Shogun Rua vs Forrest Griffin: August 27, UFC 134
When these two first fought at UFC 76 a few years ago, it was supposed to signal the arrival of Shogun in the UFC and put him in line for a title shot.
But to the shock of everyone, Griffin came out with the perfect gameplan and not only beat but finished a lethargic Shogun.
Now set to rematch at UFC 134 , both men need a win to remain relevant in the light heavyweight division.
Shogun has looked awful in about half of his UFC fights so far, continuing the trend in his last fight against Jon Jones in March. If he comes out looking anything like he did in that fight, it will make for an ugly bout.
Griffin also has been a different fighter as of late, having finally grown past his desire to stand and trade with much better strikers. His win over Rich Franklin early this year was smart and technical, but it was uncharacteristically boring.
Don’t expect these two to go out and brawl, as Griffin will probably look to take it to the ground early and Shogun’s gas tank might not be able to take it.