Shogun gets the title shot he has been working years for.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua may finally be comfortable in the octagon.
After a defeat at the hands of Forrest Griffin and a sluggish victory over Mark Coleman, many fans questioned whether or not the old “Shogun” would ever be seen in the UFC.
A knockout over Chuck Liddell earned Rua a title shot against Lyoto Machida at UFC 104, and while the KO did not entirely quiet sceptics, a victory over Machida certainly would.
It is understandable that former PRIDE fighters like Rua might have trouble adapting to the cage and rules of the UFC, and Rua has spent a great deal of time aclimating himself to the new environment.
“I am a fighter much more used to fighting in the octagon,” Rua told MMAMadness.com through interpretor Eduardo Alanzo. ” My training has been geared towards fighting in the octagon for a long time now, and perhaps nowadays I would be more adept to fight in the octagon than in the ring. If I had to fight in the ring now, I could have some problems.”
Rua now has the unique challenge of cracking Machida, a task that has frustrated more than a few fighters.
One advantage that Rua could have is his aggressiveness. One theory to beating Machida is to apply constant pressure and put the light heavyweight champion on the defensive, and this theory plays into Rua’s style of fighting.
“I surely think that this is a weapon, sort of an advantage against Lyoto, or any other fighter for that matter,” Rua said. “Being aggresive is part of my style, so I think that this is going to help me and I’m going to try and be aggressive as I always do and do my best to get the win and try to finish the fight.”
Machida has shown that he has more than a few tricks. The karate practitioner has an effective jiu jitsu game, as well as solid wrestling technique. To defeat him will require a well-rounded fighter, and Rua is just that.
”I intend to fight him in any situation that is possible, anywhere that’s possible,” Rua said. “Standing up, on the ground, it does not matter. As I always do, I try to prepare for everything, and gives the guys here a great spectacle for the American audience.”
The audience is very important to Rua. He is extremely dedicated to his fans, and aims to please them almost as much as he aims to win.
“The fans are the ones that pay my bills,” Rua said. “I am an employee of the fans, so I feel that my work is being recognized.”
On Saturday, fans can see if their employee can take home championship gold.
The man finally gets his due. If he beats Lyoto, he is the greatest of all time, no discussion.
ditto
That was a good damn fight. The most technical shogun ive ever seen showed up
Shogun was robbed. He proved to everyone he’s the best and that’s what he gets. Maybe he should run from Machida and take leg kicks and body shots the whole fight and then he’ll win. Seemed to work for Machida.