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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist In what is essentially the co-main event of the evening, UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman returns to the Octagon for a grudge match against Mauricio Rua. The two previously met in 2006 at Pride 31, for a bout which ended in pure chaos as both men's corners entered the ring and began battling one another. The fight itself was stopped after a takedown by Coleman resulted in a dislocated elbow for Rua, and once the referee stopped the bout is when the fight truly began. Wanderlei Silva, who was in Rua's corner, would enter the ring and would be met by Phil Baroni, who was working Coleman's corner; and the two men began battling it out as everyone tried to restore some sense of order.
Rua's team had a huge problem with Coleman's post-fight posturing as he didn't necessarily win the bout even though he was declared the victor. The Chute Boxe team was hoping for a more professional response than what Coleman gave by shouting and beating upon his chest as if he had knocked Rua out cold. However, his actions were simply the result of emotions being high following a bout in which he was awarded a victory, and I don't necessarily believe these actions were meant to belittle Rua's team or to be construed as taunts. Both men's teams were in the wrong, and this bout at UFC 93 can help to try and make something right as a rematch has been in order since the moment their first bout was stopped. Both Rua and Coleman's best may be behind them, but one would have to give the edge to the younger Rua in this one. At any rate this is a true grudge match, and the emotions surrounding their relationship should serve to inspire both men to be at their very best.
Mark Coleman is a decorated amateur wrestler who became the first wrestler to enter and actually dominate in the world of mixed martial arts, with what was then an innovative strategy of ground and pound. Coleman of course coined this particular phrase, and laid the groundwork for every single fighter who prefers this approach inside of the Octagon along with picking up a few significant wins along the way. Coleman became the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion, and would also go on to win the 2000 Pride Open Weight grand Prix Championship, but is now looking to revisit his past by making a triumphant return to the Octagon. This is a tall order for a man who is one of this sport's greatest heavyweights, because at 44 years of age it is likely that he is fighting on borrowed time as the sport, as well as his athletic prime, have passed him by.
Coleman is in fantastic shape, and will certainly enter into this fight with Rua in his best possible shape, but his best shape at 44 is probably not going to be anywhere near as good as Rua's at only 27 years of age. Coleman will surely be as strong as ever, but he can ill afford to make mistakes or be just one step slower; and there is no way that he has not lost something at this advanced age. His wrestling abilities will certainly remain with him until the day he dies, and I am sure that even at 87 years old and clothed in a diaper that he will probably challenge the nursing home staff to try and take him down, but it will take more than just wrestling to remain relevant in 2009. Knowing what to do and having the ability to do it are two different things, and for Coleman's sake we should hope that he doesn't end up embarrassing himself at UFC 93. It is hard to hang them up, and especially so when it is all you have ever known and what serves to define you as a person, but the clock is definitely ticking for "The Hammer." In all actuality he is probably lucky that he did not face Brock Lesnar in August and is making his UFC return against a naturally smaller man in Rua and in the Light Heavyweight division. This is a bout that he is driven to win, and he must do so if he wishes to show the new generation of fans a glimpse of what made him so special back in the early days.
Mauricio Rua holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and he is a supremely gifted athlete who comes from a family of nothing, but as his two brothers are fighters and his mother was once a track star. His older brother Murilo was most recently fighting for the now defunct Elite XC organization, and his younger brother Marco is looking to make his MMA debut this year, but "Shogun" is considered the best of the bunch. In fact, up until his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 he was considered by many to be the best light heavyweight fighter on the planet. After much success in Pride he was poised to make a big splash in the UFC, but was quickly derailed by Griffin and has spent the entire year of 2008 recuperating from knee surgeries to repair a ruptured ACL. The knee injury may have been what caused him to arrive for the Griffin fight in less than top fighting shape, which led to him tiring quickly and losing by way of submission. Nothing against Forrest Griffin but this was clearly a compromised Mauricio Rua and not even close to the man we had come to know from his time in Pride.
Rua has enjoyed an illustrious career, and some of the notable names he has bested include the likes of Alistair Overeem, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Akihiro Gono and Kevin Randleman. His domination of "Rampage" in particular serves as a major highlight of his career, and can be viewed as a shining example of just how special of a fighter he can be. His loss to Mark Coleman at Pride 31 simply appears to be a fluke of sorts on his record, as he was able to quickly pick up right where he left off once he returned to action before running into trouble against Griffin in his UFC debut.
Rua has scored plenty of knockouts in his career, but when you take into account his BJJ credentials and observe his fights it is clear that he is not limited to just strikes. The one thing that can be considered a negative in terms of Rua's fighting ability is the fact that his boxing skills, footwork and ability to slip punches are not necessarily that good, and this is what could cause him trouble against a fighter like Coleman. It has to be imagined that Rua will arrive in shape, and healthy for once, but he is going to need a full gas tank to be able to take this fight to and possibly from Coleman. As much as Mark Coleman wishes to make his return to the Octagon a triumphant one it has to be imagined that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is as hungy to erase the memories we have of him being submitted by Griffin; and with the bad blood these two men share this should also drive him to put forth his best performance possible.
For Mark Coleman to win this fight it is going to take much improved submission defense from a veteran not known for such, and it is a must that he maintains top control. There is absolutely no reason why Coleman should not be able to successfully take Rua down, but simply taking his man down will not be enough; and once on the ground he faces an opponent who is quite dangerous. Rua is a very talented grappler in his own right, and he has a dangerous guard which spells trouble for Coleman if "The Hammer" has not improved on defense. Mark Coleman needs to control the action, and luckily for him he should be able to do so as Rua is not a skilled enough striker to keep Coleman at bay for too long. Coleman should look to grind on his opponent for the first round and test his conditioning before trying to open things up and beginning to work his usual ground and pound. If Rua is in less than top shape it could be a great night for a motivated Coleman, but I really believe that Mark will have to fight the perfect fight to win this; and at 44 I just don't see him having enough in the tank to do so. Coleman will be the stronger of the two but he also needs to be very efficient in what he doles out, and with emotions running high it is a must that he remain as cool and collected as possible and fight this one with his head even more than his body. This is a fight he can win and one he must win but the odds are definitely stacked against him.
For Mauricio Rua to win this fight it is going to mean that his injuries are healed and he is back in his typical shape, and that his performance against Griffin was an aberration. He needs to be the "Shogun" of old, and not just an older "Shogun," in order to pull this one off as he can ill afford to drop his second fight in the UFC, and especially so against the 44 year old Coleman. Rua may try and keep this one standing early on, but this one will hit the ground fairly quickly and most certainly be decided there. Rua has an excellent guard, and I see nothing to suggest that he will be pounded out with ease by the ham-fisted Coleman, but he does need to push the pace in hopes of trying to wear out his older opponent. Coleman has had a lengthy layoff, as Rua has as well, but in Coleman's case it is to be expected that this will be a huge detriment and show that he has lost a step or two. If this is the case then Rua needs to capitalize on this and fight a thinking man's fight in order to use both Coleman's emotions and ring rust against him. If Rua can land a few shots early on and create some space it could allow him to push the pace and utilize the Octagon to tire Coleman before this one hit's the ground. I look for Rua to work for the submissions tirelessly, and I feel that Coleman is going to be quite susceptible to the armbar, and this could be the perfect way for "Shogun" to get his revenge against "The Hammer."
Bent's Prediction: Rua by late 2nd Round Submission
I believe that Coleman is going to be a house on fire to start this one, and he will be looking to push the pace of the fight with just enough strength and resolve to do so for just the first round and a half. Around the middle of the second round it should be Rua with more in his gas tank proving to be capable of finishing this one off. By no means is this a walk in the park for Rua, and I could be way off base, but this is the Mark Coleman of 2009 and not 1999 so this one should be the first victory for "Shogun" in the Octagon, and one of the last appearances for the UFC Hall of Famer in Coleman.
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