‘Shogun’ Rua, ‘Minotouro’ Nogueira expect another war at UFC 190

RIO DE JANEIRO — Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who coached the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show in Brazil, are set to face off at Saturday’s UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and promise to live up to their first bout in PRIDE.

Speaking with the media in Rio de Janeiro, “Shogun” and “Minotouro” talked about their expectations going into the light heavyweight clash, 3,689 days after their classic fight in Japan.

“I expect a tough fight, man,” Rua said. “‘Minotouro’ is a tough fighter, has a huge heart, so I expect another war, just like in our 2005 fight. He likes to strike and so do I, so a brawl is inevitable, right? I’ve been fighting for over 10 years, and so does he, so I’m sure we both will keep it standing. It’s MMA, but our best weapon is our striking game.”

“That’s what we hope for. Fans loved that fight so they expect this to be as exciting,” Nogueira added. “I trained really hard to put on a great show for the fans. I was more focused on my boxing at that time, and he worked better in the clinch. He surprised me a lot, he was stronger. My takedown defense has evolved a lot, though. I worked hard on my wrestling, jiu-jitsu and muay thai for this fight.”

Nogueira put on some weight 10 years after his unanimous decision loss at the PRIDE event at the Saitama Super Arena, and hope it makes the difference this time.

“I’m confident, and I believe the fight could be a little different this time,” he said. “I’m stronger, heavier than when we fought the first time. I weighed 213 pounds at that time, and I weighed 227 pounds when I started my camp — and I believe I will weigh 227 pounds on fight night. I will be stronger to fight him in the clinch.”

“Shogun” also made some changes in his life going into UFC 190. The former UFC light heavyweight champion moved to California to train with Rafael Cordeiro, and also spent some time in Mexico during Fabricio Werdum’s camp for Cain Velasquez.

“What motivated me to train with Rafael is that he focuses more on muay thai, and that’s my best game,” Rua said. “I trained more muay thai for this fight, and that’s what I love. He’s a MMA coach but he’s a muay thai expert. Master Rafael knows my game and he trains what I do best, muay thai. I train happier with him.”

“I know he will be well trained physically and technically now that he trained outside of Brazil,” Nogueira said of Rua’s camp with Cordeiro. “Rafael is a guy that pushes you to the limit, like Luiz Carlos Dorea, a guy that puts you back to the top. I know he will come prepared and that motivated me to train harder and be ready for a tough fight. I know it won’t be easy.”

“Shogun” and “Minotouro” haven’t talked any trash ahead of UFC 190 and during TUF Brazil 4, but seeing your next opponent on a daily basis for over a month has got Rua fired up for Saturday night.

“I believe that coaching the Ultimate Fighter has spiced things between us again,” he said. “I will be fighting for my TUF team as well. That motivated me, and made the fight more interesting as well.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who coached the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show in Brazil, are set to face off at Saturday’s UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and promise to live up to their first bout in PRIDE.

Speaking with the media in Rio de Janeiro, “Shogun” and “Minotouro” talked about their expectations going into the light heavyweight clash, 3,689 days after their classic fight in Japan.

“I expect a tough fight, man,” Rua said. “‘Minotouro’ is a tough fighter, has a huge heart, so I expect another war, just like in our 2005 fight. He likes to strike and so do I, so a brawl is inevitable, right? I’ve been fighting for over 10 years, and so does he, so I’m sure we both will keep it standing. It’s MMA, but our best weapon is our striking game.”

“That’s what we hope for. Fans loved that fight so they expect this to be as exciting,” Nogueira added. “I trained really hard to put on a great show for the fans. I was more focused on my boxing at that time, and he worked better in the clinch. He surprised me a lot, he was stronger. My takedown defense has evolved a lot, though. I worked hard on my wrestling, jiu-jitsu and muay thai for this fight.”

Nogueira put on some weight 10 years after his unanimous decision loss at the PRIDE event at the Saitama Super Arena, and hope it makes the difference this time.

“I’m confident, and I believe the fight could be a little different this time,” he said. “I’m stronger, heavier than when we fought the first time. I weighed 213 pounds at that time, and I weighed 227 pounds when I started my camp — and I believe I will weigh 227 pounds on fight night. I will be stronger to fight him in the clinch.”

“Shogun” also made some changes in his life going into UFC 190. The former UFC light heavyweight champion moved to California to train with Rafael Cordeiro, and also spent some time in Mexico during Fabricio Werdum’s camp for Cain Velasquez.

“What motivated me to train with Rafael is that he focuses more on muay thai, and that’s my best game,” Rua said. “I trained more muay thai for this fight, and that’s what I love. He’s a MMA coach but he’s a muay thai expert. Master Rafael knows my game and he trains what I do best, muay thai. I train happier with him.”

“I know he will be well trained physically and technically now that he trained outside of Brazil,” Nogueira said of Rua’s camp with Cordeiro. “Rafael is a guy that pushes you to the limit, like Luiz Carlos Dorea, a guy that puts you back to the top. I know he will come prepared and that motivated me to train harder and be ready for a tough fight. I know it won’t be easy.”

“Shogun” and “Minotouro” haven’t talked any trash ahead of UFC 190 and during TUF Brazil 4, but seeing your next opponent on a daily basis for over a month has got Rua fired up for Saturday night.

“I believe that coaching the Ultimate Fighter has spiced things between us again,” he said. “I will be fighting for my TUF team as well. That motivated me, and made the fight more interesting as well.”