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Two wrestlers on the floor. Photo by juliet_eden.

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Maurício Rua

Maurcio Milani “Shogun” Rua is a Brazilian professional MMA fighter and former model. He competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Light Heavyweight division (UFC). He is known as “Shogun.” He was previously the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Rua has been a professional competitor since 2002 and is the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion.

Rua was born on November 25, 1981, in Curitiba, Brazil, and is of Italian and Portuguese ancestry. Rua’s father is a businessman, and his mother is a marathon runner who used to be a track athlete.

Murilo (“Ninja,” born 1980) is his older brother, and Marcos is his younger brother (“Shaolin”). Both are Universidade da luta mixed martial artists, though Marcos does not compete professionally. The Rua brothers go for 10-kilometer runs with their mother on occasion.

1. His professional career began at Vale Tudo events in Brazil

Rua began his professional career in Brazil at vale tudo events, where he earned three stoppages due to strikes, including a victory over future Chute Boxe Academy teammate Evangelista Santos. Santos matched Rua on the feet until Rua took him to the ground and forced a stoppage due to strikes from mount.

2. Rua’s first Pride defeat came at the hands of Mark Coleman

Closeup of referee raises hand of boxer winner after fight. Photo by sportpoint.

Shogun was chosen to face Mark Coleman at Pride 31 after winning the Grand Prix.

The fight got off to a frantic start, but it was cut short. Shogun attempted to plant his right arm to absorb Coleman’s takedown at the 0:49 mark of Round 1, but dislocated his elbow in the process. The match was immediately called off by the referee, who declared Coleman the winner.

3. Coleman had an unexpected manic episode during his UFC fight with Rua

Despite the favorable outcome, Coleman went insane for a moment, firing an extra shot or two at the incapacitated Rua before tossing the pesky referee away to avoid his interference. He then stomped around the cage, directing spit-projecting yells at Rua’s ringside Chute Boxe teammates.

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

Then there was a bit of a brawl. Though the fight and its aftermath were not the pinnacle of Shogun’s career, it remains an iconic moment in Pride history.

Shogun avenged himself years later, knocking Coleman out in the third round of their UFC 93 fight.

4. In 2005, Maurcio Rua won the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix

Maurcio Rua with fans at an expo. Photo by Mark Richardson.

Shogun’s best years in Pride were from 2003 to 2007. He competed in the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix in 2005. He defeated Pride legends such as Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Quinton Jackson during this tournament.

Rua and Arona squared off in the tournament’s final match. Rua knocked Arona out with punches at 2:54 in the first round to win the fight and become the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion.

Nino Schembri later awarded him a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a process that took only four years from when he received his purple belt. This capped off a year in which he was named Sherdog.com’s Fighter of the Year.

5. He Trained At Chute Boxe Academy Until 2008

Shogun Rua was one of the first combatants to emerge from the prestigious Chute Boxe Academy. During his time there, he became a prolific Vale Tudo martial artist, dominating the competition in Pride for many years.

6. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as well as a black belt in Muay Thai

A belt. Photo by CUHRIG.

Nino Schembri awarded him a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a process that took only four years from when he received his purple belt. This capped off a year in which he was named Sherdog.com’s Fighter of the Year.

7. Shogun Rua was deemed to be the best fighter

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs Chuck “The Iceman.” Photo by Elite Sports Tour.

As an underdog, he competed in the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix. He faced Quinton Jackson in the first round of the tournament at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005, whom he had challenged after Jackson won a controversial split decision over Murilo Rua at PRIDE 29.

Maurcio dominated Jackson from start to finish, breaking his ribs with knee strikes and ending the fight in dramatic fashion with soccer kicks to the face in the first round. Shogun, according to Jackson, was the best fighter he had ever faced. 

Rua faced Antônio Rogério Nogueira, a member of Chute Boxe’s rival academy Brazilian Top Team, in the second round of PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005. Rua won a unanimous decision over Nogueira. Rua competed in PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 on August 28, 2005, when the tournament’s final two bouts were held on the same night.

Rua won by TKO in the first round over Alistair Overeem, while Ricardo Arona won by decision over Rua’s teammate Wanderlei Silva. 

8. He married his physiotherapist

Wedding bands. Photo by Sandy Millar.

He married his physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro on September 12, 2007. On January 15, 2010, their first child, a daughter named Maria Eduarda, was born. 

Rua was a model in Brazil before becoming a fighter, appearing in books, photographs, and even fashion shows for brands.

9. He was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Rua was brought over to the UFC after the company purchased Pride. Despite dominating his opponent for the majority of the fight, he lost his UFC debut to Forrest Griffin. He quickly bounced back with knockouts of Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell. Rua earned a rematch with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 104. Although Machida won by unanimous decision, many journalists and media outlets scored the fight in favor of Rua. The fight was scheduled for an immediate rematch at UFC 113. Rua made no mistake this time, knocking out Machida in the first round to become the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

10. Rua started his own camp, Universidade da luta

Rua left Chute Boxe in January 2008 to start his own camp, Universidade da luta, in Curitiba with his brother Murilo.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, Judo, Muay Thai, and wrestling are all available at the academy. Furthermore, the academy makes its facilities available to professional athletes looking for opportunities in national and international competitions. The team already has athletes competing in UFC, DREAM, Sengoku, and Strike force events.