It’s not easy being Mauricio Rua. Not when you’ve been at the top of one of mixed martial arts’ most high-profile divisions for nearly eight years. That’s eight years worth of fights with the likes of Rampage Jackson, Mark Coleman, Alistair Overeem, Rogerio Nogueira, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, and Dan Henderson, just to name a handful.
In other words, there have been no nights off for Rua over that span of time, and while the rewards have been great, being the man with the bull’s eye on his back can be draining and pressure-filled, with the wins being celebrated and the losses perceived as signs that the end is near. But at 31, Rua has accepted the good with the bad, choosing to dismiss both in order to focus on just one thing: being ready to fight when his name is called.
“I always deal with pressure,”said Rua through manager / translator Julio Heller.
“In this sport one day you are the champion, on the other you can be at the end of the line. I think that to keep a good performance you must put aside this pressure and focus on the next fight. I always think about doing my best in respect to my fans; the result is just a consequence. But I'm proud about t my career and I know that I can do much more.”
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