mma / News

Gian Villante Is Excited to Fight Shogun Rua

February 16, 2017 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

Gian Villante spoke with MMAjunkie about his fight with Shogun Rua at UFC Fight Night 106. Some highlights are below:

On being excited to face Rua: “First of all, he’s a legend. Second of all, his style. Just his style, I think makes a perfect fight for me. They did a smart one, the UFC, making us fight each other. Because I just think both of us love war, love getting punched in the face and punching other people in the face. I know I’m going to go in there and probably come home with a couple of black eyes, but I don’t mind that. I think that’s the great part about it, the beauty of it. It’s going to be a fun, fun fight.”

On Rua’s eight-month layoff since his last fight: “I think ‘Shogun’ is always going to be ‘Shogun.’ He hasn’t fought in a while, but I know no matter what, he is not going to go in there if he isn’t ready to put on a show and put on a war. He’s ready to go to war like a Dan Henderson fight every time he goes in there. So I’ve got to make sure I give him the other half of that, give him that Dan Henderson performance and put on a show.”

On Rua: “He’s a guy I’ve looked up to for a long time, since I started fighting. He’s not that much older than me (Rua is 35, while Villante is 31), surprisingly, but I’ve watched him fight since I can remember. I just think ‘Shogun’ is a legend. Name-wise, (he’s) probably the biggest name in the division, I think. Besides maybe (ex-champ Jon) Jones. It’s awesome. And I just think of it as more of a fun thing to go in there and be able to party with the guy.”