Shogun Seeks Redemption Against The Iceman

For those of you who may not pay attention to MMA outside of the UFC, the name Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, may not mean very much.

"Shogun" came in to his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin, with a lot of hype.  Ultimately, he came out flat, as Forrest was able to dominate Shogun for much of the bout.

If this loss is the only thing you know about Shogun, please allow me re-introduce you to the man who was once considered the greatest 205 lb fighter in the world.

Rua rose to prominence in the now defunct "Pride FC" in Japan.  It was there that he built his reputation as being one of the most ferocious fighters in the world.

His victims included, BJJ specialist Ricardo Arona, striker Alistair Overeem, and the well-rounded Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.  Perhaps the most impressive was Shogun's victory over former UFC champion Rampage Jackson..

His win over Jackson was not just a win, it was a one-sided brutal show of domination.  Jackson was simply overwhelmed by the ferocity of Shogun's striking attack.

So with a 16-2 record, with losses coming only by submission to Babalu Sobral, and a freak injury against Mark Coleman, Shogun Rua was deservedly recognized as one of the top two 205lb fighters in the world.

A favorite against Forrest, I was shocked to see how easily Shogun was dominated.  At the time, there were many different theories about Shogun's loss.

Some people believe that the Pride fighters from Japan were simply overrated, and lacked the technical skills of their American rivals.  The losses of Cro Cop, and recent loss of Minotauro Nogueira have been cited.

Yet others have pointed to Shogun's knee injury as the reason for his loss.

Or perhaps Shogun didn't take Forrest Griffin seriously as an opponent?

In retrospect, there are probably many factors.  Forrest's recent performances have shown that Griffin is capable of competing against the best in the world, so the harshest criticisms of Shogun should be tempered by that.

The injury no doubt played at least some factor as well.  And maybe, while Forrest was somewhat underrated, Shogun was perhaps a little bit overrated.

But he didn't beat Quinton Jackson by accident.  He clearly was a good fighter.

Yet two fights into his UFC career, Shogun has yet to show the skills that once made him so feared.  Against Coleman, Shogun waded in tiredly, and was repeatedly jabbed in the face.

If Shogun wades in that way against Chuck Liddell, who is much faster, and hits much harder than Coleman, Shogun will have a very short night.

Nevertheless, Shogun claims that his recent disappointments were due to injuries, and the poor training caused by those injuries.  He claims to be highly motivated, and in great shape for his upcoming fight with Liddell.

So now, in Shogun vs Liddell, we have two fighters coming off of disappointing performances, and two fighters who desperately need a convincing win to stay relevant within the UFC title picture.

The winner will quickly be promoted back again as a contender.

Chuck Liddell's place in the UFC hall of fame is secured.

But at this point, if Shogun doesn't impress, people are quickly going to forget his impressive run in Pride, and as far as the American general public is concerned, he won't even be a has-been, he'll be a never-was.