Shogun Rua
Active 2009–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 86.0
Scouting report
Mauricio Rua came out of Chute Boxe and left in January 2008 to open Universidade da Luta in Curitiba with his brother Murilo. He knocked out Lyoto Machida in the first round at UFC 113 in Montreal on May 8, 2010 to win the UFC light heavyweight title. Jon Jones took it from him at UFC 128 in Newark on March 19, 2011 with a TKO in round three. His 2011 fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 139 earned him a place in the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing in 2018.
Peak ratings
Shogun Rua: a Chute Boxe brawler who won the title and then had knee trouble
Rua lost to Forrest Griffin by rear-naked choke at UFC 76 in September 2007 and needed knee surgery afterward. A second rupture in training forced him out of UFC 85, and he did not return until UFC 93, about 16 months later. He beat Mark Coleman by TKO in Dublin and Chuck Liddell by TKO at UFC 97 in Montreal. Machida beat him on a decision at UFC 104, and Rua took the rematch by knockout at 3:35 of round one. He retired after a loss to Ihor Potieria in January 2023.
Rua, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 85. Liddell was stopped by punches in round one at UFC 97, Griffin was knocked out by punches in round one at UFC 134, and James Te Huna was knocked out in round one in Brisbane.
Kickboxing. 90, his best. He came up at Chute Boxe, and Machida was finished at 3:35 of round one at UFC 113.
Wrestling. 78. Alexander Gustafsson beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 5 in Seattle in December 2012.
BJJ. 84. Griffin submitted him with a rear-naked choke at 4:45 of round three at UFC 76, and Chael Sonnen caught a guillotine in round one at UFC Fight Night 26.
Strength. 82. Jones stopped him with punches and knees at 2:37 of round three at UFC 128, after a flying knee that Rua later said affected the rest of his performance.
Durability. 88. Henderson won a unanimous decision at UFC 139, a Fight of the Night, and stopped Rua in round three at UFC Fight Night 38 in March 2014.
Cardio. 82. He went three rounds with Machida at UFC 104, with Henderson and with Nogueira at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro in August 2015.
Fight IQ. 84. He broke his nose in the Henderson rematch and needed surgery. He had knee surgery again in June 2010, after the Machida win.
Kickboxing at 90 and a belt won with one punch
He has three Knockout of the Night awards, for Liddell, Machida and Te Huna, and a Performance of the Night for Tyson Pedro in December 2018. Fight of the Night came four times, including Coleman, Nogueira and both Henderson fights. For a draft, he is a striker who also finishes late.
Wrestling at 78 and a long decline
After Jones, he lost to Henderson, Gustafsson, Sonnen, Ovince Saint Preux and Anthony Smith, whose elbow knocked him out at UFC Fight Night 134 in Hamburg in July 2018. Paul Craig drew with him in November 2019 and then stopped him at UFC 255.
Keep exploring
Closest light heavyweight profiles to Shogun Rua, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Anthony Smithbest boxing 86 · weakest wrestling 76
- Nikita Krylovbest cardio 86 · weakest wrestling 80
- Lyoto Machidabest fight iq 92 · weakest strength 80
- Thiago Silvabest boxing 84 · weakest wrestling 76
- Light Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Shogun Rua's strongest attribute, Kickboxing.
Draft Shogun Rua into your build
Shogun Rua enters the pool on any spin landing on light heavyweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Shogun Rua is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Shogun Rua's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.