Long before he stepped into the cage at UFC 128, People had been dubbing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as the stuff of greatness. After his win in the 2005 Pride Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, which he bested for of the world's best at the time (Noguiera, Arona, Overeem and Rampage), people were calling for his statue being erected in his hometown of Curitiba. There were people suggesting he move up to heavyweight, with former teammate and friend Wanderlei Silva saying that he might be the only fighter truly worthy of beating then Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko (this was before, I'm presuming, Wanderlei had heard of Fabricio Werdum or Antonio Silva).
He came into the UFC following Pride's purchase in 2007 and was immediately expected to contend in the 205 lb. ranks. A upset loss to Forrest Griffin (by rear naked choke no less) clearly put the brakes on that. In that fight, Shogun looked sloppy and clearly out of shape; We were soon to find out why, as Shogun spent the next 18 months rehabbing what were torn knee ligaments in both knees. When he returned at the beginning of 2009 at UFC 93 against Mark Coleman, he still looked sloppy but you saw the pieces starting to come together. At UFC 97 that April, his knockout victory over Chuck Liddell cemented the progress.
Next was a title shot against Lyoto Machida, and although many people thought that was a "freebie" given out by the UFC brass and that Rua hadn't "done enough" to justify the chance, those same fans booed when the scorecards were read, all 3 judges declaring the winner to be Machida, though Rua clearly landed the better strikes and was the aggressor the whole fight. He got his rematch, and made the most of it, TKO'ing "The Dragon" and finally earning, what people had thought was his for a long time coming : Being the best 205 lb. fighter in the world.
Winning the championship was not without its consequences, as Rua blew a knee out for a second time and spent the next year or so recovering. All the while, a young contender named Jon "Bones" Jones quickly rose up the ranks, culminating in his surprise title shot last Saturday night in New Jersey. Like Rua, Jones made the most of his opportunity, quickly dispatching Rua with a combination of punches, takedowns, leg locks and spinning elbows.
With the loss of his world title, the question on many people's minds is : What does Shogun do now? At only 29 years of age, his career is far from over. Him not being 100% will gain a lot of attention from many die hard supporters, but the fact remains is that Shogun even had he been at 100% would have probably still gotten beaten. Many good fights still remain in the UFC for the Brazilian (including fights with notables such as Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader, plus a 2nd fight with Rampage Jackson and a possible 3rd tilt with nemesis Machida).
If Shogun can stay healthy and garner a victory or 2 more when his medical suspension does clear, He might be able to secure another title shot. The fact remains however, is that from 23 to 29 years old, without the injuries to his knees that made him spend so much time on the sidelines, Fans will always wonder how good Mauricio Rua was, How good he is, Or how good could he have been?
Until next time, fight fans.
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