Rashad Evans: Forrest Griffin took a piece of Shogun Rua with him
Posted on August 24, 2011, 03:41 PM by Joey Santosus“There’s something that happens in a fight sometimes, and the way Forrest beat him the first time, he took a piece of him with him. And when you take a piece of somebody with you…well, Shogun recognizes that. I think they might pick up right where they left off, because there’s no fear. That’s gone. You know, Forrest is going to go in there, and Forrest is going to push the pace. Let’s be honest here. Shogun does not have the best conditioning. I think that was a problem in their first fight, and I think it’s going to be a problem in this second fight. - For more from Rashad Evans, visit CrooklynsCorner.com
When Mauricio "Shogun" Rua made his UFC debut back in 2007, popular opinion was that his opponent, Forrest Griffin, was being thrown to the wolves. After all, Rua had made a mockery of nearly every fighter placed in front of him while competing under the PRIDE banner, including a first-round drumming of Alistair Overeem in his final bout with the promotion. So while Griffin was well respected for his accomplishments on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, he couldn't possibly be ready for a competitor of Shogun's caliber, right? Wrong. After nearly 15-minutes of grueling back and forth action, Rua appeared to be running on empty. Seizing the opportunity, Griffin successfully took the Brazilian's back and sunk in a fight ending rear-naked choke with just 15-seconds remaining in the bout.
It wasn't the first time his cardio had betrayed him and wouldn't be the last. Returning from an extended layoff back in March, a noticeably gassed Shogun lost the Light Heavyweight strap when he was finished in the third-round by Jon "Bones" Jones. Now scheduled to meet Griffin a second time this Saturday in his home country of Brazil, Rua will look to avenge a loss and, perhaps more importantly, prove that he's still a force at 205-pounds. So what do you think LowKick'ers? Is Rashad Evans on point with his prediction? Or will we see a renewed Shogun Rua at UFC 134?
Further Reading: Shogun Rua looks back at his training camp for UFC 134
Photo: Forrest Griffin, left, fights Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 76 during a mixed martial arts match at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA on Saturday Sept. 22, 2007. Credit: Francis Specker
Comments
Valid points by stanky leg
I like forest but I see vengeance for shogun.
Good point, but shut up, Rashad.
Shogun was coming off a long lay off when they fought the first time. I think Forest has to execute a near perfect fight to beat Shogun. where as Rua has a lot more ways to beat Griffin.
I was liking Forest for this one, but I have my doubts after reading that other article about him thinking that he has plateaued or is in decline. But the this is Forest Griffin, one of the most self effacing guys in MMA. He could of just been BSing his way through an interview or just being way more brutally honest than most fighters about his own skills. I think he has the size, gas, and durability to take Shogun again, but Rashad makes a good point. That loss Rua took against Forest has probably been in the back of his mind ever since. He will want revenge and he's got the home court advantage on his side (so to speak).
forrest may just be being extra hard on himself when he says he plateu'd, but it makes me root for shogun, i wanna see the hungrier guys win, not the guys who think they've got a couple of fights left before they retire and open a gym
I think Forrest is just being Forrest when he say thinks about himself, He (Forrest) is his own worst critic. The guy just does not like himself. I want to see the Shogun of old cause we all know that Forrest will bring the fight if that happens then this could be the fight of the year this year.
Sooo what did lyoto take from Rashad?Dance lessons?Resident evil zombie looking ktfo face?
This guy has his head in his ass. He must still have trauma from getting his head scrambled by Lyoto. Shogun will reck Forrest and hopefully we can all see him reck rashad after he gets put to sleep by either Rampage or Jones.
I think Forest has this one. His cardio, his aggressiveness and his ground game are going to play right into Rua's weaknesses.