Maurício Rua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maurício Rua |
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Rua in 2006
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| Born | Maurício Milani Rua 25 November 1981 Curitiba, Brazil |
| Nickname(s) | Shogun |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Light heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Curitiba, Brazil |
| Team | Chute Boxe Academy (until 2008) Universidade Da Luta (2008–present) Kings MMA (2014–present) |
| Rank | Black prajied in Muay Thai Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antônio "Nino" Schembri |
| Years active | 2002–2023 (MMA) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 42 |
| Wins | 27 |
| By knockout | 21 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 14 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Notable relatives | Murilo Rua (brother) |
Maurício Milani Rua (born 25 November 1981), known as Shogun, is a Brazilian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was once the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Shogun also won the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Championship. He started his professional career in 2002.
Contents
- Maurício "Shogun" Rua's Early Life
- Shogun's Mixed Martial Arts Journey
- Shogun's Personal Life
- Championships and Achievements
- Mixed martial arts record
- Pay-per-view bouts
- See also
Maurício "Shogun" Rua's Early Life
Maurício Rua was born on November 25, 1981, in Curitiba, Brazil. His family has roots in Italy and Portugal. His father was a businessman, and his mother was a track athlete and marathon runner.
Shogun has an older brother, Murilo, nicknamed "Ninja," and a younger brother, Marcos, nicknamed "Shaolin." Both of his brothers also trained in mixed martial arts. The Rua brothers sometimes ran 10-kilometer races with their mother.
Maurício started training in Muay Thai at age 15. He began learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he was 17. He followed his older brother to the Chute Boxe Academy. There, he did very well in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitions. By 2007, he was also training in wrestling and boxing.
Shogun's Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Starting His Professional Career
Rua began his professional fighting career in Brazil. He won his first three fights by stopping his opponents with strikes. One of these wins was against Evangelista Santos, who later became his teammate.
Shogun then joined the International Fighting Championships (IFC) Global Domination Tournament. He won his first match by punches. However, he lost his second fight to Renato Sobral by a submission move called a guillotine choke. This was his first loss by submission.
Fighting in PRIDE Championship
PRIDE Debut and Early Wins
After his success in the IFC tournament, Shogun went to Japan to join the PRIDE organization. His first PRIDE fight was at PRIDE Bushido 1, a special event for lighter fighters.
In his three Bushido fights, Rua defeated Akira Shoji, Akihiro Gono, and Yasuhito Namekawa. He won all these fights by strikes in the first round. Shogun then moved up to the main PRIDE events. At PRIDE 29, he faced Hiromitsu Kanehara and won by stomps in the first round.
Winning the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix
Shogun entered the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament as an underdog. In the first round, he faced Quinton Jackson. Rua dominated the fight, breaking Jackson's ribs with knee strikes. He finished the fight with soccer kicks in the first round. Jackson later said Shogun was the best fighter he had ever faced.
In the second round, Rua fought Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Rua won this tough fight by a unanimous decision. On August 28, 2005, Rua competed in the final night of the tournament. He defeated Alistair Overeem by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the first round.
In the final match, Rua faced Ricardo Arona. Shogun knocked Arona out with punches in the first round. This made him the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. After this big win, he received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This amazing year earned him "Fighter of the Year" honors from Sherdog.com.
A Heated Moment with Hammer House
After winning the Grand Prix, Shogun faced Mark Coleman at PRIDE 31. During the fight, Rua landed awkwardly and hurt his elbow, which forced the fight to stop. After the fight, there was a brief, heated confrontation between members of Rua's team and Coleman's team.
Ending His PRIDE Career
Shogun continued his success in PRIDE. At PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute, he defeated Cyrille Diabate. At Pride 32, he won by submission with a kneebar against Kevin Randleman. This was his only submission victory in his career. In his last PRIDE fight at Pride 33, he had a rematch with Alistair Overeem and knocked him out in the first round.
By the end of his time in PRIDE, Maurício Rua was considered the top Light heavyweight fighter in the world.
Joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship
After the UFC bought PRIDE, Shogun joined the UFC. His first UFC fight was at UFC 76 against Forrest Griffin. Rua was expected to win, but he got tired early and lost by a rear-naked choke in the third round. After this, he had surgery for a knee injury.
In January 2008, Rua left his old team and started his own training camp. He called it Universidade da Luta, which means "University of Fight." He opened it with his brother Murilo in Curitiba.
Shogun had another knee surgery after re-injuring his knee. He later had a rematch with Mark Coleman at UFC 93. Shogun won by TKO in the third round. This fight earned "Fight of the Night" honors.
Rua's next big fight was at UFC 97 against former champion Chuck Liddell. Rua won by knockout (KO) in the first round. This victory put him back in the top rankings for the light heavyweight division.
Championship Fights with Lyoto Machida
At UFC 104, Shogun fought UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida. Rua lost by a unanimous decision. However, many people, including UFC President Dana White, thought Rua should have won.
Because of this disagreement, a rematch was quickly set for UFC 113 on May 8, 2010. This time, Rua won by knockout in the first round. He dropped Machida with a punch and then followed up with more strikes on the ground. Maurício Rua became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion! He was only the second fighter to win titles in both PRIDE and the UFC.
As UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Rua's first title defense was planned for March 2011 against Rashad Evans. But Evans got injured, so Jon Jones stepped in to fight Rua at UFC 128. Jones started the fight with a flying knee. Rua later said this hit greatly affected him. Jones kept up the pressure and won by TKO in the third round. Shogun lost his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Later Fights in the UFC
After losing his title, Rua had a rematch with Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. This time, Shogun showed great skill and power, winning by KO in the first round. He had now gotten revenge for three of his past losses.
Rua then faced Dan Henderson at UFC 139. He lost this fight by unanimous decision. However, it was an incredibly exciting match and was named "Fight of the Year" for 2011. This fight was even added to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Shogun continued to fight many tough opponents. He defeated Brandon Vera by TKO in the fourth round at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera. He also had another exciting rematch with Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC 190, winning by unanimous decision. Both fighters earned "Fight of the Night" honors for their performance.
In 2018, Rua faced Tyson Pedro at UFC Fight Night 142. He won the fight by TKO in the third round, earning a "Performance of the Night" award.
Maurício Rua had his final professional fight on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283. He lost the fight and announced his retirement afterward.
UFC Hall of Fame
At UFC 301 on May 4, 2024, it was announced that Maurício Rua would be inducted into the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame. This honor recognizes his amazing career and contributions to the sport.
Shogun's Personal Life
On September 12, 2007, Maurício Rua married Renata Ribeiro, who is a physiotherapist. They had their first child, a daughter, on January 15, 2010.
Before becoming a famous fighter, Rua also worked as a model in Brazil. He did photo shoots and fashion shows for different brands. He once said that fighting was his main job, but modeling was his second.
Championships and Achievements
- PRIDE Fighting Championships
- 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- UFC Hall of Fame (Fight Wing, Class of 2018) vs. Dan Henderson 1 at UFC 139
- UFC Hall of Fame (Modern Wing, Class of 2024)
- Knockout of the Night (Three times) vs. Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida 2 and James Te Huna
- Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Mark Coleman, Dan Henderson (x2), Antônio Rogério Nogueira
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Tyson Pedro
- Tied (Jon Jones & Ovince Saint Preux) for second most fight-night bonuses in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (8)
- Second most knockouts in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (8)
- Third most knockouts in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (17) (behind Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop)
- Second most bouts in modern UFC Light Heavyweight division history (24)
- Tied (Chuck Liddell) for most knockdowns landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (14)
- Fourth most significant strikes landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (888)
- Third most total strikes landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (1337)
- UFC.com Awards
- 2009: Ranked #5 Fighter of the Year, Loss of the Year vs. Lyoto Machida 1 & Ranked #9 Fight of the Year vs. Lyoto Machida 1
- 2010 Half-Year Awards: Best Fighter of the 1HY, Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year vs. Lyoto Machida, Ranked #7 Knockout of the Year vs. Chuck Liddell & Ranked #3 Fighter of the Year
- 2011: Fight of the Year vs. Dan Henderson 1
- 2013: Ranked #3 Knockout of the Year vs. James Te Huna
- 2014: Ranked #9 Fight of the Year vs. Dan Henderson 2
- World MMA Awards
- 2010 Knockout of the Year vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
- Sherdog
- 2005 Fighter of the Year
- 2005 Fight of the Year versus Antônio Rogério Nogueira on 26 June
- 2009 Comeback Fighter of the Year
- Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- 2011 Fight of the Year versus Dan Henderson on 19 November
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 42 matches | 27 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 21 | 7 |
| By submission | 1 | 3 |
| By decision | 5 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 27–14–1 | Ihor Potieria | TKO (punches) | UFC 283 | 21 January 2023 | 1 | 4:05 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 27–13–1 | Ovince Saint Preux | Decision (split) | UFC 274 | 7 May 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 27–12–1 | Paul Craig | TKO (submission to punches) | UFC 255 | 21 November 2020 | 2 | 3:36 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 27–11–1 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | 26 July 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Draw | 26–11–1 | Paul Craig | Draw (split) | UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré | 16 November 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 26–11 | Tyson Pedro | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa | 2 December 2018 | 3 | 0:43 | Adelaide, Australia | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 25–11 | Anthony Smith | KO (elbow) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith | 22 July 2018 | 1 | 1:29 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 25–10 | Gian Villante | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum | 11 March 2017 | 3 | 0:59 | Fortaleza, Brazil | |
| Win | 24–10 | Corey Anderson | Decision (split) | UFC 198 | 14 May 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 23–10 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 190 | 1 August 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 22–10 | Ovince Saint Preux | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux | 8 November 2014 | 1 | 0:34 | Uberlândia, Brazil | |
| Loss | 22–9 | Dan Henderson | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 | 23 March 2014 | 3 | 1:31 | Natal, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 22–8 | James Te Huna | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot | 7 December 2013 | 1 | 1:03 | Brisbane, Australia | Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 21–8 | Chael Sonnen | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen | 17 August 2013 | 1 | 4:47 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 21–7 | Alexander Gustafsson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz | 8 December 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Seattle, Washington, United States | |
| Win | 21–6 | Brandon Vera | TKO (punches) | UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera | 4 August 2012 | 4 | 4:09 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Loss | 20–6 | Dan Henderson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 139 | 19 November 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2011). |
| Win | 20–5 | Forrest Griffin | KO (punches) | UFC 134 | 27 August 2011 | 1 | 1:53 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 19–5 | Jon Jones | TKO (punches and knees) | UFC 128 | 19 March 2011 | 3 | 2:37 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–4 | Lyoto Machida | KO (punches) | UFC 113 | 8 May 2010 | 1 | 3:35 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 18–4 | Lyoto Machida | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 104 | 24 October 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Los Angeles, California, United States | For the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 18–3 | Chuck Liddell | TKO (punches) | UFC 97 | 18 April 2009 | 1 | 4:28 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 17–3 | Mark Coleman | TKO (punches) | UFC 93 | 17 January 2009 | 3 | 4:36 | Dublin, Ireland | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 16–3 | Forrest Griffin | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 76 | 22 September 2007 | 3 | 4:45 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–2 | Alistair Overeem | KO (punches) | PRIDE 33 | 24 February 2007 | 1 | 3:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–2 | Kazuhiro Nakamura | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Shockwave 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 14–2 | Kevin Randleman | Submission (kneebar) | PRIDE 32 | 21 October 2006 | 1 | 2:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–2 | Cyrille Diabaté | TKO (stomps) | PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute | 10 September 2006 | 1 | 5:29 | Saitama, Japan | Return to Middleweight (205 lb). |
| Loss | 12–2 | Mark Coleman | TKO (broken arm) | PRIDE 31 | 26 February 2006 | 1 | 0:49 | Saitama, Japan | Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 12–1 | Ricardo Arona | KO (punches) | PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 | 28 August 2005 | 1 | 2:54 | Saitama, Japan | Won the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. |
| Win | 11–1 | Alistair Overeem | TKO (punches) | 1 | 6:42 | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinal. | |||
| Win | 10–1 | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 | 26 June 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 9–1 | Quinton Jackson | TKO (soccer kicks) | PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 | 23 April 2005 | 1 | 4:47 | Osaka, Japan | 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |
| Win | 8–1 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | TKO (stomp) | PRIDE 29 | 20 February 2005 | 1 | 1:40 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 7–1 | Yasuhito Namekawa | TKO (punches) | PRIDE Bushido 5 | 14 October 2004 | 1 | 6:02 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 6–1 | Akihiro Gono | TKO (soccer kicks) | PRIDE Bushido 2 | 15 February 2004 | 1 | 9:04 | Kanagawa, Japan | |
| Win | 5–1 | Akira Shoji | KO (punches) | PRIDE Bushido 1 | 5 October 2003 | 1 | 3:47 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Renato Sobral | Submission (guillotine choke) | IFC: Global Domination | 6 September 2003 | 3 | 3:07 | Denver, Colorado, United States | IFC Light heavyweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 4–0 | Erik Wanderley | TKO (punches) | 2 | 2:54 | IFC Light heavyweight Tournament Opening Round. | |||
| Win | 3–0 | Evangelista Santos | TKO (punches) | Meca World Vale Tudo 9 | 1 August 2003 | 1 | 9:22 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Angelo de Oliveira | TKO (soccer kicks) | Meca World Vale Tudo 8 | 16 May 2003 | 1 | 0:55 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Rafael Freitas | KO (kick) | Meca World Vale Tudo 7 | 8 November 2002 | 1 | 4:00 | Curitiba, Brazil |
Pay-per-view bouts
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 104 | Machida vs. Shogun | October 24, 2009 | Staples Center | Los Angeles, California, United States | 500,000 |
| 2. | UFC 113 | Machida vs. Shogun 2 | May 8, 2010 | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 520,000 |
| 3. | UFC 128 | Shogun vs. Jones | March 19, 2011 | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey, United States | 445,000 |
| 4. | UFC 139 | Shogun vs. Henderson | November 19, 2011 | HP Pavilion | San Jose, California, United States | 290,000 |
See also
In Spanish: Maurício Rua para niños
- List of male mixed martial artists
- List of PRIDE champions
- List of UFC champions
