Varying Reports on Shogun's Return - Matt-Hughes.com Official Forums

VCURamFan · #1 08-25-2010, 04:12 PM

A report from Ariel Helwani (based on Dana) -

Quote:

The UFC light heavyweight division, considered by most to be the organization's golden weight class, will be without its champion for the next 10 months or so.

Dana White said on Wednesday's edition of ESPN SportsCenter that knee surgery will sideline Mauricio "Shogun" Rua until the spring or summer of 2010.

White also confirmed that Rashad Evans will wait to fight Rua for the title upon his return.

The 28-year-old Rua won the title when he knocked out Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 in May. He then underwent knee surgery in June, which marked his third knee surgery in less than three years.

However, while his first two surgeries took place in Brazil, White said this most recent one was done in the United States.

"We did this [surgery] in the United States with the best doctor in the country," White said. "He's recovering well, and we're looking for mid-spring, early-summer for his return."

Evans is coming off a win over his rival Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 114. Jackson is scheduled to fight Machida in November, and there is a good chance the winner of that fight will fight the winner of Evans-Rua at the end of 2011.

"[Rua] has looked incredible in his last few outings," White said of the injured champion. "Knocking out Machida, which no one has ever even come close to doing and solidifying that he's the best 205-pounder in the world."

And this is an article from MMATorch.com (based Shogun's former coach Sergio Cunha) -

Quote:

Despite UFC President Dana White's comments one ESPN
yesterday targeting UFC Light Heavyweight Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's for the late spring or early summer, the Champ is targeting a much earlier return date.

Shogun will begin at least one camp in preparation for a February return this November, as he will be traveling to Minnesota to train with old friend and former striking coach Sergio Cunha, who now runs the Minnesota Fight Factory in the state.

Cunha, who trained formerly with the famed Chute Boxe academy as well as Brazilian Top Team, told MMATorch as much on the MMATorch Livecast on Tuesday night, and said Shogun's recovery is currently going very well.

"[Shogun is working] with a soccer team, very famous in Brazil called Sao Paulo soccer team, he's making his recovery with that team," said Cunha. "He's going to come back probably on the [Super Bowl [show], that's almost 100% going to happen. His next camp [will come] in November in Minnesota with me, we are working [that out]."

But that's not all. With the recent talk of Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen being set up for their immediate rematch, and the Super Bowl show already being one of those rumored dates for that fight, Cunha said that's probably where Silva ends up as well.

"That's true [Shogun is] going to come back next year," Cunha said. "He's recovering very well and we're going to have a chance to see him and probably Anderson Silva [on that same card].

"[The Super Bowl weekend show] is probably what's going to happen with both guys."

If that's the case, the UFC will have a massive Super Bowl weekend show lined up for February 5, and they'll have a chance to kick off their 2011 with a hugely successful pay-per-view card featuring Silva vs. Sonnen and Shogun vs. Rashad Evans at the top.

Penick's Analysis: If the timing works out here for both Shogun and Anderson to get on this card together, it will be huge. The Silva rematch with Sonnen is already going to garner a ton of pay-per-view buys on its own, but adding Rashad to the mix fresh off a million buys at UFC 114 and Shogun returning off of his destruction of Lyoto Machida, and this becomes a big, big event. It'll certainly be much more palatable than Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman in that slot earlier this year.