Rua finally at home inside the Octagon
Mauricio Rua Ready For UFC 104
Just a few short years ago, there was no mystery surrounding a fight that involved Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Everyone expected the world's best 205-pound mixed martial artist to leave victorious.
Rarely did Rua disappoint. He built his reputation as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, behind heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, by dominating Pride's top middleweights.
Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, Ricardo Arona, Kevin Randleman: They all fell victim to Rua's skill and ring savvy. There was no denying that the 205-pound division was Rua's personal playpen.
But that was three years ago. Pride is quickly becoming a distant memory, along with Rua's past dominances.
Since coming to UFC in 2007, Rua has been a shell of the fighter he was in Pride. His commitment to training has come into question, and some wonder if the desire to fight still burns in his belly.
When he took on Forrest Griffin in September 2007, Rua looked sluggish. A top-level Muay Thai fighter, Rua could not find his rhythm and struggled to deliver a punch or knee.
By the second round, he was breathing heavily. Those watching could hardly believe their eyes, as the world's most dominant light heavyweight was getting beaten by a heavy underdog.
Rua looked miserable in that fight. Fortunately, Griffin would put him out of his misery in the third -- finishing Rua with a rear-naked choke.
Shortly thereafter, it would be revealed that Rua fought Griffin with an ACL injury in his left knee. News of the injury may have eased the pain of losing to Griffin, but it did little to repair the damage done to Rua's reputation -- despite having won two in a row.
No one regards Rua as the top 205-pounder anymore, and only a handful of fans give him a chance Saturday at UFC 104 (pay-per-view, 10 ET) against titleholder Lyoto Machida. According to a UFC poll, only 13 percent of fans believe Rua can pull off an upset at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Rua, however, couldn't care less about polls or what people think of him as a fighter. After taking more than a year off to rehab his knee and fine-tune his game, he's confident he will become UFC light heavyweight champion.
Feeding this confidence is a comfort level in the Octagon that Rua did not possess during his first three UFC bouts. Most fighters who came from Pride, where bouts were held in a ring, claim competing in the Octagon isn't an issue. Rua begs to differ.
"My biggest challenge when coming into UFC was adjusting to the Octagon -- the size and space you have to fight in. It is a completely different game," Rua said during a recent conference call. "It's like playing in the NFL and Arena football; it's a completely different thing.
"Another major thing was that I lacked rhythm, since I was sidelined for a long time. Now I'm in rhythm.
"I have been fighting often and I have been training a lot. I have adapted to the [Octagon] space because I have an official-sized cage in my academy. That has me perfectly used to the space and environment of fighting in UFC."
While Rua has found comfort in the Octagon, a more difficult issue plagued him and his handlers for much of training camp: solving Machida. It is a problem no one in UFC has come close to figuring out. Rua, however, believes his staff has put together a fight plan that will punch holes in Machida's style.
"Lyoto is a different style of fighter from other athletes. Most athletes that you face you need to train and [adjust] to little things … and fight them as you usually do," said Rua, who is 18-3-0. "Lyoto is a different guy with a karate background, which he's adapted to mixed martial arts.
"It is very tough to find him during the fight. It's hard to find the right distance because he has great timing, but I have been preparing for four months and I am confident I am going to perform well."
A confident Rua is very dangerous. Being fully prepared mentally was an important element of his success in Pride.
When Rua is 100 percent -- physically and mentally -- he is capable of defeating any mixed martial artist inside a ring or Octagon, including Machida. Everyone inside Machida's camp is aware of this fact, and no one is taking Rua lightly.
"Shogun Rua has proved in his past performances what type of fighter he is," Machida's manager, Ed Soares, told ESPN.com. "Rua is a valid competitor. Let's not forget that three years ago, he was considered the best light heavyweight in the world.
"He is a tough opponent. This has the makings of a great fight."
To his credit, Machida is approaching this bout like every other. He is no longer the hunter, but that hasn't changed his prefight ritual.
Machida (15-0-0) trains with the same determination and focus he had before lifting the belt from Rashad Evans at UFC 98. Staying mentally grounded might prove more important Saturday night than in previous fights. The champ can't afford to be less than 100 percent.
One way Machida plans to prevent a letdown is to not consider himself the defending titleholder on fight night. When he steps in the Octagon against Rua, it will be simply fighter against fighter -- not champion against challenger.
This isn't necessarily good news for Rua. He will face a more refined Machida than the one who knocked out Evans in May. Machida continues to get mentally and physically stronger, while his striking improves with each training session.
"My thought process isn't much different than before I won the belt," Machida said during a conference call. "Every time I go into a fight I am not there to defend the belt, but to win the belt. I'm prepared to go in there and win this belt again.
"I have a strength and conditioning coach, who has been able to adopt a lot more speed and agility and strength to my striking. It has given me more power in my strikes."
It's difficult to imagine anyone at 205 pounds knocking off an improved Machida, but if Rua is close to the fighter he was three years ago an upset isn't out of the question. Rua is now confident, healthy and at home in the Octagon.
He is nobody's sacrificial lamb. The Rua who steps inside the cage Saturday night could look very much like the man who dominated Pride fighters three years ago.
"My knee is now 100 percent. Thank God," Rua said. "It has been one year and eight months since my last surgery. It really doesn't bother me at all.
"I expect to give my best performance in the Octagon, and fight to the best of my skills. This is the only thing I demand of myself."
Franklin McNeil is an analyst on ESPN.com's "MMA Live."
