Maurício Rua facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maurício Rua
Rua in 2006
Born	Maurício Milani Rua (1981-11-25) 25 November 1981 (age 43) 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 on November 25, 1981, is a famous Brazilian mixed martial artist. People often call him Shogun. He used to compete in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He even became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion once! Before joining the UFC, Shogun was also the champion of the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. He started his professional fighting career in 2002.

About Shogun's Early Life

Maurício Rua was born and grew up in Curitiba, Brazil. His family has roots in Italy and Portugal. His father is a businessman, and his mother used to be a track athlete. She even ran marathons!

Shogun has two brothers. His older brother, Murilo, is nicknamed Ninja. His younger brother, Marcos, is called Shaolin. Both of his brothers are also mixed martial artists. Marcos, however, does not compete professionally. The Rua brothers sometimes went on 10-kilometer runs with their mother.

Shogun started training in Muay Thai when he was 15 years old. He began learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 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 Career

Shogun 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. In a fast-paced fight, Shogun took Santos to the ground. He then won by hitting Santos from a top position.

Next, Shogun joined the International Fighting Championships (IFC) Global Domination Tournament. He won his first fight against Erik Wanderlei with punches. But in his second fight, he lost for the first time. Renato Sobral defeated him with a special hold called a guillotine choke.

Fighting in PRIDE

First Fights in PRIDE

After his IFC tournament win, Shogun went to Japan to join the PRIDE organization. His first PRIDE fight was at PRIDE Bushido 1. This was a special event for lighter fighters. In his three Bushido fights, Rua beat Akira Shoji, Akihiro Gono, and Yasuhito Namekawa. He won all these fights by strikes in the first round.

Shogun then moved up to fight in the main PRIDE events. His first main event was at PRIDE 29. He fought Hiromitsu Kanehara, a tough Japanese fighter. Shogun won by stomps early in the first round.

Winning the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix

Shogun entered the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Many people thought he was an underdog, meaning they didn't expect him to win.

In the first round, at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005, he faced Quinton Jackson. Shogun had challenged Jackson after Jackson won a close fight against Shogun's brother, Murilo. Shogun completely controlled Jackson from the start. He broke Jackson's ribs with knee strikes. He finished the fight dramatically with soccer kicks to the face in the first round. Jackson later said Shogun was the best fighter he had ever faced.

In the second round, at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005, Rua fought Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira was from a rival team. Shogun won this fight by a unanimous decision, meaning all judges agreed he won.

On August 28, 2005, Shogun fought in PRIDE Final Conflict 2005. The last two fights of the tournament happened on the same night. Shogun defeated Alistair Overeem by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the first round. Then, Ricardo Arona beat Shogun's teammate, Wanderlei Silva.

Rua and Arona then faced each other in the final fight of the tournament. Shogun knocked Arona out with punches in the first round. This made him the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion! After this win, he received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This was a huge achievement. That year, he was named "Fighter of the Year" by Sherdog.com.

Later PRIDE Fights

After winning the Grand Prix, Shogun faced Mark Coleman at PRIDE 31. Coleman was a wrestling star and a former PRIDE champion. During the fight, Shogun landed awkwardly when Coleman took him down. He dislocated his elbow, and the fight had to stop.

At PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute, Shogun defeated French kickboxer Cyrille Diabate with stomps. At Pride 32, he won against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman. Shogun used a special move called a kneebar to make Randleman give up. This was his only win by submission in his career. In his last PRIDE fight at Pride 33, he had a rematch with Alistair Overeem. Shogun knocked Overeem out in the first round.

By the end of his time in PRIDE, Shogun was considered the top Light Heavyweight fighter in the world.

Joining the UFC

After the UFC bought PRIDE, Shogun joined the UFC. His first UFC fight was at UFC 76 against Forrest Griffin. Many people thought Shogun would win. However, Shogun struggled and got tired quickly. Griffin then controlled the rest of the fight. Shogun lost by a rear-naked choke in the last seconds of the third round. After this, he had surgery for a knee injury he already had.

In January 2008, Shogun left his old team, Chute Boxe. He opened his own training camp called Universidade da Luta (University of Fight) with his brother Murilo.

After his first knee surgery, Shogun injured his knee again during training. He had to have a second knee surgery. This made him miss UFC 85. He then had a rematch with Mark Coleman at UFC 93. Shogun defeated Coleman by TKO in the third round. This fight was exciting and earned both fighters a bonus. However, some fans criticized Shogun's performance because Coleman was 44 years old and hadn't fought in over two years.

Shogun's next fight was at UFC 97 against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell. Shogun won by knockout due to strikes. This win helped Shogun get back into the top rankings. The UFC then decided he would be next to fight for the title.

Championship Fights with Machida

At UFC 104, Shogun fought UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida. Shogun lost by a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight for Machida. However, many journalists and even UFC President Dana White thought Shogun should have won.

Because the decision at UFC 104 was so controversial, a rematch was quickly set up. It happened at UFC 113 on May 8, 2010. This time, Shogun won! He knocked out Machida in the first round. He dropped Machida with a right punch and then followed up with more punches on the ground. Shogun became the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion! He was only the second fighter to win titles in both PRIDE and the UFC. After this big win, Shogun had another surgery in June for a knee injury he got during the fight.

As UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Shogun's first title defense was planned for March 19, 2011, against Rashad Evans. However, Evans injured his knee during training. After Jon Jones won his fight at UFC 126, the UFC announced that Jones would replace Evans and fight Shogun for the title. Jones accepted, and the fight was set for UFC 128.

In the title fight, Jones started with a flying knee to Shogun's head. Shogun later said this hit greatly affected him for the rest of the fight. Jones kept the pressure on Shogun, using different strikes and ground attacks. Jones won the fight by TKO in Round 3. Shogun lost his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

After Losing the Title

After losing to Jones, Shogun had a rematch with Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 on August 27, 2011. This fight was very different from their first one. Shogun showed great movement and powerful strikes. He won the fight by knockout early in the first round. By this time, Shogun had gotten revenge for three of his past losses.

Shogun then faced Dan Henderson on November 19, 2011, at UFC 139. He lost this fight by unanimous decision. Henderson controlled most of the first three rounds. In the fourth round, Shogun started to take control. Even though he lost, Shogun received a "Fight of the Night" bonus. Many people consider this fight the "Fight of the Year" for 2011. It was even added to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.

Shogun fought Brandon Vera on August 4, 2012, at UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera. It was a back-and-forth fight. Shogun managed to knock Vera down several times. He won by TKO with punches in the fourth round.

His next fight was against Alexander Gustafsson on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. Shogun lost this fight by unanimous decision.

On August 17, 2013, Shogun faced Chael Sonnen at UFC Fight Night 26. He lost the fight by a guillotine choke submission in the first round.

Shogun then fought James Te Huna on December 7, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 33. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. This win also earned Shogun a "Knockout of the Night" bonus.

A rematch with Dan Henderson happened on March 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 38. Shogun won the first two rounds and even knocked Henderson down. But he was defeated by strikes in the third round. Even with the loss, Shogun received another "Fight of the Night" bonus. He also broke his nose in this fight and needed surgery.

In September 2014, Shogun signed a new eight-fight contract with the UFC. He was supposed to fight Jimi Manuwa on November 8, 2014. However, Manuwa got injured and was replaced by Ovince St. Preux. Shogun lost this fight by knockout in just 34 seconds. This was the fastest knockout loss of his career.

Ten years after their first fight, Shogun had a rematch against Antônio Rogério Nogueira on August 1, 2015, at UFC 190. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Both fighters received "Fight of the Night" honors.

Shogun next faced Corey Anderson at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016. Shogun won by a split decision.

He then fought Gian Villante on March 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 106. Shogun won this fight by technical knockout in the third round.

A rematch with Ovince Saint Preux was planned for September 22, 2017. But Shogun pulled out of the fight due to injury.

Shogun was scheduled to fight Volkan Oezdemir on May 12, 2018. However, Oezdemir had travel issues. The fight was rescheduled for July 22, 2018. But then Oezdemir was pulled from that fight too. Shogun instead fought Anthony Smith. Shogun lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Shogun faced Tyson Pedro on December 2, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 142. He won the fight by technical knockout in the third round. Pedro suffered a leg injury and could not defend himself. This win earned Shogun the "Performance of the Night" award.

Shogun was supposed to fight Sam Alvey on November 16, 2019. But Alvey broke his hand and was replaced by Paul Craig. After three rounds, the fight was a split draw.

A third fight with Antônio Rogério Nogueira was scheduled for May 9, 2020. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fight finally happened on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14. Shogun won the fight by split decision.

A rematch with Paul Craig took place on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. Shogun lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round.

Shogun had another rematch against Ovince Saint Preux on May 7, 2022, at UFC 274. He lost the fight by split decision.

Shogun's last fight was against Ihor Potieria on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the first round. After this fight, Shogun announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Hall of Fame

At UFC 301 on May 4, 2024, it was announced that Maurício "Shogun" Rua would be inducted into the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor for his career.

Global Fight League

After retiring from the UFC, Shogun was scheduled to fight Yoel Romero in a new organization called Global Fight League (GFL). However, Shogun later pulled out of this fight. In April 2025, it was reported that all GFL events were canceled.

Shogun's Personal Life

On September 12, 2007, Shogun married Renata Ribeiro, who is a physiotherapist. Their first child, a daughter, was born on January 15, 2010.

Before he became a famous fighter, Shogun worked as a model in Brazil. He did photo shoots and even fashion shows for different brands. He once said that fighting was his main job, and modeling was his second.

In 2020, Shogun had a hair transplant procedure. This was to help with hair loss as he was nearing the end of his fighting career.

Shogun's Awards 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 & Khalil Rountree Jr.) for most knockdowns landed in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (14)
    • Tied (Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Junior dos Santos, Thiago Santos & Khalil Rountree Jr.) for sixth most knockdowns landed in UFC 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

See also

In Spanish: Maurício Rua para niños

• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of PRIDE champions
• List of UFC champions