Tag: Mauricio Rua

Thy Gangster’s Will Be Done: Chael Sonnen vs. Rashad Evans Set For UFC 167


(Further proof that Chael Sonnen is a direct descendant of Prometheus.) 

One of the most well known Bible verses is Matthew 6:10, which in the King James version reads: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Although scholars believe that the verse was/is a plea for all of mankind to obey the will of God, recent evidence indicates that it was clearly describing the will of Chael P. Sonnen. For ye, whenever the “American Gangster” speaketh, so the UFC shall maketh it a reality.

Two days ago, we reported that the mushroom cloud of anger that Wanderlei Silva has become would have to wait until next year to rearrange Sonnen’s butt face (and to think, he coulda been in the NFL if it weren’t for his bum back). Being that Chael loves fighting more than Jack Donaghy loves negotiation, he figured he might as well keep busy while his (next) Brazilian nemesis recuperated by calling out his UFC Tonight co-worker Rashad Evans in “The Axe Murderer’s” place.

Which brings us to today’s announcement: The Oregonian will indeed be facing Evans at UFC 167, because shit happens when you were one half of the highest selling UFC PPV of all time. The event will mark the UFC’s 20th anniversary and will transpire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 16th.


(Further proof that Chael Sonnen is a direct descendant of Prometheus.) 

One of the most well known Bible verses is Matthew 6:10, which in the King James version reads: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Although scholars believe that the verse was/is a plea for all of mankind to obey the will of God, recent evidence indicates that it was clearly describing the will of Chael P. Sonnen. For ye, whenever the “American Gangster” speaketh, so the UFC shall maketh it a reality.

Two days ago, we reported that the mushroom cloud of anger that Wanderlei Silva has become would have to wait until next year to rearrange Sonnen’s butt face (and to think, he coulda been in the NFL if it weren’t for his bum back). Being that Chael loves fighting more than Jack Donaghy loves negotiation, he figured he might as well keep busy while his (next) Brazilian nemesis recuperated by calling out his UFC Tonight co-worker Rashad Evans in “The Axe Murderer’s” place.

Which brings us to today’s announcement: The Oregonian will indeed be facing Evans at UFC 167, because shit happens when you were one half of the highest selling UFC PPV of all time. The event will mark the UFC’s 20th anniversary and will transpire at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 16th.

After dropping back-to-back contests against two guys you’ve probably never heard of, Sonnen got back in the win column with a decisive and dominant first round submission over Mauricio Rua in August. Evans, on the other hand, is coming off a much less decisive split decision victory over Dan Henderson at UFC 161. The trash-talking alert for this matchup has already reached threat level double rainbow.

Does anyone see Sonnen making it two straight at light heavyweight, or will he end up licking Rashad’s boot once again?

–J. Jones

Shogun Releases Statement: ‘I Still Want to Be World Champion Again’

Following his disappointing loss to Chael Sonnen at the UFC Fight Night 26 main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has said he is not interested in leaving the sport.
In a press release picked up by MMA Fight…

Following his disappointing loss to Chael Sonnen at the UFC Fight Night 26 main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has said he is not interested in leaving the sport.

In a press release picked up by MMA Fighting, Rua stated:

I have 11 years in MMA and Vale Tudo, I won everything I always wanted. I achieved everything I dreamed, but I want to do that again. I still want many victories; I still want to become the world champion again. Who decides when I will stop (fighting) or not is myself, no one else. Thank God I’m financially stable, and I keep fighting because I love it.

The loss to Sonnen gave Rua his first losing streak of his professional career. It also marked his first first-round submission loss since turning pro. Despite the setback and just how underwhelming his performance was, Rua‘s team seemed confident that his training was adequate leading up to the bout.

Leonardo Salomao, Rua’s manager, stated in the release:

Mauricio invested a lot in this camp, trained with the best, went to the United States to learn new techniques, so we decided to maintain the same team. He trained with Freddie Roach in the US, took Jacob Harman to Curitiba, had the support of Glaube Feitosa, Roberto Gordo and Renato Babalu on his corner. He was really well prepared, but Sonnen was better. Mauricio is a winner and I’m sure he will be back.

While cardio has been pointed to by Rua defenders on the various forum boards across the internet following losses, there was no opportunity for an excuse against Sonnen. The fight was only reaching the end of the first round by the time Rua was forced to tap.

The Brazilian stuck to his guns regarding his own future, emphasizing that a loss is no reason to consider a career a failure as a whole:

I’m a big fan of Ayrton Senna, but I didn’t think he was bad when he lost. I was a true fan, I admired him for what he did, winning or losing. His name is in history now and I believe mine will be in the history of MMA. I thank the fans for their words on social media, you are very important for me.

Despite Shogun’s assertion that he did his best to prepare for the fight, brother and former cornerman Murilo Rua voiced his own concerns following his brother’s loss. In a story from MMA Fighting, “Ninja” stated that his brother “Has a lot of shady persons around him, people trying to take advantage of him.”

People from his camp said I wasn’t good for Mauricio because I made him nervous when I was on his corner, and he listened to that, so I decided to leave. If something is wrong I would point it out, I wouldn’t just lie to please him.

Time will tell whether a change of camps, the reintroduction of his brother, or a whole new outlook on fighting can give Rua one last run at the title. For now, the bad taste left from the bitter loss will have to be burdened by Rua‘s fans and team, as each tries to figure out if there is anything left to salvage from a sinking career.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Murilo Rua Surprised by ‘Shogun’ Rua Loss, Blames Shady People in ‘Shogun’ Camp

Murilo “Ninja” Rua was just as shocked as nearly every MMA fan in the world when his brother Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was forced to tap out to Chael Sonnen at UFC Fight Night 26.
Murilo spoke to MMA Fighting about the loss and believes it can be cred…

Murilo “Ninja” Rua was just as shocked as nearly every MMA fan in the world when his brother Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was forced to tap out to Chael Sonnen at UFC Fight Night 26.

Murilo spoke to MMA Fighting about the loss and believes it can be credited to some issues within Mauricio’s camp.

I was surprised. In my opinion, Mauricio played the wrong game. He should’ve moved more to avoid the takedowns. Fighting on half guard against a wrestler isn’t a good strategy. He should have brought Chael to his guard when he got taken down, tried to sweep him or land some punches. But Sonnen got his neck, unfortunately.

Getting caught in a submission hold is a mistake anyone can make on any given night. The loss dropped Mauricio to 5-6 in the UFC and marked the first time he’d suffered back-to-back losses in his professional career. Worse yet, Mauricio lost to a fighter many consider to be outside the top 10 in rankings and who was coming off consecutive losses himself.

Still, Murilo believes his brother can turn everything around by making some changes within his camp.

“He has a lot of shady persons around him, people trying to take advantage of him,” he said. “People from his camp said I wasn’t good for Mauricio because I made him nervous when I was on his corner, and he listened to that, so I decided to leave. If something is wrong I would point it out, I wouldn’t just lie to please him.”

Mauricio has changed camps, coaches and management teams a number of times during his UFC tenure. So far none of them have provided “Shogun” with the magic formula for continued success.

What Murilo is making it sound like is Mauricio being in a BJ Penn-like situation. Penn’s camp has come under fire in recent times for being nothing more than yes-men and not giving the Hawaiian a training camp to improve as a fighter.

Of course, there’s also the fact that “Shogun” has gone through multiple knee surgeries along with countless wars inside the Octagon and over in Pride. His body is quite older than what his birth certificate would lead you to believe. Sonnen also happened to be a terrible stylistic match up for the Brazilian as well.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

In Case You Missed It: Chael Sonnen Is Too Sweet to Be Sour, Calls Out Wanderlei Silva in Post-Fight Promo [VIDEO]

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

It’s kind of scary how quickly Chael Sonnen can flip the switch from normal human being to his pro-wrestling alter ego (“Chael Mysterio”?) — but we all caught another glimpse of it on Saturday night, following his unexpected guillotine-choke finish of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 26. First, Sonnen shouts out his grandmother and friend who are both fighting cancer, while rocking a shiny pink ribbon on his walkout shirt. And then…bang. It’s time to cut that promo:

“I’m the man of the hour, Joe, too sweet to be sour, what you see is what you get, and what you don’t is better yet. I’m the women’s pick I’m the men’s regret, and if you went against Chael Sonnen you made a bad bet. Now… [*hold for applause*]

“Right here, on the UFC’s new home, FOX, Sports, 1, Wanderlei Silva [*hold for applause/boos*]…six feet tall and 205 pounds, boy, until I met you I didn’t know they could stack crap that high. [*hold for applause. At this point, you really expect Jim Ross to say ‘my goodness’ from the broadcast desk*]

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I will let you know when I’m done, Joe, I just got done with a world champion, if you don’t think I won’t add a middle-aged comedian just for the goddamn pleasure of it, you better think again. Wanderlei Silva, three months, you and the bad guy!”

Last night, Silva tweeted that the UFC hasn’t called him yet to set up the fight, while Vitor Belfort tried to score the matchup for himself. We’ll see which Brazilian earns the pleasure of fighting the American heel, but in the meantime, Sonnen is a hot commodity again.

Highlights from Sonnen’s win against Rua are after the jump…


(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

It’s kind of scary how quickly Chael Sonnen can flip the switch from normal human being to his pro-wrestling alter ego (“Chael Mysterio”?) — but we all caught another glimpse of it on Saturday night, following his unexpected guillotine-choke finish of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC Fight Night 26. First, Sonnen shouts out his grandmother and friend who are both fighting cancer, while rocking a shiny pink ribbon on his walkout shirt. And then…bang. It’s time to cut that promo:

“I’m the man of the hour, Joe, too sweet to be sour, what you see is what you get, and what you don’t is better yet. I’m the women’s pick I’m the men’s regret, and if you went against Chael Sonnen you made a bad bet. Now… [*hold for applause*]

“Right here, on the UFC’s new home, FOX, Sports, 1, Wanderlei Silva [*hold for applause/boos*]…six feet tall and 205 pounds, boy, until I met you I didn’t know they could stack crap that high. [*hold for applause. At this point, you really expect Jim Ross to say ‘my goodness’ from the broadcast desk*]

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I will let you know when I’m done, Joe, I just got done with a world champion, if you don’t think I won’t add a middle-aged comedian just for the goddamn pleasure of it, you better think again. Wanderlei Silva, three months, you and the bad guy!”

Last night, Silva tweeted that the UFC hasn’t called him yet to set up the fight, while Vitor Belfort tried to score the matchup for himself. We’ll see which Brazilian earns the pleasure of fighting the American heel, but in the meantime, Sonnen is a hot commodity again.

Highlights from Sonnen’s win against Rua are after the jump…


(Props: FOX Sports)

Shogun vs. Sonnen: Power Ranking UFC Fight Night 26’s Main Card Fights

UFC Fight Night 26 delivered in a big way. It delivered for the UFC, for Fox Sports 1 and for the fans.
The undercard got things going with knockouts, submissions and back-and-forth battles. The main card then looked to keep that momentum rolling.
Unli…

UFC Fight Night 26 delivered in a big way. It delivered for the UFC, for Fox Sports 1 and for the fans.

The undercard got things going with knockouts, submissions and back-and-forth battles. The main card then looked to keep that momentum rolling.

Unlike many UFC events, there were six main card fights for the Fox Sports 1 debut. It was capped off with a light heavyweight bout between Chael Sonnen and former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

It was a quality night of fights.

Here is how the night’s main card bouts stacked up against one another.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night 26 Results: 5 Fights for Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua to Take Next

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua entered UFC Fight Night 26 in a must-win scenario if he hoped to remain in title contention. Unfortunately for the Brazilian and his fans, that was not the case.
Most pictured this fight ending in a decision if Chael Sonnen were t…

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua entered UFC Fight Night 26 in a must-win scenario if he hoped to remain in title contention. Unfortunately for the Brazilian and his fans, that was not the case.

Most pictured this fight ending in a decision if Chael Sonnen were to have his hand raised. Very few, if any, had Sonnen winning via submission. Yet Sonnen was able to tap out a well-respected grappler in Shogun inside the first round.

Now questions surrounding Rua are on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Is he still a legit 205er? Does he have anything left in the gas tank? Should he drop to middleweight?

All these questions will no doubt come up when Rua‘s management team discusses what’s next with the UFC.

These five matchups should be on the horizon when those discussions go down.

Begin Slideshow