UFC’s Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua considering move to middleweight

Former Pride Grand Prix and UFC champion Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua is one of the most accomplished light heavyweights in MMA's young history and has another 205 pound contest scheduled against James Te Huna next month but he is still considering a drop down to middleweight. During a recent question and answer session with fans in his native Brazil, Rua said that he is open to moving down in weight, thought it would be a challenge.

“Maybe I can [drop down to middleweight] and maintain my performance,” he said.

“I would need to think about it, but that’s something that can happen.”

"Shogun" has lost two straight fights, to Chael Sonnen and Alexander Gustafsson, and is shorter than many top light heavyweights.

“I would have to do some medical exams to check if it’s possible," Rua explained.

"My normal weight is 228, 231 pounds...It might happen, but for now I have a fight scheduled."

The Brazilian's opponent for UFC Fight Night on Dec. 6, Te Huna, won four straight UFC fights before being submitted by top contender Glover Teixeira last May.

Do you think "Shogun" could revive his career by dropping twenty pounds? Let us know in the comments section.

From Yahoo Sports

It'd be a sure fire way for him to stay in shape but it couldn't possibly be much good for his.knee.

wekka wrote:It'd be a sure fire way for him to stay in shape but it couldn't possibly be much good for his.knee.

Also how do you think a cut to 185 would effect his cardio

PRIDE4EVER wrote:

wekka wrote:It'd be a sure fire way for him to stay in shape but it couldn't possibly be much good for his.knee.

Also how do you think a cut to 185 would effect his cardio

I think he might.actually improve in the aspect if he leans up. He's been looking pretty soft lately.

No way like chael said historically dropping weight isn't a great move to renew your career when aging its more proven to move up in weight.

Shogun at hw???? At like 235 shogun could actually have hus speed advantage back just put him on aa serious strength and conditioning routine build muscle over his fat who knows .


@mw shogun gonna be slower imo

Shogun won't be slower at MW but he'll not find a ton of success. The dude's knees are dead. His cardio is garbage and if he keeps eating punches like he has been he's going to have no chin like Chuck in the near future. The guy needs to take a break or take some hella good steroids. He is one of my favorite fighters ever. Whether it's boxing, MMA, Pro Wrestling you name it, Shogun is one of my favorites. But he needs a lot more than a weight class drop.

SRC wrote:Shogun won't be slower at MW but he'll not find a ton of success. The dude's knees are dead. His cardio is garbage and if he keeps eating punches like he has been he's going to have no chin like Chuck in the near future. The guy needs to take a break or take some hella good steroids. He is one of my favorite fighters ever. Whether it's boxing, MMA, Pro Wrestling you name it, Shogun is one of my favorites. But he needs a lot more than a weight class drop.

Yea plus a move to hw really his take down defense was non existent in his last fight. could you imagine these big hw fighters taking shogun down not pretty I think a move to mw is great cardio would improve, his speed could come back he might look like shogun again and not an out of shape old fighter.

I'm still not confident, though. Training with bum knees is a tremendous struggle. He'll probably just stay in the Kid Yamamoto boat.

To me all this is ridiculous just from a medical standpoint health-wise for a fighter like Shogun. Exact same for Machida. To think that Shogun could be fighting at 45lbs below his regular weight is nuts to me. This is at least the equivalent of Fedor fighting at 185 45 lbs under his natural weight as he doesn't cut weight. This is just unhealthy for guys with the muscularity and frames these guys have. Maybe they should just train on the international space station for 6 month.

Machida is in the same boat. He looked like he stopped drinking fluids for for 3-4 days after he just got back from a 30 day concentration camp vacation. A bit disturbing to me.

Wow, he's desperate. He should've just called it quits immediately after he got deaded by Sonnen.

I don't see it doing him any good. He's knees are just too gone, he has no speed, explosiveness and cardio as a result.

Time to retire imo

your right8) 

Dropping down in weight late in a career is almost always a bad thing. But hey, go for it Shogun. You'll just have to learn the hard way it's going to be a big mistake.