The Meteoric Fall of Shogun Rua Continues, Even After a Win

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was once considered to be one of the best fighters in the world. In his PRIDE days, he was he was able to finish all but just two fights, and all of his finishes came in the first round.

He could throw with the best of them. He got KO/TKO victories over stars like Rampage Jackson, Allstair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona. A who's who of PRIDE superstars accounted for just four of Shogun's 14 KO/TKO victories.

So when he came to the UFC, people expected this guy to go Anderson Silva-style and dominate the LHW division. He was so good, that the UFC decided to give him a good fighter in his debut, instead of an easy win like most PRIDE stars get.

They were so confident that Shogun would drop Forrest in the first round, that they didn't even take Forrest's conditioning into question. Fatal flaw to say the least.

See, with Shogun ending most of his fights in the first round, nobody ever really got to measure his conditioning. Nobody knew that, apparently, "treadmill" is one of the many words the Brazilian doesn't understand.

His first UFC fight came against arguably the most popular fighter in the UFC, Forrest Griffin. Many expected Forrest to eat canvas about 30 seconds in, but like always, the perennial underdog proved everyone wrong.

Forrest stuck around for all three rounds, and exposed the major weakness in Shogun's game. Forrest was also able to submit the BJJ black belt late in the third, earning himself a title shot in the process.

Shogun would continue to lurk in the hearts and minds of MMA fans despite being submitted and thoroughly dominated in his debut. We all thought that he would train hard, work up his cardio, and come back better than ever.

Then he was suffered a ruptured ACL while preparing to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 85, requiring him to back out of the fight.

It had been over a year since we saw Shogun fight, and the MMA fans started to grow restless. Then the announcement was made that made all the Shogun faithfuls rejoice. Rua would get a long awaited rematch against Mark Coleman at UFC 93.

Coleman had recently been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame having been the first UFC HW champion, and creating the ground-and-pound style that has become one of the most frequently used strategies in all of MMA.

But at 44 years old, all considered this fight to just be a squash fight that would get Shogun a name win, and out him back in the title hunt.

That was until we actually witnessed the fight. Coleman/Rua may just be the most disappointing fight I've ever watched. I honestly couldn't tell who the 44 year old man was.

Had I not been reminded that Shogun was just 27 by Mike Goldberg prior to the fight, I would have thought I was watching the UFC senior division. At least then I would have been impressed.

I can't even explain to you how boring the fight was, not even if I was telling you face to face. Even the walking to the center of the octagon for the staredown looked tiring for these men.

The first round consisted of a Coleman takedown, Rua takedown, Rua near finish, and an airhorn going off. The second round was the same thing but with less action.

This next part I am not exaggerating. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Shogun Rua, had the gassed 44-year-old Mark Coleman locked in a textbook omoplata, for two minutes. TWO MINUTES!!!!!!!

It should take no more than 10 seconds for a BJJ practitioner of his caliber to finish an omoplata. Shogun had Mark Coleman in one for two full minutes before the airhorn finally sounded.

The third round went like this. Coleman takedown, Rua attempted kneebar, Coleman GnP, Rua KO.

It was finally over. Although it ended in with what I thought to be an early stoppage, it was over. The fight earned an F+ in my gradebook. (the only thing that qualifies as an F- is Starnes/Quarry)

The worst part about this fight, is that Mark Coleman said in the post-fight interview that he wants to do it again. Don't worry, I have my fingers crossed that it won't.

What can I say about Shogun Rua? The former phenom is no longer relevant. He is no longer a threat to any title. He is no longer a main-event draw.

Most of all, he is past his prime. Yes, at 27 years old, the man that many thought would be the Anderson Silva of the UFC LHW division, may now be nothing more than a gatekeeper.

Hell, I think Keith Jardine may be more relevant than Shogun at this point .I wish I was joking, but at least Jardine excites me. In two UFC fights, Shogun has done nothing but lower his worth.

Yes, he did beat Coleman, but dominance and excitement while dominating matters more than anything. Why do you think Lyoto Machida hasn't earned a title shot yet?

Let this be my final comment. Shogun Rua is no more. He is now Mauricio Rua. Not until he proves to me that he is worthy such a cool nickname can he have it back.

It may seem a harsh punishment, but having to pay $60 to watch him fail again is a crime worthy of such a punishment.