UFC 128: What Shogun Rua has to offer against Jon Jones

At the age of 20 years old, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua made his professional Mixed Martial Arts debut. He dominated and destroyed his first four opponents, until he met crafty veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral to whom he lost via guillotine choke. That first loss in Shogun’s career was an important lesson and the agony of defeat was used as motivation for victory.

With the legendary Chute Boxe camp in his corner, following in the footsteps of his idols Wanderlei Silva and Jose “Pele” Landi, he packed his things, and made the trip to Japan to fight in PRIDE. His reign of terror in the Land of The Rising Sun is a run to this date that many fans remember. The level of violence and destruction that he showcased at such a young age in the ring was a sight to behold. Shogun was not only MMA’s top prospect at time; he was cementing his legacy as a pound for pound all-time great.

In 2005, he entered the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix and made a huge statement. He demolished Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, decisively beat Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, obliterated a young Alistair Overeem, and to finish his run he brutally defeated Ricardo Arona. Three years into his professional career, at the age of 23 Maurcio “Shogun” Rua was a young king in the sport.

Fresh off his Middleweight GP victory, a few months later he faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion and 2000 PRIDE Openweight GP winner Mark Coleman. During their fight, Coleman executed a takedown, and Rua landed awkwardly. Shogun broke his arm during that fight, but recovered well, and months later made his return against Cyrille Diabate. After beating the Frenchman, he continued where he left off his injury by beating Kevin Randleman, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and Alistair Overeem a 2nd time.

In 2007, Zuffa purchased PRIDE Fighting Championships. Most of PRIDE’s big stars made the jump to the UFC, including Rua. He made his Octagon debut against the original Ultimate Fighter, Forrest Griffin. Going into the fight at UFC 76, Shogun was the heavy favorite. However, Forrest’s size played a huge factor in the fight and Shogun’s cardio wasn’t the best. After losing the previous two rounds, he eventually got caught in a Rear Naked Choke. Aside from losing the bout, he also re-injured his knee and needed surgery.

Shogun decided it was best to leave Chute Boxe and start fresh with his own camp Universidade da luta. He made his return at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman. Even though he won the bout via TKO, he received a lot of heat for running out of gas early against a guy who hasn’t competed in nearly two years. At UFC 97 though, he redeemed himself against Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell by destroying him in the first round. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua showed off in that fight exactly why he was such a big deal in PRIDE; it looked like he got his swagger back. The big win earned him a title shot against a man, who was nearly untouchable for nine years.

The first fight between Mauricio Rua and Lyoto Machida was a fight for the ages. For majority of the fight, many felt Shogun was dominating The Dragon. We’ve never seen a man tag Lyoto Machida like Mauricio Shogun did. Shogun’s timing was perfect, his striking effective, but I guess not according to the judge’s standard that night. Lyoto ended up leaving Los Angeles that night with the Light Heavyweight title, a black eye, and very sore legs. Fans and critics were outraged by the victory, pressuring UFC President Dana White to book the rematch.

At UFC 113 in Montreal, Canada, Shogun had his shot at redemption. What technically was round 6 from the last fight, Shogun hit Machida with a huge right hand, and finished the Karate master with some ground and pound. The Mauricio “Shogun” Rua that has spilled the blood of fighters in five different nations, in a career that spans nearly over nine years was truly back. All the pain and hardship led to that moment, with that belt around his waist a physical representation of that struggle.

Fast forward to today, we haven’t seen Shogun fight for nearly a year now to defend his strap. Originally we were supposed to see Rua fight Rashad Evans for the belt, but with Rashad getting injured in training, a new contender steps in to take his place. A new young lion, hungry for success at the highest level.

Jon Jones is one of Mixed Martial Arts fastest rising up and comers. His unpredictable style, his size, speed, and power make him a threat to anyone in the Light Heavyweight Division. At the age of 23, he has already earned himself a title shot against the original young lion of the sport.

I personally believe Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has what it takes to beat Jon “Bones” Jones. His many years in the game, his timing, his ability to fight in the pocket, and on the ground will be more than enough for this upcoming fight. However, it will not be easy. I expect Jones to make good use of his size, reach, and unpredictability. I’ll never count out Jon Jones, but Shogun has fought guys much bigger than him before, and has prevailed. Come UFC 128 on March 19, may the better man win that night.   

Photo by Dave Mandel for Sherdog.com