UFC Quick Quote: 'Shogun' Rua looking to chop down Forrest Griffin in potential rematch

by Jesse Holland on Apr 21, 2009 6:14 AM EDT

"Nobody spoke yet (about my next fight), but my goal is to win the next one. I’m already focused for the next fight. I’ll fight anyone, but a rematch (with Forrest Griffin) would be welcome. He’s a good fighter and it’d be a good fight. I’ll fight anyone, but it’d be cool to fight him again, I’d love it".

-- Mauricio Rua (Version 2.0), fresh off his possible retiring of Chuck Liddell at UFC 97 on April 18, looks ahead to a potential rematch with Forrest Griffin in a post-fight interview with Tatame.com. "Shogun" -- winner of the 2005 Pride FC Grand Prix and one time consensus top five light heavyweight -- had trouble living up to the hype after gassing out and being submitted by Grffin in his debut back at UFC 76. Rua followed that up with an abysmal performance against Mark Coleman at UFC 93, but managed to turn things around (at least in the eyes of some fans) with a stoppage over "The Iceman." Now Rua hopes to avenge his loss to Griffin at some point in the near future. Will history repeat itself? Or has Shogun finally exorcised his UFC demons? Time will tell ...

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Shogun can take this bout….

The leg kicks provided by Forrest will be checked.

Shogun will dominate this match if he comes with some good cardio.

I think with this win over Chuck, Shogun hasn’t proved he can go the rounds.

Shogun needs to lay it early to Forrest and shut him down ealry, otherwise Forrest will use the great heart of his to ground out a UD over Shogun…

by ntvman on Apr 21, 2009 6:18 AM EDT reply actions

Forget Griffin. I want to see :

Shogun v. Thiago

Shogun v. Rampage

Shogun v. Jardine

Sign me up for those!

by OJR on Apr 21, 2009 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Great fights but F THAT! but 1st and Foremost I want him to splatter Forrest face with another 30 something stitches before showing Forrest what a difference having to working Knee’s makes!

Forrest’s BS rise to the top of the LHW division was all based on him beating a shogun with only 1 knee….I want the world to see what Shogun was supposed to do to Forrest the 1st time they fought!

Bitches get stitches! hahahaha

by john on Apr 21, 2009 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions

john, you are without a doubt the biggest Forrest hater I have ever encountered.

by WB on Apr 21, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m picking Forrest again if it happens. Thiago would be more interesting to me though.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Apr 21, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

no way, shogun did alot of damage to forrest with one leg with 2 and some cardio forrest is gonna get hurt.

by roy on Apr 21, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree with you John, but the only probablem for me is Forrest is going to lose to Thiago. Also I don’t want to wait that long to see Shogun fight again. I say lets see Shogun and Rampage first. If and a big if Forrest wins then lets see Shogun get his revenge and destroy him.

by bluepit on Apr 21, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

Forrest lose to Thiago?? What a joke….Forrest might actually get a first round stoppage TKO win in that fight. I also got to pick Forrest again if he rematches Shogun possibly a UD.

by c-war on Apr 21, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Forrest is such a difficult guy to make predictions about. I support and like him, but I’m never sure. He has very practical skills and never stops, but it sucks he has to go to decision so often. Every time he faces a guy with KO power you have to wonder if somewhere during the 15 minutes he’s going to take a nap.

Against Thiago, I’m not sure. I lean towards Forrest. He can put together a game plan that gets a W. We’ll see what the odds are. Hopefully they make Forrest the underdog and that would make my betting decision easy.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Apr 21, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

NO way FOrrets will be the underdog!

by john on Apr 21, 2009 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

thiago sucks ive never been impressed once in a fight. tell me a fight to watch where he dominates a guy in the ufc. i havent seen the drwal fight so thats a break but irvin almost ko’d him before his leg messed up, houston was laying him out and even chokeslammed so thiago had to take it to the ground, mendes dropped him but thiago had to take it to the ground, and machida HA made him look like the amateur he is. shogun would eat him alive. but i cant disredit his gnp its pretty sick and thats forests biggest weakness so ill give him a shot in that fight. but anywho

WAR SHOGUN!!

by Jared on Apr 21, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Thiago will wreck forrest. The only thing forrest has over him is size. I kinda question thiago’s chin but forrest “can’t bust a grape.” Everyone has significant technical advantages over him- Cane, shogun, jones, machida, rampage. The only improvement in his game is being less wreckless. After he loses a couple more, they’ll match him up against Bonnar and your soszynskis of the world.

by NameNotRequired on Apr 21, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Im in on the Thiago wrecking machine! I’m the official trainmaster!

by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Apr 21, 2009 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Whoa, I thought I was on CagePotato for a second. Get your money on, MM.

I think Shogun will continue winning fights. I don’t care about all of the trainers, dietitians, etc. It just seems like he has his spirit and will to win back.

by izx on Apr 21, 2009 6:29 AM EDT reply actions

I’d much rather see this rematch than Forrest/Thiago Silva on the Philly card. I love watching Shogun fight. (assuming he’s back in shape)

by R-Dizzle on Apr 21, 2009 7:27 AM EDT reply actions

As most of you already now, I will be LIVE at the Philly card! I love tHiago Silva, but I selfishly hope that he gets hurt sometime in May and they replace Silva with Shogun…HIm getting Hurt in May would give Shogun plenty of time to take the fight, and train properly!

Seriously, I would pay any amount of money to see Shogun Destroy Forrest LIVE in Philly.

This is what shogun had to say about his strategy going into the Liddell fight:

“My strategy was to fight the three rounds with him standing up, because I understand that he is a very good wrestler, and that I could get very tired trying to take him down, and forcing takedowns,” commented Shogun. “So I understood I had to train stand-up and exchange blows with him. That was the only way to fight him.”

Shogun also talked about finally getting comfortable with the Size of the UFC octagon. THe Octagon Dwarfs a Pride ring in size. Shogun said he is taking a 2 week vacation with his wife, and he will jump right back into vigorous training camp like training sessions. MUSIC TO MY EARS!

by john on Apr 21, 2009 9:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Haha, I’m thinking the same way. I’ll be at the Philly show too. Adding Shogun/Forrest would make the event so much better for me.

That’s a longshot of course, so I’m hoping that the UFC adds at least one more quality fight to the card. If Anderson moves up for his next fight.. maybe 101 could get a fight like Marquardt/Maia? C’mon, just give us one more good fight!

by R-Dizzle on Apr 21, 2009 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions

THats all I want! 1 more good fight added to the card!

by john on Apr 21, 2009 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions

OK John, if for some reason Thiago can’t fight then lets see Shogun in there.

by bluepit on Apr 21, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions

the first fight was top notch! The second will be better i dont think either one of them will back down

by ukmma on Apr 21, 2009 7:37 AM EDT reply actions

Forrest has Sliva in August and Shogun will hopefully fight in July at UFC 100…my dream matches would be against Cane or Jackson… but either way it looks like a November or December rematch long way to go….
I just watched Chuck vs Shogun again and I came to the conclusion that Shogun is the BJ Penn of the light heavy weight divison…lets hope he stays healthy

by Robert(1) on Apr 21, 2009 8:25 AM EDT reply actions

I’d love to see a Rampage/Shogun rematch too, but I think Rampage already has his title shot lined up. The next fight for Shogun will most likely be against Cane or Jardine.

by R-Dizzle on Apr 21, 2009 8:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Shogun vs Jardine at 100 I’ll take it!

by Robert(1) on Apr 21, 2009 8:56 AM EDT up reply actions

I dont really care who they put in front of him…he will treat all his opponents the same, and unleash a brutal beatdown on any of them! Shogun doesnt discriminate, he hands out the same level of ass whooping to EVERYONE!!! hahahahaha (in my Mayhem voice Laughter)….hahahahahahahahah

Shogun will be champion in 2010! Mark my words!

by john on Apr 21, 2009 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Shogun against Jardine or Anderson Silva. I don’t see him doin a rematch with Forrest, as Forrest is fighting Thiago Silva. There is the possibility of Thiago getting injured.

by Stryker on Apr 21, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions

i agree with the 2010 he really looks better than he did in pride. he has the takedowns he has the striking defence and hes still agressive as f*ck. shogun has officially been reborn and hes unleashing hell on the lhw division

by Jared on Apr 21, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

shogun just beat two over their prime fighters and everyone is saying hes back, give me a break he needs to fight someone else younger then 35 to even be considered to be close to being back he lost to forrest and lose to forrest again if they faught and rampage would tear his head off give hime someone young and up and coming like jon jones or someone like that then if he dominates again then i will give him the respect till then hes just another fighter who can say they beat liddell

by kingkong on Apr 21, 2009 9:09 AM EDT reply actions

I agree that its too early to say he’s abck. The problem with putting him against Jon Jones is that Shogun is big name and they want to sell it. After beating up a big name in Chucky, they need to give him another big name. Jardine comes to mind, and so does Anderson Silva. I can also see him facing the loser between Rashad and Machida.

by Stryker on Apr 21, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Most of us thought “Wandy is back!” after Jardine fight, too until he got KO’ed by Rampage. Shogun always looked good in the 1st round at UFC so we gotta wait and see how he will do in the later rounds.

by Lights Out on Apr 21, 2009 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions

haha! look at all the Shogun lovers, jumping on the bandwagon after a fluke wins against Chuck..Shogun won’t get pass Rampage/Machida that for sure. Chuck got caught what can you say…..unlucky, wasn’t because Shogun was great…He needs a few good fights (with Top 205er) before I would jump onto shogun’s wagon.

by MaChida on Apr 21, 2009 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

theres no room, and i am not jumping on the bandwagon i have been on since day one.you say he won’t get past machida or rampage but he has already destroyed rampage once and i think machida may be the best 205er but i see shogun as having the best chance at beating him.

by roy on Apr 21, 2009 11:54 AM EDT up reply actions

yep

by McArthur on Apr 21, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Much too early to say hes back, I believe griffin’s relentless cardio can make anyone gass or get slopping, which will happen again to shogun, because forrest is going to put a crazy pace on him.

by J.Mile on Apr 21, 2009 10:10 AM EDT reply actions

I’d like to see Shogun/Griffin rematch, winner of that fight fights Rampage or loser of Evans/Machida? Loser of Shogun/Griffin could fight Jardine.

by Belisarius on Apr 21, 2009 10:13 AM EDT reply actions

Lol Shogun hasnt proved anything, if he’d fight Griffin today id bet my house on Griffin.

by lolop4345 on Apr 21, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions

Haha if chuck got the ko in the 1st round you would all say he is back!!! What a bunch of babies he beat chuck who you all thought was going to kill shogun and you all come up with excuses what a bunch of bitches

by pitfighter on Apr 21, 2009 10:58 AM EDT reply actions

No doubt the loser of SUGAR AND DRAGON will fall from title contention and will need a BIG WIN to get back in the mix and SHOGUN is the perfect overrated star to beat to get back in the mix of things. SHOGUN will lose to either fighters mark my words.

by Cory on Apr 21, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions

a 100percent healthy shogun beats forrest in 1st round..FACT

by juggalomike on Apr 21, 2009 1:28 PM EDT reply actions

no way is shogun worthy of anyone top 5. someone else already said it but beating two guys well past their prime means nothing. a good next opponent for shogun? luis cane. and shogun sleeps in the second round.

by JB on Apr 21, 2009 1:48 PM EDT reply actions

id actaully like to see jardine vs shogun. if he beats jardine, he is a legit top 10 lhw.

by COR on Apr 21, 2009 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

x2. That would be the first time i actually rooted for the dean of mean

by tylerS on Apr 21, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Hehe…Lets see if Forrest even wants the rematch…he didnt even want an immediate rematch with Rampage after their fight wich is BS….oh well second time around wont be the same Forrest prepare to be SHOUGUNED!

by Hispanic Panic on Apr 21, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions

How come so many of you guys want to see the top guys like shogun or anybody for that matter fight jardine, I know hes a good fighter and a gatekeeper but jardine fights are boring to watch. Jardine against anybody doesnt excite me at all

by FJM on Apr 21, 2009 4:12 PM EDT reply actions

if jardine is a gatekeeper, its for the most elite group in mma; the top 5 lhw. his last two fights have not been boring. the vera fight was awesome with double flash knockouts and his fight with rampage was so close. i dont even think his chin is that suspect. wandy and houston hit him behind the ear to knock him out. ask gsp how that feels. rampage blasted him on the chin and he lasted. he isnt the most athletic 205er but he’s got enough 1 tricks and strategy to take most 205ers and even give the top 5’s a run for their money.

by COR on Apr 21, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

actually…forrest griffin asked for shogun when no one wanted to take the fight when shogun first signed up. dont let your hate for forrest cloud the judgement of fact. when has forrest ever turned down a fight? never. he didnt want the rematch because he was offered the rashad fight first. the rematch would have happend if chucky beat rashad. they wanted to set up rampage/lidell again. everyone is riding shogun because he beat a dying lidell. i like shogun. but he has still got alot to proof left. give him hamill or jardine. then talk griffin. a win is a win john. no one knew about the bad knee. dont use it as an excuse for you biased againts forrest.

by santiag69us on Apr 21, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions