MMA Universe was granted an exclusive interview with Murilo Rua to talk about his opponent and about his future plans fighting in England.
You have had a bit of bad luck in your last two fights. Have you learned any thing from those fights that will make you a better fighter?
I don't even know what to say. I trained a lot for both fights, and unfortunately I couldn't show all the techniques I had trained and all the effort I had put on my preparation. Of course, each fight you take is a lesson. Against Paulo Filho I think I entered the fight with a lot of will and ended falling into his game, which he did well. I was also very well prepared against Denis Kang, and he connected with a very good strike early on, which got me dazed and he ended up knocking me out. Now I have to train a lot so maybe one day we can fight again.
Your next fight will be against England's own Mark Weir at Cage Rage 18. What do you know of the Englishman?
My opponent is an experienced fighter, with fights in shows such as the UFC and Pride. I think it's going to be a great fight, as I'll come very well prepared and give my best in the cage. I hope to be able to make a great spectacle in England, as I have a good connection with the British people and really hope people will also support me in that bout, as I'll give my best in the fight.
Mark Weir is a dangerous striker. Is his striking going to be a problem for you?
He is a great striker who likes to keep the fight standing. I don't think this is a problem, as I'm training hard on stand up, doing a lot of Boxing and Muay Thai as my homework, so I come in prepared and hopefully get a knockout win.
I'm already cutting weight for the bout, and maybe this will be my last fight at that weight class. I don't know, maybe I'll come up to 93 kg again, but then again I would like to one day have the chance to fight for the Cage Rage belt, as it was always my dream to have a prestigious belt. I'm preparing hard for this bout and I just can't wait! So my training is complete as always, with Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu, as well as dieting to drop weight for the bout.
Did you ever think you would be fighting in England?
I always thought that one day I would fight in England. I like the UK a lot as I have been doing seminars in the country in the past, and also attended an edition of Cage Rage once, making a lot of friends in the UK, so I always had this desire to fight in the country one day. It's a very pleasant situation for me to be fighting in England, and I truly hope to get some support from the crowd as well as fight some more times in the UK in the future.
When your brother sustained an injury against Mark Coleman at PRIDE 31. There was a mass brawl in the ring. If there is a Chute Boxe vs. Team Hammer House event Pride did who would you like to fight?
I'm a fighter and I'll fight anyone. My job is to always be prepared to fight against the best, but maybe it would be interesting to fight against Phil Baroni, as we are both now in the same weight class.
Ninja you are the only pro fighter that has fought in three different weight classes. Why did you move up and down in weight?
Because of the opportunities that were presented at the time, such as fighting in the heavyweight Grand Prix, so I went up in weight, and also more recently having the chance to go down in weight and taking part in the welterweight Grand Prix. Also, back in the heavyweight Grand Prix, our academy didn't have anyone to represent the team as a heavyweight back then, so I went up in weight to represent my academy.
What was your most memorable fight?
Without a doubt with was my fight against Mario Sperry. There was a lot of expectation leading up to that fight because of all the rivalry, and since I was still a young fighter back then. Thank God I was able to win the fight, as everybody knows Sperry is a great fighter, a legend in Jiu Jitsu, and I think it was somewhat the highlight of my career.
Do you have any last words with MMA Universe readers?
I want to tell to those fans that want to know a bit more about my work, to check out my website and also I hope that all the fans will show up to the next Cage Rage to watch this great show, as we are going to have some great fights and I'll be doing my best inside the Cage to try to achieve a good win. I'll be joined by my brother Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the trip, and be sure that I'll try my best to get a win not only to the Brazilian fighting fans, but to the British fighting fans as well!
Obrigado Murilo 'Ninja' Rua. We at MMAU wish you all the best for your fight in the U.K
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