MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.
Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.
Check out the transcription of the interview after the jump.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAInterviews.tv)
MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.
Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.
Here’s what Shogun had to say…
…about the Griffin fight:
“Forrest is a good fighter, but I trained hard for three months. I’m very happy with this win for my family, my team, my sponsors — everybody. I’m very happy because Forrest is a very good fighter and I lost in 2007. I trained hard. This fight for me was very motivating because I lost to Forrest and my team and I are very happy for this fight.”
…about whether or not he was healthy going into the fight:
“[My body] was very good. I was 100 percent for this fight. I don’t have problems with my knee [any] more. I was 100 percent for this fight.”
…about whether or not he was surprised at how easily he finished Forrest:
“No. This is MMA sport. My gloves [are] very, very small and a punch in the face is normal. I respect Forrest. He’s a very good guy — a good [person], but I’m very happy.”
…about whether or not he’s interested in a fight with Hendo:
“Many people want this fight [with] Henderson. Dan Henderson is a good guy. He’s a legend in MMA. I’m very happy to fight Dan Henderson. I want this fight.”
…about who he wants to fight next:
“I’m a professional fighter. I fight everyone. I don’t know. It’s [up to] my boss. No problem for me.”
Enough is enough already. There are way too many people who are jumping all over Jake Shields because, God Forbid, he has lost two fights in a row. Never mind the fact that he won his previous 15 fights over a course of five years. During his 12-year c…
Enough is enough already. There are way too many people who are jumping all over Jake Shields because, God Forbid, he has lost two fights in a row. Never mind the fact that he won his previous 15 fights over a course of five years.
During his 12-year career Shields has defeated current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, current UFC No.1 Welterweight Contender Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler, Martin Kampmann, Dave Menne, Mike Pyle, Nick Thompson, Jason Miller, Paul Daley and Hayato Sakurai. Not bad for a fighter with limited standup, and for someone considered an undersized middleweight.
There is no theory stating that because he achieved his success outside the UFC that it doesn’t mean as much. A win over Dan Henderson means a hell of a lot no matter what organization they fought in. Same thing can be said for many of his other victims. No one has ever accused Shields of being the most exciting fighter, but much more often than not, he was able to get the job done, no matter how high the odds were stacked against him.
Is it his fault that the UFC sold him as a World Beater who was going to be Georges St. Pierre’s toughest test ever? No, it was the UFC marketing machine doing what they do best when it comes to selling a fight. He may not have defeated GSP, but he did become the first fighter to win a round from him in a very long time.
People will actually point to his UFC debut against the always tough Kampmann. I don’t care who you are, but Kampmann is a tough first opponent for anyone. Combine a tough weight cut along with the nerves that come along with making your first trip inside the Octagon and it’s easy to see why he had a difficult time with Kampmann.
Going into his fight with Jake Ellenberger, a lot of people felt that this was a pitfall for Shields. He had nothing to gain but everything to lose against a fighter who was outside the top 10. Then with just three weeks left before the fight, Shields lost his father, best friend and manager all in one shot when Jack Shields passed away on August 29. Shields decided that his father would’ve wanted him to fight, but that in no way, shape or form means that he was able to block out the pain and not miss having his father in his corner come fight time.
Ellenberger is a very good fighter and is a force to be reckoned with, but Shields face said it all last night. He wasn’t all there and is probably regretting his decision to be a good company man and soldiering on despite carrying such a heavy heart. I would make these same excuses for any fighter under the same circumstances, doesn’t matter whether I liked them or not. If you’re a human being then it’s impossible not to be affected when suffering such a dramatic loss, especially when you are a fighter.
There are way too many of you who are either unfamiliar with Shields’ career or maybe you have yet to suffer a loss of that magnitude. Stop jumping on the bandwagon and form your own opinion. It is so apparent that too many writers are using the same cookie cutter article when it comes to Jake Shields. We are all grown men and there is no need to for any of us to borrow someone else’s opinion and change a few words to come up with a column.
Do the right thing and formulate your own opinions and write your own thoughts, it will get you much further and help expand your horizons a great deal.
Dan Henderson is a guy who makes you wary of shaking his right hand, just out of respect for the power it conceals.Dan Henderson is a living example of how it only can take one punch to change a fight. Hendo has been up against some of the top competit…
Dan Henderson is a guy who makes you wary of shaking his right hand, just out of respect for the power it conceals.
Dan Henderson is a living example of how it only can take one punch to change a fight. Hendo has been up against some of the top competition in MMA, and at 41 years old, shows no signs of stopping.
Hendo’s “H-Bomb” hands have led him to victory for nearly half of his MMA career. His punching power speaks for itself, but he possesses the strength and background of an Olympic wrestler.
Not one to submit you typically, he will surely control you on the ground until you want to stand up, and then deliver his “Mortal Kombat” finishing move, the H-Bomb.
Now in dealings with the UFC again, the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion has his eyes fixed on the UFC Light Heavyweight belt as well.
At UFC 135, Jon Jones will be defending his title for the first time since defeating Shogun Rua last March, and becoming the youngest UFC Champion in history.
Jon Jones will face the always dangerous Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Once these two meet, the title shot opens up for other fighters such as Rashad Evans, and possibly Dan Henderson.
The outcome is yet to been seen, but ideally, when Dan Henderson makes his return into the Octagon, it will be a title shot/unification. But how does Hendo stack up to his two possible opponents?
Betting odds state that Jones will still be Champion at the end of the night against Rampage, but Rampage is hungry for his belt back. A motivated and well-prepared Jackson is a threat to any fighter, and Jones will be sure to use his wrestling and reach to dictate the fight.
If Rampage pulls the upset, he could face Dan Henderson as his first or second title defense. The two have not met since 2007 at UFC 75, where the Pride and UFC belts were on the line in a unification bout. Depending on the events to follow, we may see something similar between the Strikeforce and UFC Belts with the same fighters.
Hendo and Rampage fighting for the championship makes for a very interesting striking match. Hendo may lean toward the takedown and beating up on Rampage, but every fight starts standing. Both are different fighters than their last meeting, but the constant has always been their fists.
If Rampage can stop the takedown, or work on getting up, it could be a challenging fight for Henderson. Rampage is a deadly counter-puncher and if Hendo were to wail one and miss, Rampage could capitalize.
Of course, with Hendo, the fight could end within a few exchanges as well. Hendo has every ability to make Rampage and Bisping have more in common than just training in England together.
His superior wrestling is more than dangerous enough for anyone on the ground, and based on track record, Rampage’s legs are not his greatest foundation. Hendo will be sure to get in and get out with his striking, while the fight remains on the feet.
If Jon Jones can hold onto the LHW belt, a task that has proven very difficult these past years, then a title fight between the new generation of fighter and a seasoned veteran could be on its way.
But first, Jones faces a veteran in Rampage Jackson, who has stood across the cage from the “who’s who” of the Light Heavyweight big-name fighters (multiple times in some cases).
With Dan Henderson, Jones faces a veteran fighter that has donned so many medals and belts in his athletic career, it makes Michael Phelps blush. Hendo is no stranger to the Championship scene, fighting for it and winning it. Jones’ chin has yet to be tested, but if Rampage isn’t the man to do it, Dan Henderson certainly is.
The biggest challenge for any of Jones’ opponents is his reach. His unorthodox style and being a young, fast and hungry fighter makes him a deadly force to be reckoned with. The problem for Jones that lies in Hendo, is his wrestling ability.
A fantastic all-around athlete, Jones has had his share of amateur wrestling. However, Henderson’s pedigree of wrestling is far beyond the repertoire of Jon Jones. Henderson has won wrestling championships right around when Jon was just about learning how to walk.
Regardless if Jones has a good chin, not many can stand up to Hendo’s H-Bomb if it lands flush. Jones must keep the distance, especially for his unorthodox strikes.
Henderson must be the aggressor if he wants to utilize his deadly combo, while Jones needs to keep his cool under the pressure of Hendo’s cocked-back “of the night” fist. The fight should remain more on the feet than on the ground, in which speed can go to Jones, but power goes to Henderson.
At the end of September, fans will have a better idea of what’s in store for the UFC Light Heavyweight division. Whatever the outcome, Dan Henderson is coming. Fans will eagerly speculate and wait to see if Hendo will be either breaking bones or stopping a rampage in the near future.
Who would YOU rather see Dan Henderson face for the title? Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans? Leave your comments and thoughts below!
Coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson looks primed for one more run in the UFC. Hendo, who just turned 41 at the end of August, is open to the move, and actually said he would even be up to fig…
Coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career over Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson looks primed for one more run in the UFC.
However, the 14-year fight veteran has expressed which fight he wants to be involved with next: a title unification bout with the winner of Jon Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Bones and Rampage square off at UFC 135, which takes place on September 24, and in an ideal world, Henderson would like to return to the Octagon at UFC 141.
Here’s five reasons this would be a good business decision for the UFC.
MMA’s top free agent Dan Henderson sat down Monday with Clinch Gear Radio to talk about a number of topics including his last fight with Fedor Emelianenko, whether or not he thinks the Russian fighter can return to his former glory and where his own career stands as of now.
For those of you whose ADHD makes it impossible to pay attention or whose workplace Internet filters make it impossible for you to watch YouTube videos, we have you covered with the transcription of the meat and potatoes after the jump.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/ClinchGear)
MMA’s top free agent Dan Henderson sat down Monday with Clinch Gear Radio to talk about a number of topics including his last fight with Fedor Emelianenko, whether or not he thinks the Russian fighter can return to his former glory and where his own career stands as of now.
For those of you whose ADHD makes it impossible to pay attention or whose workplace Internet filters make it impossible for you to watch YouTube videos, we have you covered with the transcription of the meat and potatoes below. You’re welcome.
Whether or not he thinks Fedor can return to form:
“I think that he could recapture that [former glory], for sure. It takes a little bit of time once you get re-motivated. He probably took a couple years where he let the sport go past him a little bit. It’s gonna take him a little bit of time to play catch-up. I think he’s very dangerous and well-rounded and a tough guy, so I don’t see him having trouble getting back in there, no problem. I do think that his size is a little bit of…He’s right between light heavy and heavyweight and he’s a small heavyweight and he might not like to cut weight, so…we’ll see.”
Where his KO of “The Last Emperor” ranks on his list of career accomplishments:
“I guess as far as accomplishments go, it ranks right up there at the top. I think I just hit him right on the button. He wasn’t expecting anything at all to come from that angle and I hit him right on the chin, so I think it caught him so off guard that I think it knocked him face-first into the ground. It was something that I was definitely happy to have happen.”
Whether or not he was disappointed that Fedor said their fight was stopped early: “I wasn’t disappointed at all [when he said the fight was stopped early]. I think at the time that the ref finally pushed me all the way off he started to kind of come to a little bit, but had the ref not gotten involved at all, he would have been knocked out. I can see his point, but it doesn’t disappoint me at all. I know the position I had him in and I know that with him falling face-first out cold for a second or two, I think the ref definitely made the right call. I just think that he should have been a little more aggressive getting me off of him.”
Whether or not he feels that there are any viable contenders left for him to fight in Strikeforce now that the UFC has picked the carcass:
“I definitely feel that there’s still the possibility for me to defend that belt in Strikforce, but I think now that the UFC has bought Strikeforce and they need to make money and I need to make money, so we’ll see what happens. I’d like to work out a deal where I’m fighting in both promotions.”
Whether it’s more lucrative for him to fight in the UFC because of pay-per-view bonuses he could negotiate as part of his new deal:
“For me it’s about the money and about the fights as well. I think both organizations definitely have the fights, but we’ll see. The pay-per-view [percentage] definitely could make a difference as well and I think either way, I’m hoping to get a pay increase after my last three fights, bt you never know.”
Where he wants to fight more:
“There [are] definitely some interesting fights over there [at Strikeforce]. Obviously they’ve got a little bit more depth over at the UFC, but there [are] definitely some guys that would be a tough fight and an interesting match-up in Strikeforce. I would love to be able to defend my belt in Strikeforce and be able to go over and unify belts in the UFC and get a couple fights over there.”
The UFC’s deal with Fox:
“I think it’s great for the sport and I think, obviously Fox wouldn’t have signed such a big deal if they [didn’t know] the viewership that the UFC brings. I’m excited about it as well. For me it’s a matter of being in front of new fans.”
Whether or not he was close to rematching Anderson Silva on the Fox debut show:
“You’d have to ask Anderson Silva’s camp, but I don’t think it was close at all because I don’t think he wants to fight me. It was something that was talked about and I said, ‘Sure, no problem. I’d do that.’ I’d cut down to 185 to fight him, but nobody else.”
If that is the rematch he wants most out of any of his losses:
“Probably. Especially the way he fights most the time. He’s disrespectful to his opponents and the fans at the same time.”
His current relationship with UFC president Dana White:
“I think he likes me, just because I don’t get in between him and his dinner.”
How he feels about the current state of his MMA career:
“I feel pretty good where I’m at. I feel I’m able to compete with anyone in the world at any weight class, especially the 135-pounders.”
How his career now compares to his heyday in PRIDE:
“Obviously the feeling was good back then as well, but if I compare the fighter I was then to the fighter I am now, I’m much more improved. I’ve learned, I’ve progressed with the sport and just continued to try to improve. My conditioning has been a focus in my last three fights and I think it showed.”
How he feels health-wise at age 41:
“Good. I’ve been real smart my last few training camps and my body’s been feeling pretty good. Knowing when to kinda back off and let my body recuperate has been a huge adjustment.”
Whether or not he’s interested in fighting Mauricio “Shogun” Rua:
“Yeah, I think that would be a great fight. Obviously the fight that I would want, and I think the fans would want even more, would be to see a title unification between whoever’s the UFC champ at light heavy and me. I would like for that to happen, but there’s a ton of fights over there. Shogun would be one of them. He just came off of a pretty big win and it would be something that all of the old school PRIDE fans would like to see, I’m sure.”
When he wants to compete again:
“Ideally, I would like to fight some time in December, even on the New Year’s Eve show would be great. But no later than that. Then again in probably February-March and again in June. I want the summers off.”
Whether or not he enjoys being a free agent since he seems to do it so much:
“It’s nice to not have to think about [where you’re next fight will be] and know what it is, but it’s also exciting to do that good ole’ negotiating phase and see what my next fight’s gonna be all at the same time in the negotiations. I don’t know. I’m just enjoying the moment and where I am right now.”
When he thinks he’ll have a new deal in place with Zuffa/Forza LLC:
“I’m sure we’ll figure out a deal within the next month, two weeks. I would love to be able to fight in the UFC and defend my belt in Strikeforce.”
While there still may be a little unfinished business for the two of them in their respective divisions, Dana White has recently admitted that a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre may very well be on the horizon.Georges St-Pierre h…
While there still may be a little unfinished business for the two of them in their respective divisions, Dana White has recently admitted that a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre may very well be on the horizon.
Georges St-Pierre has many of the qualities that one may need to dethrone the current middleweight king. Silva has struggled with strong wrestlers and people that have been able to take him down such as Dan Henderson, Travis Lutter, and Chael Sonnen. GSP possesses incredibly strong wrestling skills and certainly has the ability to take Silva to the mat. He also has very good top control and wouldn’t make the mistakes Lutter and Sonnen did that led to fight-ending submissions.
While it is very unwise for anyone to stand and trade with Silva, GSP does have a good stand-up game and has the ability to string together nice combinations and mix up his attacks. He is also very technically sound, which would help him from getting caught.
So even though GSP does not have the power to take out Silva, Silva would at least have to respect St-Pierre’s striking, which is huge.
St-Pierre would be able to set up his takedowns with strikes, so he doesn’t have to shoot from so far out. He would just have to be careful to not gain a false sense of security on his feet.
If Chael Sonnen wasn’t able to put Silva away, then it’s unlikely that very many people could.
St-Pierre also brings elements that Silva hasn’t had to deal with. GSP has the speed, explosiveness, and athleticism that some of the middleweights and light heavyweights that Silva’s fought do not possess.
With all that being said, however, it is very likely that GSP has lost this fight before it’s even started.
Even with all of his physical abilities, St-Pierre’s greatest asset and tool is his mind. He has the incredible ability to fight with his brain and stick to a game plan. He doesn’t get lulled into other people’s traps or tricks, and does not fight off of emotion.
But when doubt starts to set in, he becomes very human and begins to break down.
When asked about moving up to 185 to fight Anderson, he tends to avoid the question, and you can see the nervousness start to show in his face. Then, the excuses begin to flow like a river about how he would need time to add a lot of weight and how it would be a whole reorientation of his career. One can see that he does not feel incredibly confident in his ability to move up and be successful.
This lack of confidence and mental weakness also shows itself in his fights when he gets into trouble.
At UFC 129, when his eye got damaged by Jake Shields, he became very rattled and seemed to lose a lot of confidence. When listening to the conversation between him and Greg Jackson in between rounds, one could tell that he was very disturbed. Jackson had to basically force him to go back out for the final rounds. He was very shaken by the eye injury and did not look the same.
This is very different than the GSP we saw a few years ago. Even in his first fight against Penn he worked his way through a broken nose and a damaged eye to come back and win.
It seems that GSP may be a front-runner whose success is based off how he’s feeling mentally. In the Matt Serra fight, he wasn’t mentally prepared and got brutally knocked out.
So while GSP may possess the physical tools necessary to beat Silva, he may have already lost due to mental weakness and a lack of confidence.
Enough is enough already. There are way too many people who are jumping all over Jake Shields because, God Forbid, he has lost two fights in a row. Never mind the fact that he won his previous 15 fights over a course of five years.