MaurÃcio Rua
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua ( born November 25, 1981 in Curitiba, Brazil) is a Brazilian MMA fighter in the weight class below 93 kg, and was, until March 19, 2011 UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. The main style Ruas is Muay Thai, also Rua has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu -Jitsu. Along with numerous well-known fighters ( among them Wanderlei Silva ) and his brother Murilo "Ninja " Rua, he was one of the Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba ( Brazil). The end of 2007, however, the Rua brothers left the Chute Boxe Academy and founded in 2008, their own fighting school named Universidade da Luta (UDL ).
Mauricio Rua was long the Japanese MMA organization Pride FC under contract. His professional record is currently 19-4-0 ( WLD ) of which 16 (T) KOs. After victories over Quinton " Rampage " Jackson, Alistair Overeem (twice), Antonio Rogerio " Minotoro " Nogueira, Ricardo Arona and Kevin Randleman in just two years, he was in mid-2007 as the # 1 Light Heavyweight (up to 93 kg, or 205 lbs). However, since then it went downhill with his career and health.
At just 24 years Rua was the youngest fighter who has ever won the Middleweight Grand Prix at Pride FC ( 2005). 77,000 spectators at the Saitama Super Arena, he defeated the same evening both Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona in the finals by knockout. Arona had before - Ruas mentor Wanderlei Silva defeated on points - in held on the same evening semifinal.
His defeats he suffered against Renato " Babalu " Sobral (2003) by task for a guillotine choke as well as in the heavyweight division against Mark Coleman (2006) by TKO after an involuntary arm fracture. His first fight at UFC 76 Rua lost by task against Forrest Griffin ( 2007).
January 17, 2009 Mauricio Rua returned to an approximately 16 -month, injury-related (two knee injuries ) break back into the cage. At UFC 93 he could take revenge on Mark Coleman and won with an unconvincing performance by TKO in Round 3 On 18 April 2009 he was at UFC 97 in Canada deny the long-awaited fight with Chuck " The Iceman " Liddell and successfully by TKO decide in round one for themselves. In this struggle, he continued his successful achievements of the years 2004-2007, made the leap back into the top 10 of his weight class.
After a controversial lost fight in 2009 against Lyoto Machida, he managed to win the UFC 205 pound belt in the rematch in 2010. But the first defense on March 19, 2011 at the UFC 128 failed and he had to give up the title after TKO in the third round to his challenger Jon Jones.