Originally Posted by MMAWeekly.com

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

When Mauricio “Shogun” Rua made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 in September of 2007, he was the number one ranked light heavyweight in the world. He was submitted by Griffin that night, late in the fight, but has gone on to defeat Mark Coleman and former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Chuck Liddell since his UFC unwelcoming party.

Coming into the UFC as the top ranked 205-pounder and the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Champion, Rua had to adapt to the different round system, rules, and fighting environment. Heading into UFC 104 against light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, Shogun feels he’s fully adjusted.

Having fought for Pride USA twice, Shogun was accustomed to the unified rules used in the United States before making his UFC debut. His biggest obstacle to overcome was the difference between competing in a ring and the transition to competing in an octagonal cage.

“My biggest challenge and the biggest difference I felt coming to the UFC was the Octagon itself, the size and space it had to fight in,” Shogun told MMAWeekly.com. “It’s a completely different game. It’s almost like playing in the NFL and playing arena football. It’s a totally different space. That was my biggest challenge.”

It was difficult for the Brazilian to adapt and find his timing working inside the Octagon and had to overcome a long layoff due to a knee injury.

“I was lacking rhythm because I was sidelined for a long time,” said 27-year-old fighter. “Now I’m in rhythm again. I’ve been training a lot and I’m much more adapted to the space because I have an official sized cage in my academy where I train.”

Shogun believes his learning curve is over and feels he’s back to top form. “I feel better prepared now and much more acquainted now to the UFC and it’s environment, and I’m at championship contention level again.”