Filed under: UFC
NEWARK, N.J. — Rarely has a decorated champion taken a backseat to a challenger in a fight promotion the way Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has done during the lead-up to UFC 128.
With the emergence of Jon Jones, Rua, who won the belt last May, has somehow become the secondary player in their light-heavyweight tile fight. The challenger was installed as the favorite by MMA oddsmakers, dominated the fight week headlines, and the UFC even produced a 30-minute TV special on him.
Rua, who has said little this week while portraying a stoic demeanor, has even gone so far as to repeatedly suggest that Jones deserves his billing as the favorite and that he himself is the underdog. Considering his resume as a former PRIDE Grand Prix champ, current UFC champ and feared knockout artist, who’s buying that?