When the Ultimate Fighting Championship purchased Pride Fighting Championships in 2007, there was no Pride fighter that UFC fans were more excited about seeing than Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Regarded by many as the best light heavyweight MMA fighter in the world, Rua had gone 12-1 in Pride and was expected to have some epic clashes with the best light heavyweights in the UFC.
But it hasn't happened. Rua fought for the UFC just once in 2007, losing what at the time was considered a shocking upset to Forrest Griffin. And because of injuries, he didn't fight at all in 2008.
Now Rua is healthy and ready to get back into the Octagon, and with a fight against Mark Coleman on January 17 at UFC 93, he has a chance to avenge his only loss in Pride. That fight ended because Rua suffering a nasty elbow injury and couldn't go on, and in an interview this week, Rua told me he feels like that fight didn't have a proper ending, and UFC 93 will be his opportunity to finish it.
The interview, which was conducted via e-mail with translating help from Rua's manager, is below.
UFC 93: Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Says His Fight With Mark Coleman Needs a Real Ending originally appeared on MMA FanHouse on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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