Blast From The Past: Shogun vs. Nogueira II Possible For TUF Brazil 4 Finale
With four losses in his last five UFC fights, the current version of former light heavyweight champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is obviously a far cry from the dominating Muay Thai specialist that ran through the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix as a 23-year-old bulldozer.
But that doesn’t mean that Shogun, who was last seen on the losing end of a 34-second knockout against Ovince St. Preux at November’s UFC Fight Night 56, is going to hang up his gloves for good.
The fan favorite slugger recently signed on to coach the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Brazil opposite all-time great middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but “The Spider” was axed from the show when news broke that he had failed several drug tests for anabolic steroids in conjunction with his UFC 183 victory over Nick Diaz.
Silva was soon replaced by Rua’s old foe Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, with whom he shared 2005’s “Fight of the Year” in the quarterfinal round of the aforementioned Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. Rua and Silva were never gong to fight, but a rematch with Nogueira could be a distinct possibility.
Shogun told Guilherme Cruz that his oft-rumored move down to middleweight might have to wait because his next fight could be against the younger “Minotouro” brother.
“I don’t know about (dropping to 185 pounds) because I might fight with ‘Minotouro’ next,” Rua said on Wednesday. “I leave that decision with my coaches and my manager. They will make the call. Whatever they do, I’m happy.”
Rua also voiced his admiration for both Nogueira brothers, noting that nothing official has been proposed by the UFC. Shogun said he’s a professional, and if it came down to it, he would fight Rogerio once again.
“People are talking about it, but I respect both Rodrigo and Rogerio and the UFC hasn’t talked about it with me or my manager. I admire them, but I would fight (Rogerio), yes. I’m a professional, but there’s nothing set yet.”
For his part, Nogueira put the ball in UFC President Dana White’s court.
“Fighting ‘Shogun’ at the TUF Finale event is a possibility, and we’re waiting,” Nogueira said. “It’s up to Dana White to get this fight done, and I’m waiting.”
With the show being filmed in Las Vegas for the first time, the groundwork for June 27’s TUF Brazil 4 Finale is still in its infantile stages, but it’s looking like Rua vs. Nogueira II could keep Shogun at light heavyweight for the time being.
