Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is going to enter his next fight riding a three fight winning streak, which is the longest winning streak the fighter has had in over a decade.
When the UFC returns to Japan for UFC Fight Night 116, the MMA legend wants to be a part of the card.
"I look at every fight as a dream,” Rua told reporters at a UFC 212 media event. "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. 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."
Shogun hasn’t competed in Japan since his days in PRIDE, so it has been over a decade since the fighter battled in the “Land Of The Rising Sun.”
The Brazilian wouldn’t mind a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title at the moment, but that’s something that he cannot afford to think about right now.
"It’s frustrating for us to think that you'll get a title shot with a win,” he said. "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."
UFC Fight Night 116 takes place on Saturday, September 23 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan with no main event announced at this time. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on Fox Sports 1.
