Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua prepared for UFC Tokyo ‘homecoming’ aiming for redemption against Ovince Saint Preux

Every fighter starts out staring into the great unknown and for Mauricio Rua – long before he became known as “Shogun” and had established himself as a world champion – there was a moment in time when all he had in front of him was a ticket to Tokyo and hope.

“Back when I started training, the dream of every fighter in Brazil was to fight in Japan,” Rua recalls. “I matured as a fighter in Japan and this feels like a sort of homecoming.”

The 35-year-old Brazilian was initially with Japan’s now-defunct Pride organisation, before signing on with the UFC and building a record that over the past 15 years in mixed martial arts stands at 25-10 overall, and includes a stint as the UFC light heavyweight champion.

But the first time Rua turned heads was in 2005 as a complete unknown, having landed in Tokyo on Pride’s invitation and fighting among the middleweights. Rua was waiting for a chance to change his destiny and it came with entry into Pride’s Middleweight Grand Prix and a place among 16 fighters.