Maurício ‘Shogun’ Rua is a mixed martial arts legend and has competed in the UFC an astonishing 18 times. He is currently riding a three-fight win streak and now believes that he deserves the next title shot if he is able to get a win over Volkan Oezdemir.
The former UFC light-heavyweight champion captured the title after finishing Lyoto Machida in the first round at UFC 113, but lost the belt a fight later to a young Jon Jones. Since then, ‘Shogun’ has gone 6-5 in the UFC and he now believes that he is close to a long-awaited title shot.
“I think Volkan is a great fighter, the No. 2 in the ranking, but I like challenges,” Rua told MMA Fighting. “It’s going to be a big challenge for me, and I think it’s an interesting fight for the fans.”
Oezdemir recently had a shot at the UFC light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 220 after going 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Ovince Saint-Preux, Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa, but he was outclassed and finished in the 2nd round via TKO. This fast rise to the top of the 205lb division impressed the veteran ‘Shogun’ Rua and he believes that the man known as ‘No Time’ is a “tough guy”.
”In a short time in the UFC, he was a phenom, easily beating Manuwa and Misha, who are good fighters, and that earned him a shot at the belt,” Rua said. “He has evolved a lot since he joined the UFC. I know he’s a really tough guy.”
Although ‘Shogun’ Rua is a Muay Thai expert he believes that being versatile is the key to success in this matchup.
”Muay Thai is my background, but I fight MMA,” Rua said. “If I need to take him down to go on an easier path, I will do that. I know that Volkan has a good striking, but he also has a good wrestling, a good takedown defence, and sometimes you wear yourself out trying to take someone down. I will work hard on my Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and wrestling, and I hope I can impose my strategy and come out victorious.”
‘Shogun’ is aware that this is a tough fight, but he thinks that this fight will give him a great case to get the next title shot in the 205lb division.
”This is a tough fight, but I know that, if I win, I will be one step closer to having another chance to fight for the belt,” Rua said. “I face every fight as a dream, and defeating Volkan is my dream now. That might earn me a chance for the belt. My focus is 100 percent on him, and I know that I will be closer to the belt with a win.”
Who do you think will win, ‘Shogun’ Rua or Volkan Oezdemir?
