There is a lot on the line for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 93. If he defeats Mark Coleman, as he is widely expected to do, he may find himself in a main event with Chuck Liddell as soon as March 7th in Columbus. If he loses, it could all disappear for him.
Shogun came to the United States as the consensus top fighter in the sport’s elite division, and put in a pathetic performance against Forrest Griffin, who was considered to be a borderline top 10 fighter at the time. Shogun has been held out by many as an example of Pride guys that couldn’t make the transition, and 16 months later he has a chance to prove his performance was a result of his injury, and not reflective of his skill as a fighter. Shogun signed a lucrative contract, and will likely have to renegotiate or face being cut if he loses to Mark Coleman.
I fully expect Shogun to win this fight, but I have reservations. Will he ever regain his old explosiveness following his injury? Is he as dangerous of a fighter without soccer kicks and stomps? Will Mark Coleman overpower him at 205 pounds? Will he gas again trying to fend off Coleman’s wrestling?
Wanderlei Silva said that before his Keith Jardine fight, he looked in the mirror and told himself that if he didn’t win his life was over. One can only suspect Shogun feels the same way.