cite web
url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=8577&my_page=3
title=Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=MMAWeekly] cite web
url=http://www.nokaut.com/?id=54&lang=e&cur=eur
title=Nokaut's TOP 10 Fighter Rankings
publisher=Nokaut
date=August 18, 2007]

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 the best light heavyweight in the world, Shogun was considered a heavy favorite to win.cite web
url=http://www.nokaut.com/?id=12&solo_news=949&lang=e&cur=eur
title=Shogun to Face Griffin, Not Machida
publisher=Nokaut.com
date=2007-07-19
accessdate=2007-07-19 ] 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 groundFact|date=September 2007. With only 15 seconds remaining in the fight Griffin locked in a rear naked choke, forcing Rua to tap out. Rua had ruptured his ACL during training for the fight and re-injured himself during the fight, resulting in a long hiatus of recovery. cite web
url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=9177
title=TUF Sledding for Liddell, Shogun
publisher=Sherdog.com
date=2007-09-22
accessdate=2007-09-22 ]

Both Mauricio and his brother Murilo left Chute Boxe in January 2008 with plans to open up their own facility in Massachusetts. [cite web
url=http://www.mmafightline.com/news/2008/128/mauricio_shogun_rua_314774.shtml
title=Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Looking Forward To New Camp
publisher=MMAFightLine
date=2008-01-28
accessdate=2008-02-06] 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. [cite web
url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5604&zoneid=2 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.
title=Shogun signs to face Chuck Liddell
publisher=MMAWeekly
date=2008-02-01
accessdate=2008-02-01]

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua suffered a ruptured ACL during training, the same injury he suffered in 2007 during training for his bout against Forrest GriffinFact|date=July 2008. 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. Rua has said he still expects to fight Liddell later this year. He has been 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. [cite news
url=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
title=WEC, Condit continue together
publisher=USATODAY.com
date=2008-04-27
accessdate=08-07-06]

Mixed martial arts record

As of July 2008, Rua has compiled a professional record of 16 wins and 3 losses, with 13 wins by knockout and one by submission. [cite web
url=http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?fighterID=5707
title=Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: Professional fight record
year=2007
accessdate=2007-08-12
publisher=Sherdog.com] MMArecordbox
wins=16
losses=3
ko-wins=13
ko-losses=1
sub-wins=1
sub-losses=2
dec-wins=2

Mixed Martial Arts

Honorary titles and apellations

*Sherdog 2005 Fighter of the yearcite web
url=http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=3783
title=Sherdog.com Names "Shogun" & Gomi 2005 Fighters of the Year
date=January 1, 2006
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=Sherdog.com]
*Full Contact Fighter #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the Worldcite web
url=http://www.fcfighter.com/ranking
title=FULL CONTACT FIGHTER WORLD RANKINGS
date=August 13, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=FCFighter]
*MMA Weekly 2007 #1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the Worldcite web
url=http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4081&zoneid=13
title=MMAWEEKLY WORLD MMA RANKINGS UPDATED
date=June 6, 2007
accessdate=2007-08-13
publisher=MMAWeekly]

ee also

*List of male mixed martial artists
*List of PRIDE champions

References

External links

* [http://www.mauricioshogun.com.br Official website]
* [http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=fighter.detail&pid=694 UFC.com profile]
*Sherdog|id=5707|name=Mauricio Rua

[sv:Mauricio Rua] N