Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a legendary fighter in MMA history, but that’s just it. He’s legendary in history, not the present.
This is not to say that Rua isn’t a good fighter.
Rua has looked dramatically better since his abysmal UFC debut against Forrest Griffin, in which he was choked out in the third round after a truly terrible performance.
He eventually managed to capture the UFC light heavyweight title from Lyoto Machida (some would say he beat Machida twice) and many nostalgic Pride fans thought that the true king of the light heavyweight division had returned to the throne.
There was only one thing they didn’t anticipate—Jon Jones.
Current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones challenged “Shogun” for the title and outclassed him; the fight wasn’t even competitive.
Rua rebounded with a quick victory in a rematch against Forrest Griffin. He was then put against Dan Henderson in a fight that will be remembered for ages.
Despite staggering the granite-jawed Henderson on multiple occasions and having mount on Henderson throughout almost the entire fourth round, Rua was on the wrong side of a decision.
Does this mean that “Shogun” is naught but a gatekeeper?
No, it doesn’t. Rua isn’t a gatekeeper but he’s not a title contender either (as long as Jon Jones is anywhere near the belt).
He occupies a peculiar role in the division. He can beat most fighters in the division (or at least be competitive against them) except for the champion.
He’s more than a gatekeeper, but less than a contender.
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