And we were blessed to watch him fight, whether it was in PRIDE when he was the aggressive young gun wrecking opponents left and right en route to winning the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix, or the wily, yet still explosive, veteran who won a UFC light heavyweight title in 2010 and fought the best the Octagon had to offer.
“I have so many fond memories of so many fights, and a lot of them represent my fighting style,” he said. “I always gave my all, fought looking to finish the fight and tried to be aggressive everywhere. From my Quinton Jackson fight, going through the first Lil’ Nog fight, (Ricardo) Arona, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto (Machida), Dan Henderson, you can pick any of them and it will be good.”
That epic journey is similar to that of another Class of 2024 inductee, his Chute Boxe teammate, Wanderlei Silva.
“Wanderlei, alongside my brother ‘Ninja,’ was one of my first idols in the sport,” said Rua. “When I started out, Wanderlei was the man in our gym and an example that we all wanted to follow. I had the pleasure to be in PRIDE with him for a few years, then in the UFC, and now once again at the Hall of Fame.”
Another two-time Hall of Famer and Chute Boxe teammate, Anderson Silva, picks up a place in the Fight Wing tonight for his first bout with Chael Sonnen, and with Silva spending time in PRIDE, as well, it’s a reminder of just how special that Japanese promotion was.