The 5 best UFC fighters from Brazil

#5 Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua

'Shogun' Rua is one of the best Light-Heavyweights of all time

‘Shogun’ is a truly curious case in the UFC as his time at the very top was fleeting, but the fact that he made it to the top at all means he warrants a spot on this list. He first shot to fame in PRIDE in 2005, where he won their Middleweight (205lbs) Grand Prix and became considered by many as the top Light-Heavyweight in the world.

Two years – and a handful of serious injuries – later, and a more bloated-looking Rua made his UFC debut, where the cardio and striking skill that had served him so well in PRIDE appeared to have vanished. He was choked out by Forrest Griffin in a pretty embarrassing entry, and the days of him being considered a top fighter appeared to be gone.

Following the Griffin defeat, Shogun took over a year off to get knee surgery, and upon his return, he defeated the aged Mark Coleman in a sloppy match. A win over the equally shot Chuck Liddell followed – a nice name win, but nothing that would suggest he could go on to win the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight title. Indeed, when he was matched with Lyoto Machida, the feeling was that he was simply a big name for Machida to defeat.

But Rua proved his doubters wrong by finally recapturing his great PRIDE form, arguably beating Machida before the judges decided to vote the other way. So strong was Shogun’s case that an instant rematch was booked, and in that fight he left no doubt, knocking out Machida to claim the UFC title. In doing so, he returned to the top spot in the division.

Injuries then reared their head again – Shogun was forced onto the shelf for a year, and when he returned he was destroyed by Jon Jones in his first title defence. Since then it’s been a career of ups and downs, with some good wins and some bad losses too. But the fact that he was written off but managed to resurrect his career enough to win the UFC title means he belongs on this list. He’s one of the best 205lbers of all time.