according to ufcjunkie.com
The constant criticism about next month’s UFC 72 fight card (and its perceived weakness) may get a major and marketable reprieve.
According to the official Web site for Chute Box, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), winner of PRIDE’s 2005 Grand Prix Tournament, has been signed by the UFC and may fight at next month’s UFC 72 event in Belfast, Ireland.
The no-frills message from chutebox-usa.com:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has signed a contract with the UFC and may participate in UFC 72.
No additional confirmation of the signing has been reported anywhere else, so fight fans shouldn’t take the news as gospel quite yet.
Rua is widely considered one of the sport’s top light heavyweights, and should the 25-year-old make his way to the UFC Octagon, he’d be an immediate contender for Chuck Liddell’s light-heavyweight title.
Rua has fought for PRIDE Fighting Championships since October 2003 and has racked up victories over such notables as Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira.
UFC 72 is currently headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin vs. top contender Yushin Okami. The rest of the card has been criticized vehemently by UFC fans who were originally told that the event would air for free on Spike TV. Soon after UFCjunkie.com (
UFC blog for UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - UFCjunkie.com) pointed out that UFC.com had the event listed as a Spike TV broadcast, the information was removed, and UFC 72 was changed to a pay-per-view event with a $39.95 suggested retail price.
The event already has the usual nine rumored fights. However, just last month, UFC 70 featured 10 bouts, so it’s not inconceivable to imagine UFC 72 also having 10.
Regardless, a possible Rua fight would certainly make the night’s televised portion of UFC 72. Obviously, there’s been no news of a potential opponent, but it’s worth noting that UFC fighter Renato “Babalu” Sobral is one of only two fighters ever to defeat Rua (International Fighting Championship’s “Global Domination” in 2003).
For the latest fight cards, check out the UFC Rumors section here at UFCjunkie.com (
www.ufcjunkie.com).
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It’s already been an active week for Chute Box news, of course.
Over the weekend, we learned that Rua’s fellow team member and PRIDE standout Wanderlei Silva may sit out 2007 to concentrate on training and to gear up for the 2008 fight season.
A few past reports hinted that Silva may even make a UFC return sometime in 2007, but he said barring a UFC-PRIDE “SuperBowl of MMA,” he plans to cease fighting competitively until next year.
Silva is coming off brutal back-to-back losses to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Dan Henderson.