This weekend at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua defeated Forrest Griffin in the co-main event of the evening.
It was a huge win for Shogun since he avenged a loss, won in convincing fashion, got back on track after his loss to Jon Jones, and all of this while fighting in his homeland.
According to MMAjunkie.com, UFC President Dana White was impressed with Shogun’s performance and, as far as he’s concerned, Shogun is right back in the mix for a title shot.
“[That] was a big win for him,” White said. “The guy just lost the title to Jon Jones, who many people believe–I’ve got Jon Jones ranked No. 3 pound-for-pound in the world. (He) beats Forrest Griffin, who’s one of the top light heavyweights in the world. It put ‘Shogun’ right back in the title hunt.”
This is news that likely came as music to Shogun’s ears, as it’s clear the former champ wants to avenge his loss to Jones.
“I’ve only had five losses,” Rua said in his native Portuguese. “I’ve managed to avenge all of them except Jon Jones and [Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral]. ‘Babalu’ is my friend, and he’s on my team, so I wouldn’t think of doing that. The only guy left then is Jon Jones.”
After stating that he wants to fight Jones again, Shogun made it clear that he harbors no ill-will towards to new UFC light heavyweight champ.
“Jones is a very [skilled] guy, at the top of the division,” Rua said. “He’s a guy who deserves a lot of respect, because he fights well.”
The UFC might have a tough time marketing a rematch between Shogun and Jones, given how decisively Shogun lost the first time, but with another performance like this weekend’s in Rio, fans might warm to the idea of it.
In Rio, Shogun put one of his best performances since moving to the UFC from Pride four years ago. He stated that the motivation of fighting at home helped him to put on a better performance.
“For sure they were screaming, but I found it all very motivating,” Rua said. “It gives you more energy, more motivation. So we were happy that the crowd was supporting me.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report, for more news as this story develops, and MMA news, in general.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com