Former UFC light heavyweight champion and 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix winner Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is revered around the mixed martial arts world for his aggressiveness and impressive standup skills. However, that has not always been the case.
This week, a video of Shogun’s early fighting days following a graduation exam at the Chute Boxe Academy made the rounds on the Internet. It involved one of the famed team’s “super classes,” which included revered fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Anderson Silva.
Still a teen-ager, Rua was doing poorly in an exchange against his opponent, who wound up knocking him out with a head kick. The fight took place in a Chute Boxe member’s living room. Rudimar Fedrigo, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, Nilson de Castro, Sergio Cunha and Murilo “Ninja” Rua were among those who attended the class.