Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: With no UFC Title shot coming, what should be next for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua?
Aug 8, 2012 - 4:20:41 PM ROUNDTABLE: With no UFC Title shot coming, what should be next for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua?

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With no title shot coming, what would you like to see next for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua?


RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Three fighters come to mind ahead of everybody else. I see an equally compelling case to be made for Alexander Gustafsson, Dan Henderson, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueeira, a tenuous at best case to be made for Glover Teixeira or Rampage Jackson, and no possible case to be made for anyone else. I wouldn't have a problem with any of those top three names and I could be sold on the winner of Rampage and Teixeira (you don't really believe that Rampage's next fight after Teixeira is going to be in Singapore, Asia, or on AXS TV now do you?).


ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

It's slim pickings for Shogun Rua, but with no title fight ahead, he could be in the role of substitute in case something happens. I think he would be a good opponent for someone looking to move up in weight, ie Chael Sonnen. It'd be a good fight, an exhibition, as both fighters need something to do.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Well, I think that Dan Henderson will lose to Jon Jones at UFC 152, so I'd like to see a rematch between Henderson and Rua. I think that would be a fantastic fight to make. You could even give a title shot to the winner of the fight if you wanted. I just want to see these guys fight again.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I would love to see him fight someone like Alexander Gustafsson or Phil Davis. He needs another impressive victory over a top ten opponent in order to earn another title shot. I think he would do really well against either of these younger fighters. Another interesting fight might be a rematch with Dan Henderson if he loses to Jon Jones at UFC 151.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I would love to see Shogun make the cut to middleweight and try his hand at that talent pool. Shogun's very good chin and striking strength could make for an interesting bout against the champ or even many of the top contenders in the weight class. However, if he chooses to remain at LHW I would like to see him fight Gustaffson to try and form a more decisive line of top contenders for the belt.


JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua just fought on Fox, had another war but was pretty out of shape for the umpteenth time in his career. As much as I love watching Shogun compete, it's time to match him up against younger, hungrier fighters and see where he really stands. A fight against Alexander Gustafsson on the UFC's year-end show makes all kinds of sense and if Glover Texeira beats Quinton Jackson in any form or fashion, that fight makes sense for Shogun as well.


SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH SENIOR COLUMNIST

Shogun is in an interesting place. He's gone from the guy in Pride who was thought of as potentially the best light heavyweight in the world (though a fight with Wanderlei Silva in order to confirm it wasn't going to happen) to a perennial upper-top-ten fighter who has developed the reputation of getting into entertaining wars over the last year or so. Personally, I'd love to see a fight with Alexander Gustafsson. I don't know if the timing is right or if they want to get Gustafsson back into the cage before Rua is going to be ready, but if Shogun is as close as Dana White indicated to a title shot, an eliminator fight with the Swede makes sense. My only hesitation at this point is that Shogun is dangerously close to becoming the guy I don't want to see get hurt by being in too many battles. I'm not going to say that Shogun is in steep decline or anything, but he's taken a lot of punishment between the Henderson and Vera fights. Admittedly that may just be a byproduct of the unbelievable battle that he and Henderson waged, but I can't help thinking that when you pair those kinds of fights with the legendary training sessions of the early Chute Box guys, and add to that the fact that Rua has been at this for 10 years, it starts to add up. All that having been said, though, I still think a fight with Gustafsson makes sense and would be a great fight if it's doable.


[Mauricio "Shogun" Rua art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]