THE CANADIAN PRESS
NEWARK, N.J. — Mauricio (Shogun) Rua feints with his hands and then turns his hip, whipping his right leg forward.
A gasping sound emerges from his mouth from the effort — think a murderous Monica Seles — followed by an audible thud as he buries his shin into a thick pad held by a trainer.
Rua’s leg finds its mark, whether the pad is held down low by the trainer’s ankle or high next to his head.
When the six-foot-one Rua connects just right, the Brazilian’s hefty entourage offers up an appreciative "ooh." Rua finishes this section of his workout by bouncing on his toes and firing more than 50 kicks, alternating legs one after the other.
Watching Rua’s malevolent kicks, one can only wonder what they feel like without the pad.
The UFC light-heavyweight champion hopes to give challenger Jon (Bones) Jones a first-hand demonstration Saturday night at UFC 128, retaining his 205-pound mixed martial arts title while showing that the talented Jones’ time has not yet come.
The 29-year-old Rua has been shown his class outside the cage this week, watching while rising star Jones occupies the spotlight and refusing to take the bait when reporters suggest he is being disrespected.
"Jon Jones has been winning his fights decisively and has been earning all this hype behind him," Rua said through his manager Eduardo Alonso.
Jones (12-1) has won six of seven fights in the UFC, with the lone loss a disputed disqualification.
The 23-year-old challenger is a former junior college wrestling champion whose athleticism and unorthodox style has taken the MMA world by storm.
Jones enters the fight as a 2-1 favourite although he dismisses such odds, pointing to Rua’s experience and pedigree.
Rua (19-4) was originally slated to fight Rashad Evans at the Prudential Centre but the former champion had to pull out with a knee injury, opening the door for the six-foot-four Jones.
Rua takes everything in stride.
Winner of Pride’s Grand Prix title in 2005, he knows all about MMA phenoms. Plus he has survived five surgeries — three on his knee, one on his arm and one on his appendix.
The knee surgeries slowed his entry into the UFC after a fine career in Japan with Pride. Rua lost his UFC debut to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 in September 2007 and looked rusty in a win over an aging Mark Coleman.
But the Muay Thai striker was deadly in his knockout of Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell in Montreal at UFC 97 in April 2009.
That earned him a title shot against fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida, who won a disputed decision at UFC 104. Rua settled the matter quickly in the rematch at UFC 113 in Montreal 115 last May, battering Machida with kicks before knocking him out in three minutes 35 seconds.
"He’s been fighting for 10 years and when you look at the list of guys this guy has not only fought but beat, it’s a pretty distinguished list," UFC president Dana White said of Rua.
"There’s no doubt about it, Shogun Rua’s one of the nastiest fighters to ever compete in mixed martial arts."
Rua went 13-1 in Pride and his victims include Ricardo Arona, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Quinton (Rampage) Jackson.
Rua’s unassuming style has not gone unnoticed by his fellow fighters.
"Rua’s been a pioneer as far as (being) a gentleman outside the ring," said former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, who fights bantamweight Eddie Wineland in the co-main event Saturday.
Away from the cage, Rua goes by Mauricio to his close friends. He got the nickname when he was 16 and training jiu-jitsu in a brand of gi called Shogun.
His older brother Murilo, also a fighter, was nicknamed Ninja so Mauricio was given the handle Shogun.
It stuck and proved handy when he began fighting in Japan in 2003.
Rua may fight for a living but he is soft-spoken and restrained outside the cage. He is man of simple tastes: hanging out with his daughter, playing with his pit bull Chakal, going to the movies or watching soccer.
Asked about his dog, Rua pulls up a photo from his phone to show a pair of reporters. "The sweetest pit bull ever," says Alonso.
Rua even did some modelling before fighting.
"I’m a pretty relaxed normal guy. When I go into the cage I stay the same. It’s just that it’s my job and I try to do my job the best I can.
"But in my day-by-day life, most people that get near me, they pretty much get surprised because they expect something different. And I’m always laid-back and like a kid, fooling around with my friends and laughing."
Rua is not all sugar and spice, however.
"He is very competitive," said Alonso. "In everything we do. He doesn’t like to lose."
But once the fighting is done this weekend, Rua plans to play tourist with his wife in the Big Apple.
"I go to ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ and many many restaurants," he said in English, flashing a big smile.
