Rua's confidence is back as he meets Henderson

Five minutes after his light heavyweight title bout in March against Jon Jones was stopped, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua looked as if he had been beaten repeatedly about the face with a billy club. If there is such a thing as a mugging in professional sports, this was it.

Rua, though, isn't one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts history because he gives up easily.

And so, after a rousing comeback victory in August at UFC 134 in Brazil over former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, Rua is his charming, confident self once again. He faces veteran Dan Henderson in the five-round, non-title main event of UFC 139 on Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., with thoughts of another title shot running through his head.

Anybody who saw Rua-Jones probably doesn't have the stomach for a rematch, unless you have sadistic tendencies, but it's a good thing Rua is anxious to get back. He's one of the sport's most engaging and entertaining fighters, and having him motivated is only a positive.

"I lost to Jon Jones in a way that I was never beaten before," Rua said. "But I have overcome it and it has been a source of motivation and fuel for me to overcome that and to get my belt back."

Part of that process is staying healthy and fighting regularly. For much of the last five years, Rua's career has been a series of stops and starts.

After a significant knockout victory over Alistair Overeem at PRIDE 33 in Las Vegas on Feb. 24, 2007, he injured a knee and had surgery. He lost his UFC debut on Sept. 22, 2007, to Forrest Griffin and was out 16 months until he fought Mark Coleman.

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He suffered another knee injury after winning the UFC light heavyweight title by knocking out Lyoto Machida and missed 10 months.

Being healthy and able to fight regularly is important to all fighters, but particularly to Rua, who has been hurt so often that it's been difficult to generate momentum.

"Injuries are a part of the sport, but when you're always trying to [rehabilitate an] injury, it is very difficult," he said. "You can't work on your technique and improving because you are trying to get healthy."

After pummeling Griffin in less than two minutes, he's returned to the cage just three months later. It's the kind of plan he'd prefer to be on from here on.

He hasn't been given an easy task – Henderson remains one of the world's elite fighters and still holds the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt – but he's eager to get in and test himself again.

Henderson is coming off a first-round knockout of legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Rua spent time in PRIDE when Emelianenko was at his peak and knows how significant that win was, though he concedes it wasn't a shock.

"I wasn't surprised because I know Dan Henderson's potential," Rua said. "He is a great guy and a great fighter and he has beaten a lot of top fighters. The win over Fedor was awesome and it shows you the kind of talent that he has."

Rua, though, has defeated more than his share of talented guys, including eight men – Griffin, Machida, Overeem, Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Kevin Randleman – who have held a UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce title.

Henderson, 41, would be another, given he's been champion in both PRIDE and Strikeforce. There has long been talk of a Rua-Henderson fight and Henderson understands what he's up against.

He defeated Rua's older brother, Murilo, in a grueling match and expects nothing less from Shogun.

"I'm excited about fighting Shogun," Henderson said. "It's something that the fans have been looking forward to for a long time and wanting for a long time. He's a tough opponent and well-rounded and is definitely a huge challenge for me to get past."

Henderson is equally a big challenge for Rua, who candidly admits that the win over Griffin did wonders for his confidence.

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One of the most difficult things for a fighter who is as used to success as Rua to overcome is the mental hurdles in shaking off a one-sided loss, such as the one he suffered to Jones. In that kind of loss, the aura on invincibility is ground away and it takes a special kind of athlete to get back on the horse and go after it again.

Rua said defeating Griffin at UFC 134 amid all the pressure that came with fighting in his native Brazil was a big boost.

"A win over a top fighter like Forrest, who is a former champion and has many impressive victories, helps your confidence and your motivation a great deal," Rua said. "That was a very important fight for me."

It got him back on the path of fighting regularly, which is the biggest thing for him. If he gets past Henderson, don't expect to have to wait until well in 2012 to see him again.

No one is more anxious than Rua to put the memories of that one-sided defeat to Jones way behind him.

There's no better way to do that than to fight, and win, regularly. And if Rua has anything to say about it, that's what he plans to do.

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