It was considered one of the biggest upsets in the sport when they fought the first time.
Now Forrest Griffin will try to make it two for two when he faces fellow former light heavyweight champion Mauricio • Shogun • Rua at
UFC Rio in Brazil on Aug. 27
The bout has been confirmed to
MMAWeekly.com by several sources after first being reported by
GracieMag.com.
After blasting through the competition in Pride, Shogun (19-5) was one of the first high profile fighters to move to the UFC after Zuffa purchased the former Japanese powerhouse promotion a few years back.
Just about everyone assumed Rua would continue his reign of destruction in the UFC, but former • Ultimate Fighter • winner Forrest Griffin had other ideas.
Griffin (18-6) stepped up to the challenge to welcome Rua to the Octagon, and a back-and -forth war ensued during their fight at UFC 76 in 2007. Sticking around paid off for Griffin as he wore down Shogun, and with seconds ticking away in the final round, he sunk in a rear naked choke forcing Rua to tap.
It was a shocker at the time, but Griffin went on to win the UFC light heavyweight title in his next fight, and has become one of the toughest fighters in the sport.
Now the pair will square off again, but this time it will be in Rua • s home country of Brazil.
