‘Shogun’ Approaches UFC 97 Crossroads

Once viewed by many as the world’s premier light heavyweight, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has encountered his share of adversity since he left the confines of the Pride Fighting Championships ring. Two fights and as many knee surgeries into his UFC career, the Brazilian has yet to recapture the magic.

Now days away from his long-awaited showdown with Chuck Liddell at UFC 97 “Redemption” this Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Rua touts his decision to make radical changes to his training regimen as a reason to believe in him again. Besides moving to Sao Paulo, Brazil -- where he spent the last five weeks training three times a day with top professionals like middleweight contender Demian Maia, wrestling coach Renato Roma and conditioning expert Eric Haddad -- Rua also hired Chute Boxe Academy trainer Sergio Cunha, one of the most respected men in Brazil.

“Cunha is my head coach, and he’s a very complete guy,” Rua said. “He organizes my training schedule. I’m very happy with him, and I hope I have a longtime partnership with him.”

Rua (17-3) knows his bout with Liddell, billed as the co-main event at UFC 97, represents a pivotal moment in his career.

“All my fights were important in my life, but I see this fight as the most important,” Rua said. “Liddell is a guy who deserves respect, a top fighter, but I see myself victorious in this fight.”

Since he entered the UFC, Rua’s conditioning -- or lack of it -- has come under heavy scrutiny. As such, Haddad has kept the magnetic Brazilian closer to the 205-pound threshold for light heavyweights.

“I’m weighing 215 pounds,” Rua said. “I was at 226 pounds, but Eric told me to stay at 215 and lose just few pounds for the fight.”

An impressive victory against “The Iceman” could thrust Rua into title contention, though he refuses to look past the considerable challenge in front of him.

“I don’t think about that,” he said. “I have to show the American fans my work. I feel that I owe it to them, so it depends on me overcoming myself. I know where I can go. I’m focused, and I’ll be 100 percent in this fight to show all my potential to the world.”

In his prime, the 27-year-old Rua’s UFC career has been a struggle thus far. He entered the Octagon for the first time as a heavy favorite and was promptly submitted by Forrest Griffin at UFC 76. After the defeat, he left the Chute Boxe Academy and started his own team -- the Universidade da Luta -- with older brother Murilo. Reconstructive knee surgery followed, too.

Rua has prepared for Liddell before. Booked for a bout against the future hall of famer at UFC 85 last summer, Rua re-injured his knee, underwent a second surgery and bowed out of the fight. It remains one of the low points of his career.

“The worst moment was when I injured my knee for the second time,” he said. “I was confirmed against Liddell and in a great shape, very focused, but unfortunately I had a new injury. It was like someone put a knife into my chest.”

One year and four months after he faced Griffin, “Shogun” returned to the cage and defeated Mark Coleman at UFC 93. Still, he did not resemble anything close to the man who blitzed through the 2005 Pride middleweight grand prix in Japan. Though he stopped Coleman in their rematch in January, Rua decided to alter his training afterward.

“It has changed all my preparation,” he said. “I’m 100 percent focused on training; my life here is a routine. Very early in the morning, I leave home and go to the gym. I’m training three times a day. I was with good trainers [before I fought Coleman], but I wasn’t this focused. Maybe it was because I was at home with my family, and I was a little relaxed. Here, I have more motivation.”

Critics came out of the woodwork after Rua’s lackluster effort against Coleman, and he uses their words to spur him forward. Ring rust may have also played a part in his performance.

“I went a year and a half without fighting, and I feel I lost my rhythm a little, but now I’m back,” Rua said. “I was calm and well-trained, wasn’t tense; it was lack of fight rhythm.”

In advance of his UFC 97 appearance, Rua drew on the experience of former Chute Boxe Academy teammate and longtime friend Wanderlei Silva, who battled Liddell to a unanimous decision loss at UFC 79 in 2007.

“I spoke with him last month in Las Vegas,” Rua said. “He said that [Liddell] is a good athlete and hits hard, but he said that if I get there and I’m in good shape, I will beat him. Wanderlei is a guy who I look up to. I’m a big fan of his, besides being his friend, and he gave me some good tips. I’m focused on training, me and my whole team. Wanderlei said that if I get there with full gas, I win this fight.”

Silva offered Rua an open invitation to his Las Vegas gym.

“To prepare for this fight, I decided to stay here,” Rua said. “Next time, I’ll go there. Wanderlei has an open door here with us and opened the doors of his gym to me. He invited me to train there with him. As soon as I fight in Las Vegas, I’ll train with him. I’m his close friend, and I’ll be cool there.”

Eduardo Ferreira also contributed reporting.