Hard knocks school Rua

He was regarded by many as the top light heavyweight in mixed martial arts, and a title shot against then-longtime champion Chuck Liddell was expected after a few showcase bouts introducing Rua to mainstream American fans.

But Rua looked severely out of shape in his UFC debut in September 2007 at Anaheim, Calif. Forrest Griffin dominated the bout before defeating Rua by submission with seconds remaining in the third round.

After knee surgery — which kept him out of action for more than a year — and another sluggish performance in a victory over Mark Coleman in January, Rua scored a first-round knockout of Liddell in April and finally positioned himself near the top of the division.

Now, Rua returns to Southern California with a chance to take the belt from Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 104 on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

Rua acknowledges his early efforts in the UFC were far from impressive, but he never lost confidence.

“I never really got worried or doubted myself because I believe in my potential and I know what I can do. I know what I can reach,” Rua said on a teleconference call. “After the Coleman fight, I realized my mistakes. I understood that I could do better. And I understood that I had to train harder and prepared myself better and tried to take care of whatever problems that had presented themselves.”

One of those problems was adjusting to the cage. In Pride, fights are contested in a ring, and Rua said his transition to the cage was not smooth.

“My biggest challenge, and the biggest difference I felt once I got into the UFC, was the octagon itself and the size and the space that you had to fight in,” he said. “It’s a completely different game. It’s almost like playing in the NFL and then playing arena football. It’s a totally different space.”

Rua thinks he has found a solution.

He had an official-size UFC octagon constructed at his training facility in Curitaba, Brazil.

“I feel better prepared now and much more acquainted to the UFC and its environment and (ready to compete at) championship contention level again,” he said.

In three UFC bouts, Rua has a bad loss, a sluggish win and an exciting knockout against an aging former champion. It would be easy, based on those performances, to dismiss his chances of beating Machida, one of the best fighters in the world.

But Rua still intrigues fans because of his accomplishments in Japan.

He won the prestigious 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix and owns victories in the organization over Quinton Jackson, Ricardo Arona, Alistair Overeem and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, among others.

While Rua has yet to perform up to the lofty expectations in the UFC, injury problems are partly to blame.

He had major knee surgery after the loss to Griffin. The fight against Coleman in January was Rua’s first live action in 16 months, and the 27-year-old concedes the layoff contributed to his lackluster performance.

“I was lacking rhythm since I was sidelined for a long time,” he said. “But now I’m in rhythm again. I have been fighting often. I’m training a lot.”

The oddsmakers don’t seem to think Rua is completely back to form. He has been installed as more than a 3-1 underdog, a fact that Rua seems to embrace.

“For sure, I feel less pressure. I think Lyoto is the favorite, and rightfully so. He’s the No. 1 guy in the weight class,” Rua said. “He’s a champion and a great fighter. I give him props for that. And I think it’s only right that he is the favorite in this fight.”

Not everything is working against Rua in this matchup. Machida will be defending the belt for the first time. The last three UFC light heavyweight champions have lost the title in their first defense.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.