I don't want to start an argument, but...
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is cranking out its share of pre-fight videos to hype this weekend's UFC on FOX 4: "Shogun vs. Vera" network-televised fight card, which kicks off this Saturday night (Aug. 4, 2012) from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
And Mauricio Rua is the main attraction.
Rightly so. Aside from his exploits in PRIDE Fighting Championship, "Shogun" (briefly) held the UFC Light Heavyweight title and ended the Joe Rogan-coined "Machida Era" back in early 2010. But is he, in fact, one of the greatest fighters of this decade?
Debatable.
Run it back 10 years and you have submission losses to Renato Sobral and Forrest Griffin, a 205-pound title loss to Jon Jones -- in a fight where he didn't even look like he belonged in the same cage -- and a five round defeat following a war against a 40-year-old Dan Henderson.
And he's been riddled with injuries.
The counter to that argument, is that he's finished 18 of 20 wins, including two knockout victories over Alistair Overeem, while avenging his loss to Griffin and beating Quinton Jackson like a rented mule. I don't get excited by the Chuck Liddell win, as "The Iceman" was already broken down, but I also don't hold him responsible for the first Machida loss, because I thought he beat "The Dragon" his first time out.
How about you?
We all have access to the same records, Maniacs. Are you comfortable with calling him one of the greatest fighters in the last decade? And how will this weekend's performance against Brandon Vera influence your decision?
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