One of the most celebrated light heavyweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, Mauricio Shogun Rua’s has spent his life dedicated to the martial arts fighting all the way from the IFC to Pride FC to his current home; The Ultimate Fighting Championships.

The son of a businessman and a track and field runner, Mauricio started his martial arts journey at the age of six in Brazilian Jujitsu and at the age of eleven took up Muay Thai.

In the following clip we get a glimpse of his pre-Shogun days as a teenage Mauricio Rua fights an unnamed opponent in an impromptu Muay Thai bout at a party held in a downstairs living room back in Brazil in the 1990’s.

No head gear and 16 oz gloves in check, the two brawl it out in front of an invigorated audience which includes his brother ‘Ninja’ Rua.

While finding success in landing wild hammer fists and sweeping his opponent to the floor, Mauricio finds himself getting outworked inside of the clinch on multiple occasions and at the receiving end of several kicks to both the head and body.

Despite putting on a valiant display Mauricio is taking heavy punishment. After a brief restart from the clinch he gets caught flush with a left high kick which drops him to the carpet and the fight is waved off, marking a loss in his blossoming career.

About Shogun Rua:
Maurício Milani “Shogun” Rua (born November 25, 1981) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2002, Rua is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and was the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion being one of three people to win both a Pride FC and UFC belt.