Mauricio “Shogun” Rua failed to walk away with his hand raised in victory against Dan Henderson at UFC 139, a fight many fans are considering one of the greatest bouts in UFC history.
Prior to the bout, Rua opted to train in Brazil to prepare for his opponent as opposed to training with longtime mentor and trainer Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, Calif. The Brazilian reunited with Cordeiro to prepare for Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 which saw Rua knock him out in the opening round.
And although Rua engaged in an exciting five-round matchup with Henderson, earning praise and respect from fans, Cordeiro wasn’t impressed in the performance of the former Chute Boxe standout.
In fact, Cordeiro suggested that Rua needs to take his training camp more seriously in order to become successful again.
“I don’t know about this fight because he didn’t train with us for this fight. What I can say, is that if he wants back to the top he needs to start training,” Cordeiro told MMAWeekly.com. “He needs to start training as much as he can. He needs to work hard it’s no joke; this sport is a hard sport.”
Rua has shown glimpses of brilliance, but he has failed to meet fans’ expectations since coming over from PRIDE FC in 2007; he currently stands at 4-4 inside the Octagon. Also, a history of cardio problems and recurring knee injuries have prevented “Shogun” from reaching his potential in the UFC, despite capturing the UFC light heavyweight title last year.
Cordeiro said Rua has the potential to regain the light heavyweight title and have a successful future in the UFC, but said the real success begins from incorporating a strong work ethic into the training camp, something Rua needs to learn.
“In my gym, I don’t have fighters, I have students there. My students work and my students learn martial arts, respect and discipline and it makes a difference,” he said. “UFC is a great show and for you to fight here you need to work hard and you need to work on your techniques and your cardio. He needs to put that in his head if he wants back to the top.”
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