Shogun Rua: The 10 Most Memorable Moments from His PRIDE and UFC Career

UFC on FOX 5, set for Saturday, December 8, will play host to a notable light heavyweight showdown between Alexander Gustafsson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

For Gustafsson, the fight is an opportunity to break into the division's upper-echelon and assert himself ever nearer to a title shot.

For Rua, the bout is another blank canvass to add to an already-storied career.  

In anticipation of the event, let us look back at the highlights of Rua's career and recall the moments that put him on the path to his upcoming UFC on FOX 5 contest. 

Pride Fighting Championship Debut

Shogun debuted with the Pride organization on October 5, 2003. 

At that time, he had compiled a 4-1 career record and was coming off a loss to Renato "Babalu" Sobral. He had also developed something of a reputation for himself, having earned each of his victories via knockout.

The Brazilian added to his KO resume in his first bout under the Pride Bushido banner—a subsidiary that mostly featured smaller fighters—stopping longtime promotional veteran Akira Shoji in the contest's opening round.

It was this victory and this moment that Shogun began his meteoric rise through the sport of MMA in earnest and set himself on the path to stardom.

The Obliteration of Quinton Jackson at Pride FC: Total Elimination

Shogun's first non-Bushido event fight with Pride came against Hiromitsu Kanehara, an opponent he defeated via first-round knockout. The victory earned him a spot in Pride's Middleweight Grand Prix, a 16-man tournament single elimination tournament that ran during the spring and summer of 2005.

Shogun's first-round opponent? None other than the man they call "Rampage."

Quinton Jackson entered the bout fresh off a decision win over Rua's older brother, Murilo. The question was, could Jackson go 2-0 against the Ruas, or would he find the same type of albatross in Shogun he had found in the Brazilian's friend, Wanderlei Silva, who had already annihilated him twice.

The answer was very much the latter option—the match was a one-sided thrashing that was every bit as violent as either of Silva's wins over Jackson.

Shogun relentlessly pressured Jackson, only pausing between hooks and uppercuts to throw his brand of menacing head-kick.

At the 4:47 mark of Round 1, "Rampage" could take no more and crumpled to the ground after a battering of knees from the clinch sapped the last of his physical fortitude.

The win really put Shogun on the map. Not only as an elite fighter, but also as one of the most exciting and active mixed martial artists on the planet.

Middleweight (205 Pounds) Pride Grand Prix Championship

Shogun followed up his first-round win over Quinton Jackson by decisioning Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the quarterfinals, then knocking out Alistair Overeem in the semis of the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix.

While it looked like Shogun and his pal, Wanderlei Silva, were on a collision course to meet in the finals, fellow Brazilian Ricardo Arona played spoiler, upsetting "The Axe Murderer" in the semis of the tournament's other opposite bracket.

Shogun, however, saw fit to put an end to Arona's impressive run, stopping him via vicious ground and pound at the 2:54 mark of the very first round. 

Shogun's Grand Prix victory remains his most impressive accomplishment to date. It was also the moment he officially transitioned from future star to just plain star. 

If you are wondering just how an accomplishment this Grand Prix victory was, look over the tournament's bracket and note the proverbial who's who of all-time great 205-pound mixed martial artists.

First Pride Loss, Freak Injury and Ensuing Melee

Fresh off his Grand Prix win, Shogun was tapped to face Mark Coleman at Pride 31.

The bout got off to a frenetic start, but was very short-lived. At the 0:49 mark of Round 1, Shogun attempted to plant his right arm in effort to absorb Coleman's takedown, but dislocated his elbow in the process. The referee immediately called a halt to the match, declaring Coleman the winner.

Despite the favorable result, Coleman momentarily lost his mind, throwing an extra shot or two at the debilitated Rua before tossing the pesky referee away to prevent his interference. He then proceeded to stomp around the cage while directing spit-projecting shouts at Rua's ringside Chute Boxe teammates.

The Chute Boxe camp did not take kindly to Coleman's antics and entered the ring, as did Coleman's Team Hammer House pals, though even they must have been bewildered by his behavior.

Something of a brawl then ensued. 

Though the fight and subsequent fallout was hardly the pinnacle of Shogun's career, it remains an iconic moment in Pride history.

Shogun would get his revenge years later when he knocked Coleman out in the third round of their UFC 93 contest.

Return to USA , Final Pride FC Fight

In 2007, Pride FC made its second foray into the United States. As part of the promotion's aptly named "Second Coming," Shogun faced Alistair Overeem in a rematch of their 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix semifinal.

Though he had fought in the USA twice before, Pride 33 was really the first time there was much American fanfare surrounding Shogun. If nothing else, the buzz surrounding the burgeoning Brazilian confirmed that his star had ascended outside the Land of the Rising Sun.

Shogun delivered in a big way at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, stopping Overeem via first-round strikes for the second times in as many meetings.

The match was Shogun's last under the Pride banner.

UFC Debut, Loss to Forrest Griffin

Though Shogun's win over Alistair Overeem was his last Pride performance, it was really only the start of his American presence.

Joining the UFC in 2007, Rua entered the promotion as one of the most hyped fighters of his generation. He was considered by many to be the crown jewel of the UFC's purchase of Pride FC and was marked an heir-apparent to the light heavyweight throne.

All that was left for Shogun to do was to go and take everything the fans and media had already given him in their heads.

Reality, however, played out a bit differently than expectations—Rua lost via rear-naked choke to Ultimate Fighter 1 champion Forrest Griffin in his UFC debut.

The defeat severely dampened Shogun's UFC arrival and bruised his image to the point that many began questioning the legitimacy of the organization he had terrorized.

Shogun has certainly accomplished much in the UFC since the fight, but the loss will always stand as a blemish on his historical record.

The Destruction of the Legendary Chuck Liddell

By the time Rua did it, knocking out Chuck Liddell was already well in vogue. 

Still, the highlight-reel finish Shogun scored over "The Iceman" was the first of his UFC career and was really the first time he looked like his old Pride-self. 

It was a performance that really got the monkey off his back in a big way. It also garnered him a title shot against then-champion Lyoto Machida.

The 2-Fight Saga with Lyoto Machida, and the Acquisition of the UFC Championship

Rua got his first crack at UFC gold in 2009 when he was chosen to to face newly-crowned 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida.

Shogun entered the bout as an underdog, but thoroughly outclassed Machida and breezed to an easy one-sided decision victory.

At least that is what SHOULD have happened. The part about Shogun thoroughly outclassing Machida stands, but the judges saw fit to award the W to the unmistakably beaten man in one of sports' biggest troll moves of the year.

Dana White sought to correct the injustice by granting Shogun an immediate rematch, which was booked for the following spring.

Having been on the butt-end of what can only be hypothesized to have been a practical joke gone too far, Rua decided he'd better not leave it to the judges a second time. Resolved to finish the rematch, he didn't even need a full round to end Machida's night.

With the win, Rua captured the light heavyweight title, fulfilling the lofty expectations that had followed him from Pride to the UFC.

Revenge Taken Against Forrest Griffin in Brazil

After losing his title to Jon Jones, Rua turned on the man that so inhospitably welcomed him to the UFC back in 2007. 

The UFC 134 rematch between Rua and Forrest Griffin had a revenge angle to it, and revenge is precisely what Rua got, stopping Griffin in just 1:53.

Making things even better for Rua was that the emphatic victory came in his native Brazil, and in front of a favorable crowd that provided a suitable setting for a celebration.

One of MMA's All-Time Greatest Fights: Rua vs. Henderson

At UFC 139, former Pride mainstays Mauricio Rua and Dan Henderson were called upon to enact a battle that could have just as well happened back in 2005.

Though both fighters were a little more battle-worn than in the Pride days, the matchup proved well worth the wait.

Henderson and Rua slugged it out for 25 minutes of heart-racing action, culminating in one of the most memorable matches the UFC—and the sport of MMA—has ever witnessed. 

The contest stands as the definition of "memorable." The only thing MMA fans might one day forget is who the winner was.

Even in defeat, UFC 139 can be looked back upon as a very triumphant moment in the career of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.