Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua headlines the upcoming UFC Fight Night Hamburg event, facing Anthony Smith.
Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier said he wouldn’t mind defending the gold against Rua, while the Brazilian believes a title shot could be coming with a win at UFC Fight Night Hamburg.
”I think Cormier is a great athlete, a compete fighter,” Rua told MMA Fighting. “Winning this fight I absolutely deserve this chance because of my history and my career in MMA.”
Rua sits at #8 in the UFC Light Heavyweight Division rankings and his opponent at UFC Fight Night Hamburg is unranked at the moment.
Shogun may get that title shot with a win in Germany, but Rua know sthat he must focus on Smith before the title shot.
”It’s tough because he’s (Cormier) well-rounded, is good standing and on the ground, has one of the best wrestling in the UFC,” Rua said. “It’s tough because you have to train everything for him. It’s a big challenge, but you become a target when you have the belt because that’s what everyone dreams with. But I’m actually not thinking about the belt now because I have a good opponent ahead of me and I can’t think about it. The belt is my dream, of course, but I have to go step by step. I know that I will be closer if I win this fight.”
UFC Fight Night Hamburg takes place on Sunday, July 22 from the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany with Mauricio Rua and Anthony Smith headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox Sports 1.
