Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has officially thrown his name into the Anderson Silva sweepstakes.
During an online chat with Brazilian fans, Shogun answered a multitude of questions ranging from his upcoming UFC on Fox 4 bout against Brandon Vera to potential bouts with Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva.
“[Chael] speaks so much. Fighting him would be a pleasure for me.” said Shogun, according to Fighters Only. “I respect him as a fighter but he does have a too much big mouth. I would like to face Anderson. He is the best of all times but I only would take him as a light-heavyweight. I can’t drop to the middleweight division.”
Since defeating Sonnen at UFC 148, Silva has received a plethora of challenges from fighters in the light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight divisions. Every fighter dreams of being the one to finally defeat Silva, who has amassed an incredible 15-0 UFC record.
Unfortunately, Rua has a couple of hurdles standing in the way of a potential super-fight with Silva.
Back in February, Silva told UOL Esportes he didn’t plan on taking any more fights in the light heavyweight division. His current plans involve staying at 185 pounds and defending his UFC title.
Another hurdle facing Shogun is his No. 1 contender’s bout with Vera scheduled for Saturday night.
Vera is an incredibly dangerous opponent, one whom fans seem to be underestimating in the days leading up to the light heavyweight clash.
A win over Vera could automatically place Shogun back at the forefront of the title picture.
While a fight with Silva would be a dream come true, Shogun remains focused on the task at hand, which is defeating Vera and guaranteeing a rematch with Jon Jones.
“This is the fight I am looking for. I want the belt back,” Shogun said. “I believe that now it is easier to study Jon Jones. When we met for the first time, he was a breaking news, now we already saw him versus other guys and we have an ideal of which things he can do inside the Octagon. I have been working to beat him in a revenge.”
Would fans be more interested in seeing a Jones and Shogun rematch or a Silva vs. Shogun super-fight?
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