Maurício Shogun finaliza Kevin Randleman. Foto: Reprodução

Ex-campeão do Pride e do UFC, o lendário Maurício “Shogun” Rua, de 41 anos, se aposentou do MMA após a derrota por nocaute para o ucraniano Ihor Potieria no UFC 283, realizado no último sábado, no Rio de Janeiro.

Shogun, que inspirou gerações de fãs e lutadores pela autoria de nocautes viscerais, provou no passado que também é afiado nas técnicas de Jiu-Jitsu.

Em outubro de 2006, no ano seguinte conquistar o GP dos Médios do Pride (até 93kg) ao derrotar Ricardo Arona na final do torneio, Shogun se aventurou entre os pesados e o americano Kevin Randleman na chave de joelho no Pride 32, em Las Vegas. Foi a primeira vez em que o brasileiro demonstrou seu nível na arte suave.

Clique no link abaixo e assista a finalização de Shogun.

https://www.ufc.com.br/video/tunel-do-tempo-mauricio-shogun-x-kevin-randleman

Em meio aos bastidores de Anderson Silva para o evento, foram gravadas imagens na TUF Gym, onde Anderson aparece com seus treinadores e Shogun também marca presença, ao lado de Dana White, em filmagem onde o manda chuva apresenta a edição do reality.

Shogun ainda aproveita para deixar sua aposta para a luta de sábado, com aposta no Aranha.

Confira no vídeo abaixo! (Começa em 2min48s)

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who is scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox Sports 1 #1, could be one of the foreign fighters affected by Massachusetts law if UFC officials find a resolution. (Getty Images)

UFC on Fox Sports 1 #1 could be in jeopardy due to a Massachusetts state law that prevents fighters without Social Security numbers from obtaining licenses to fight, according to a report on Tuesday from the Boston Herald.

The law would prevent a number of fighters on the card, for example, main event participant Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, from being able to compete in the Octagon in Boston’s TD Garden on Aug. 17.

“This law has been in existence since we legalized mixed martial arts in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Terrell Harris, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, told the newspaper. “It’s been brought to the attention of the UFC more than a few times since we legalized the fighting here. But they’ve chosen basically to ignore the law and hope that they could skirt it somehow.”

The report added that UFC officials approached the Department of Public Safety to make a one-time exception and allow fighters on the August card to compete with or without Social Security numbers, but the governing body told the MMA promotion that state law prohibits licensure to fighters without the proper documentation.

“They’ve approached us and asked us if we could make exceptions to the law for them,” Harris said. “But the law is the law. The law doesn’t allow us to make exceptions.”

Harris added that the Social Security Administration can issue a temporary work visa to fighters that are not American citizens, but that it’s up to the UFC to “do their due diligence.”

GRACIEMAG.com attempted contacting UFC officials about the issue, but an email requesting comment was not returned at the time of this publication.

Shogun is currently scheduled to face Chael Sonnen in the card’s featured bout, while Alistair Overeem, another foreign-born fighter, is tabbed to fight Travis Browne in the co-main event.

UPDATE: 4:16 p.m. PT

The UFC issued a statement Thursday afternoon through their website, addressing questions about the licensure of fighters without Social Security numbers.

“There were some questions that surfaced regarding licensing requirements for mixed martial artists and boxers to have social security numbers in order to compete in the state of Massachusetts,” the statement read. “Last week, these requirements were brought to UFC’s attention and we immediately began working to ensure that all athletes affected by this are in full compliance. We are continuing to work on this and anticipate a positive outcome.”

Tickets for the event went on sale today, Tuesday, according to a press release received by GRACIEMAG.com.

Lyoto vibra muito em sua última luta, contra Ryan Bader, no UFC on Fox. Foto: UFC

O lutador e professor de Jiu-Jitsu Renzo Gracie tem uma frase que, se Lyoto Machida e Dan Henderson não conhecem, deviam gravar.

Pois é praticamente o lema da carreira de ambos os supercraques do MMA, que devem fazer o evento coprincipal do próximo dia 23 de fevereiro, no UFC 157, em Anaheim, Califórnia – e não mais no UFC 156 do Super Bowl. Quem vencer, entra em inevitável rota de colisão com o campeão da categoria meio-pesado, Jon Jones. O evento ainda não tem luta principal, segundo o repórter Ariel Helwani, do MMAFighting.com.

Mas o que interessa é que o embate será em fevereiro de 2013. Como ensinou Renzo Gracie, em entrevista publicada faz tempo em GRACIEMAG:

“Não há melhor jeito de comprovar suas qualidades do que contra os melhores. Se um cara afirma que é o melhor do mundo, é para cima dele que você deve ir, e não em outra direção”, disse o Gracie.

É um lema, inclusive, que pode ecoar ainda na cabeça de GSP, ou de Anderson Silva, ou de Jon Jones, mas isso é outro papo.

Com Dan Henderson e Lyoto Machida, a lição sempre valeu. Hendo, desde os tempos do Pride, jamais recusou um oponente pedreira. Em sua última luta, há precisamente um ano, foi com tudo para cima de Mauricio Shogun, ficando com a vitória mesmo após terminar a luta montado e espancado, no UFC 139.

E o que falar de Lyoto, que topava qualquer luta ou desafio desde o início de sua carreira, claro, contanto que houvesse tempo para treinar. Quando o bicho-papão Sokoudjou surgiu, por exemplo, o empresário Jorge “Joinha” Guimarães o ligou no meio de sua lua-de-mel para oferecer a luta. Lyoto topou sem pedir para pensar.

E como se forja uma mente assim, como a de ambos? Bem, isso é o que a GRACIEMAG deste mês explora, nas bancas.

Rivais duros, Jiu-Jitsu afiado

Na GRACIEMAG deste mês, nas melhores bancas do país, marcamos um encontro de Bráulio Estima com André Galvão para uma conversa franca sobre rivalidade, medos e evolução. Se você quer saber como ter uma mente forte e um amor pelos desafios, como é o caso dessas feras todas, é melhor não perder.

Leia mais sobre a GRACIEMAG, aqui.

E relembre os rivais duros que ajudaram a consagrar Hendo e Machida. Você lembra de atletas do UFC com cards mais respeitáveis que os dois?

Vítimas de Dan Henderson:

* Rafael Feijão, Renato Babalu, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Rousimar Toquinho, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Ninja, Renzo Gracie, Rodrigo Minotauro, Carlos Newton e Allan Góes.

* (Perdeu para Anderson Silva, Jake Shields, Rampage, Wand, Ricardo Arona, Minotauro e Minotouro)

Vítimas de Lyoto Machida:

* Ryan Bader, Shogun, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar, Michael McDonald, Kazuhiro Nakamura e Rameau Sokoudjou.

* (Perdeu para Rampage, Shogun e Jon Jones)

Lyoto celebrating his latest victory, over Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox / UFC publicity photo

Fighter and Jiu-Jitsu professor Renzo Gracie has a saying that Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson should take note of, if they’re not familiar with it yet.

It has pretty much been the theme of the careers of the two MMA aces, who are tipped to face off in the co-main event at UFC 157 on February 23 in Anaheim, California—no longer at UFC 156 on Super Bowl weekend. The winner will be on an inevitable collision course with the champion of the light heavyweight division, Jon Jones. The show is still lacking a marquee fight, according to MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani.

But what matters is that the fight will indeed be going down in February 2013. As Renzo Gracie preached in a GRACIEMAG interview a while back:

“There’s no better way to prove how good you are than against the best. If a guy says he’s the best in the world, it’s in his direction that you’d better be gunning, not elsewhere,” said the Gracie.

It’s an adage that should echo in GSP’s head, or Anderson Silva’s, or Jon Jones’s—but that’s a different issue.

As far as Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida are concerned, the lesson is quite pertinent. Ever since back in his days at Pride FC, Henderson has never turned down a first-rate opponent. For his last fight, exactly one year ago, he took on Mauricio Shogun at UFC 139 and won, even after getting mounted and pounded on as the final frame of the fight drew to a close.

And there’s plenty to be said about Lyoto, who has accepted all comers ever since his career began, so long as he had able time to train, of course. When the dreaded Sokoudjou came on the scene, for instance, Lyoto’s manager Jorge “Joinha” Guimarães called him during his honeymoon to offer the fight. Lyoto didn’t think twice before accepting.

So how does one forge such a mind, driven as theirs are? That’s precisely what the issue of GRACIEMAG currently on bookstands addresses.

Tough rivals, sharp Jiu-Jitsu

For this month’s issue of GRACIEMAG, now at better bookstores around the world, we set up a meeting between Bráulio Estima and André Galvão to discuss the subjects of rivalry, fear and evolution. If you want to know how to build a strong mind and a love of challenges, like all the aforementioned fighting aces possess, you’d best not miss it.

Find out more of what this month’s GRACIEMAG has to offer by clicking here. And click here to subscribe to GRACIEMAG and not miss any of the good stuff coming up in future issues.

And check out the following lists to refresh your memory of the stalwart opposition that helped carve out Hendo and Machida’s places at the top of the heap. Can you think of any fighters on the UFC roster with records as respectable as these two’s?

Dan Henderson’s victims:

Rafael Feijão, Renato Babalu, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin, Rousimar Toquinho, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Ninja, Renzo Gracie, Rodrigo Minotauro, Carlos Newton and Allan Góes.

(Lost to Anderson Silva, Jake Shields, Rampage, Wand, Ricardo Arona, Minotauro and Minotouro)

Lyoto Machida’s victims:

Ryan Bader, Shogun, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Thiago Silva, Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar, Michael McDonald, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Rameau Sokoudjou.

(Lost to Rampage, Shogun and Jon Jones)

Godofredo Pepey tries landing a fist on Rony Jason in the TUF Brazil final, at UFC BH. Publicity photo.

A Jiu-Jitsu black belt with eight wins and a lone loss on his MMA record, Godofredo Pepey already knows when he’ll next be stepping into the octagon. The native of the Brazilian state of Ceará will take on the seasoned Milton Vieira at the January 19 UFC Brazil show, the location for which has yet to be announced.

Pepey, a finalist on the inaugural season of TUF Brazil, has been training ialongside his brother Godofredo Claudio and black belts Tiago Marques and Rafael Gárgula at MG Pepey headquarters, in Fortaleza City’s Damas neighborhood. “I’m still training at the same, always-intense pace. But it’s going to get even tougher; in November I’m heading to Curitiba to train with [Mauricio] Shogun, André Dida and Sérgio Moraes,” said Pepey.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s promoters have also confirmed that Iuri Marajó will be dropping a weight class to bantamweight to take on Johnny Eduardo for the January show. Where will this UFC event take place, gentle reader? What’s your prediction?

Stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for all things Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.

Godofredo Pepey tenta socar Rony Jason na final do “TUF Brasil”, no UFC BH. Foto: UFC/Divulgação

Faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu com oito vitórias e apenas um revés no MMA, Godofredo Pepey já tem data para voltar ao octagon. O cearense bom de guarda vai encarar a pedreira Miltinho Vieira, no UFC Brasil, dia 19 de janeiro, ainda sem local exato definido.

Pepey, finalista do primeiro “TUF”, vem treinando em Fortaleza, com seu irmão Godofredo Claudio e os faixas-pretas Tiago Marques e Rafael Gárgula, na sede da MG Pepey, no bairro Damas. “Os treinos continuam no mesmo ritmo, sempre intenso. Mas vai ficar punk, em novembro estou indo para Curitiba treinar com o (Mauricio) Shogun, André Dida e Serginho Morais para essa luta”, disse Pepey.

O Ultimate confirmou ainda o duelo entre Iuri Marajó e Johnny Eduardo para o show de janeiro. Onde será este UFC, amigo leitor? Qual seu palpite?

Fique ligado no GRACIEMAG.com para mais informações sobre o mundo do Jiu-Jitsu e MMA.

Shogun and Vera will square off in one of the evening’s main events / UFC publicity photo

There’s nothing more left to do but await the sound of the opening bell. Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Shogun had no trouble meeting their weight obligations at yesterday’s weigh-ins for UFC on Fox 4, which takes place tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

From here on out the fighters will be in full-on-concentration mode, as their final statements have been made.

“I want the winner of Jones vs. Henderson. My fight with Henderson was great, the fight of the year, and it was very evenly matched. I’m fine with it; it was an excellent fight. But it’s the fight with Jones that I’m hung up on. I could have done better, and I’d like to face him again. First, though, I have Vera ahead of me, and just beating him won’t be enough. I have to impress, and that’s what I trained to do,” said Shogun.

“My standup game is sharp, and I worked on wrestling a lot because Bader’s really strong in that department,” stated Machida. “I made some radical changes to my training, although karate has always been my main focus. I’m back en route to the title. I know what I need to do, and I’m ready for this opportunity,” Machida added.

Check out the complete card for UFC on Fox 4:

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera
Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner
Mike Swick vs. DaMarques Johnson

Preliminary card

Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan
Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado
Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya
Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson
Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga

Shogun e Vera fazem uma das lutas principais da noite / Foto: UFC/Divulgação.

Não tem mais nada a ser feito a não ser esperar o soar do gongo. Lyoto Machida e Mauricio Shogun não tiveram dificuldade para bater o peso na pesagem realizada ontem, véspera do UFC on Fox 4, evento que será realizado na noite de hoje, no Staples Center, em Los Angeles.

A partir de agora a concentração é total, e as últimas declarações foram dadas.

“Eu quero o vencedor de Jones vs Henderson. A luta que tive com Henderson foi ótima, a luta do ano, e foi muito emparelhada. Estou bem com isso, foi uma luta excelente. Mas foi a derrota para Jones que ficou engasgada. Eu poderia ter me saído tão melhor, e gostaria de enfrenta-lo novamente. Primeiro, contudo, tenho Vera pela frente, e vencer não será o suficiente. Tenho que impressionar, e foi para isso que treinei”, disse Shogun.

“Minha luta de pé está afiada, e trabalhei muito no meu wrestling porque Bader é forte nesse sentido”, declarou Machida. “Fiz algumas mudanças radicais em meu treinamento, embora o caratê sempre tenha sido meu foco principal. Estou de volta rumo ao título. Sei o que tenho que fazer e estou pronto para esta oportunidade”, declarou Machida.

Confira o card completo do UFC on Fox 4:

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua x Brandon Vera
Lyoto Machida x Ryan Bader
Joe Lauzon x Jamie Varner
Mike Swick x DaMarques Johnson

Card preliminar

Cole Miller x Nam Phan
Phil Davis x Wagner Prado
Josh Grispi x Rani Yahya
Phil De Fries x Oli Thompson
Manny Gamburyan x Michihiro Omigawa
Ulysses Gomez x John Moraga

St-Pierre in the UFC. Photo by Josh Hedges

You can push them, you can punch them, but they won’t leave the top. With the exception of a chubby Russian who looks bored and a Canadian with a French name, Americans and Brazilians fight are neck and neck in leading the worldwide MMA rankings.

The proof is in the rankings published at the end of November on the websites of USA Today newspaper and SB Nation, which scoured the lists published on 20 American MMA websites, to come up with a thorough MMA ranking.

GRACIEMAG.com compiled the top ten in each weight group. What sticks out right off the bat is the presence of Anderson Silva in two different categories, and Will Ribeiro in the top-ten bantamweight list, despite the motorcycle accident he suffered, which he is overcoming valiantly. There’s also the fact that WEC champion Jose Aldo is under his victim Mike Brown – proof that the ranking needs to be updated, and quick!

Other than that, does the list look fair to you, reader? If not, who should be there? Leave your comment below and participate.

Heavyweight
1    Fedor Emelianenko    M-1 Global/Strikeforce
2    Brock Lesnar                UFC
3    Rodrigo Minotauro   UFC
4    Frank Mir                      UFC
5    Junior Cigano              UFC
6    Josh Barnett                 WVR
7    Cain Velasquez            UFC
8    Brett Rogers                 Strikeforce
9    Shane Carwin               UFC
10   Fabricio Werdum     Strikeforce

Light heavyweight
1    Lyoto Machida            UFC
2    Mauricio Shogun        UFC
3    Rashad Evans              UFC
4    Quinton Jackson        UFC
5    Forrest Griffin             UFC
6    Gegard Mousasi          Strikeforce
7    Thiago Silva                 UFC
8    Anderson Silva           UFC
9    Rogerio Minotouro   UFC
10   Luiz Arthur Banha    UFC

Middleweight
1    Anderson Silva            UFC
2    Nate Marquardt          UFC
3    Dan Henderson           Free Agent
4    Demian Maia                UFC
5    Vitor Belfort                 UFC
6    Chael Sonnen               UFC
7    Jake Shields                 Strikeforce
8    Jorge Santiago           WVR
9    Yushin Okami             UFC
10  Yoshihiro Akiyama  UFC

Welterweight
1    Georges Saint-Pierre  UFC
2    Jon Fitch                        UFC
3    Thiago Pitbull               UFC
4    Josh Koscheck             UFC
5    Mike Swick                    UFC
6    Matt Hughes                 UFC
7    Paulo Thiago                 UFC
8    Carlos Condit                UFC
9    Jake Shields                   Strikeforce
10  Paul Daley                     UFC

Lightweight
1    BJ Penn                        UFC
2    Shinya Aoki               Dream
3    Eddie Alvarez           Bellator/Dream
4    Kenny Florian          UFC
5    Frank Edgar              UFC
6    Gray Maynard          UFC
7    Diego Sanchez          UFC
8    Sean Sherk                 UFC
9    Tatsuya Kawajiri      Dream
10   Joachim Hansen     Dream

Featherweight
1    Mike Brown                 WEC
2    Urijah Faber               WEC
3    Jose Aldo                     WEC
4    Bibiano Fernandes   Dream
5    Hatsu Hioki                 WVR
6    Leonard Garcia          WEC
7    Rafael Assuncao        WEC
8    Marlon Sandro           WVR
9    Michihiro Omigawa   WVR
10   Mackens Semerzier  WEC

Bantamweight
1    Brian Bowles             WEC
2    Miguel Torres           WEC
3    Dominick Cruz         WEC
4    Masakatsu Ueda       Shooto
5    Takeya Mizugaki      WEC
6    Joseph Benavidez    WEC
7    Rani Yahya                WEC
8    Akitoshi Tamura      WEC
9    Damacio Page           WEC
10   Will Ribeiro             WEC

For the complete rankings, with the top 20 in each category, according to USA Today and SB Nation, click here: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/rankings .

“No, I don’t want to face him because I felt I won. I want to fight Lyoto because it’s for the title, and that is my dream. What I want most is that belt and, therefore, I want to fight Lyoto again.”

On the delay in setting a date for the bout – which only just happened now -, Shogun has no complaints. His greater concern is keeping in shape.

“I’m never going to worry about that. I leave the details of my fight and opponent in the hands of my manager. My only concern is training. But of course I want to fight Lyoto as soon as possible,” he said in finishing.