• UFC 134

Rua insists Forrest won't be last man standing this time

ESPN staff
August 25, 2011
Shogun Rua v Forrest Griffin

Mauricio Shogun Rua insists there is no chance of a repeat loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 134, because he is doing everything to ensure he does not make the same mistake twice.

Shogun was submitted by Griffin on his UFC debut, a defeat so unexpected that it was instantly justified by problems with Rua's knees. The reality, though, was that the Brazilian's cardiovascular capacity simply did not match Griffin.

Rashad Evans, who has beaten Griffin, recently claimed the TUF 1 winner holds the ace card going into the rematch, because he knows he can outlast Shogun. Predictably, Rua disagrees.

"I'm training hard and doing as much as I can so I don't get tired," said the Brazilian. "That was my biggest mistake in the first fight, and this time I'll work hard so that it doesn't happen again.

"I've been working really hard so that I can even the score with Forrest and prove after this fight that I'm a better fighter than he is."

Both men have gone on to win the UFC light-heavyweight championship since their first bout, with Griffin defeating Rampage Jackson and Shogun beating Lyoto Machida, and now Rua wants a second crack at UFC gold.

"Getting the record even is a big motivation, I think about it a lot. It's an incentive to take the fight, but more importantly Forrest is a top fighter and my dream is to get to the belt again," said Rua. "I know that by beating Forrest I get closer to a title shot."

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