UFC
UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta says Mauricio "Shogun" Rua returning in June or July, asks fans for bout suggestions
Mar 6, 2012 - 11:35:51 AM UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta says Mauricio "Shogun" Rua returning in June or July, asks fans for bout suggestions

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua hasn't fought since his epic five round war with Dan Henderson in November at UFC 139, but he's gearing up for a summer return to action. According to UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, in response to a fan on Twitter, Rua will return to action in June or July.

Now, as a former Champion only recently removed from his belt, Rua is one of the top fighters still in the light heavyweight division. He came within inches of pulling off the come from behind win over Henderson, which would have put him back in line for a title fight sooner rather than later.

However, because he's still at the top of the heap in the division, his options for his next opponent are quite limited. Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will square off for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in April. Dan Henderson is awaiting the winner of that fight for his title shot. Top ten fighters Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira square off in April in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 2. Those are the fighters who are currently hung up.

Of those left, you have Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who is coming off of consecutive losses, including a very poor performance against Ryan Bader. Not only that, but an injury suffered in before and after that fight means he likely isn't available for a fight this summer.

Bader is an option, though the UFC doesn't often book fighters on consecutive wins against a fighter coming off a loss. Still, it would mean another top-ranked opponent for Bader after his biggest career win over Jackson.

Perhaps the most sensible fight is Phil Davis, who had his undefeated run ended by Evans at UFC on Fox in January. However, that fight saw Davis look not quite ready for the top end of the division, and a bout with Rua could be another dangerous matchup with the potential for a major setback.

If they don't go that route, what they're left with is Lyoto Machida - which would technically make for a rubber match between the two even though most felt "Shogun" also won their first fight in October of 2010 - and Rich Franklin, who hasn't fought since a decision loss to Forrest Griffin last February.

Fertitta asked fans for suggestions on Twitter for Shogun's next fight, and these names are all likely to come up. We'll see what route the UFC decides to go when the ultimately announce a fight, but there's not a real long list of realistic options here.

[Mauricio "Shogun" Rua art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]