Mauricio Rua Wants A Fight At UFC’s Next Japan Event

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua said that he wants a fight at the UFC’s next event in Japan. Here are highlights:

On wanting to fight in Japan this September: “I look at every fight as a dream. My goal is to fight in September, at the UFC event in Japan. I don’t know about an opponent yet, but that’s my focus.”

On why he wants it: “It would be special because of the memories I have in Japan, the energy from the crowd. Japan is the place that made me in the MMA world, and I love the country and the Japanese people. I’d be really happy to fight again in Saitama, the stadium where I won the world title in 2005. Coming back 12 years later would be great for me.”

On not thinking about title shots yet: “I don’t think about anything post-fight. The belt, title shot, I don’t think about it. There are some fighters ahead of me, even if I win. I know that I have to fight, that it’s going to be a tough fight because there’s no easy fight in the UFC, especially at the top. I’ll be ready for whoever. It’s frustrating for us to think that you’ll get a title shot with a win,” he continued. “When I entered the UFC, Dana (White) told me I’ll be fighting for the belt if I beat Forrest (Griffin), and I entered the cage already thinking about the belt, but I still had Forrest in front of me. I try not to think about it, think about the title. That depends on my wins, so I go step by step.”