"We are already talking to the UFC about his next fight. They are really very supportive of us and after the bout, Dana came into the locker room to show support and said he felt rhythm was important for Shogun, so whenever I was ready, I should call him cause they wanted him to fight soon again. I agree with him, and we hope to have Shogun back around August," stated manager Eduardo Alonso, who talked about the future plans of former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going Eduardo?
EA: Everything is going good. When a fight is over, we are already thinking about the next, so there's always something to get you busy. I just came back from Canada where Shogun did some apperances for his sponsor, Nutrabolics, so it was pretty busy, and now besides working on Shogun's next fight, we have a lot of fighters getting back to action. Luciano Contini, one of our welterweights at UDL, is fighting in Brazil at Predador FC this coming April 16th, then we have Ninja Rua, Marcio Cesar "Gracinha" and Joao Paulo "Tuba" [De Souza] fighting at Bamma 6 in London on May 21st. After that, Demian Maia is fighting at UFC 131 in June. Besides that, there are always sponsorship commitments, training camps going on, and a bunch of decisions to be made.
PC: Things didn't go your guy's way in the Jon Jones fight, but is Shogun okay physically?
EA: Yes, absolutely. A lot of people sent me messages asking if Shogun got hurt, but thankfully Mauricio didn't get hurt at all. After the fight, I took him to the hospital for exams and all was fine. He just had some swelling around his eyes and nothing else. He is training lightly again already.
PC: I know you guys don't make excuses, but was the change of opponent a lot tougher to deal with than Shogun let the public believe?
EA: I can't say the change of opponent was tougher to deal with. We knew Jon Jones was a tough fight, and a big challenge ahead, considering the time to make changes and all that. When we agreed to take the fight, during UFC 126, we got extremely motivated and thought this would be a great challenge and we love those. Obviously we couldn't really surpass that challenge and there are lessons to be learned, like in any defeat. Losing without learning lessons would be an enormous waste. Personally, for me, what was tougher in this whole proccess was that as soon as I got back from Vegas at UFC 126, I went straight to Curitiba to stay there through the whole camp, and when I got there, I got a call from my brother telling me that my mother was on ICU and I should rush to Sao Paulo, my hometown. She spent a long time on ICU and was just sent to a normal room one week before the fight, right on the day we flew to New Jersey. I couldn't follow the camp and had to stay away from it to support my mother, and those were very tough times. I wish I could be more present and help more.
PC: I am sorry to hear about your mom and I hope she has a full recovery. I've followed Shogun's career for a long time and right away, I knew it was going to be a long night. He never seemed to get his side to side rhythm going or anything. At what point in the fight did you sense it wasn't going to be a good night for him?
EA: To be perfectly honest with you, right at some seconds into the bout, Jones connected with a flying knee to his jaw. This couldn't be seen on the TV broadcast camera angle, but from the corner, we could see the knee hitting right on the jaw and heard the noise. Right there, it felt strange. Still, we hoped Shogun could pull something off as he is that talented. It was Jones' night though, so props to him.
PC: Shogun was coming off of an extended layoff as well. Is the goal to get him in the cage as soon as possible, so he won't be forced into another long layoff?
EA: We are already talking to the UFC about his next fight. They are really very supportive of us and after the bout, Dana came into the locker room to show support and said he felt rhythm was important for Shogun, so whenever I was ready, I should call him cause they wanted him to fight soon again. I agree with him, and we hope to have Shogun back around August.
PC: Jones seemed to do everything right in the fight. What are your thoughts on him as a fighter?
EA: I think Jon Jones is a great fighter. He is well-rounded, extremely confident, has an constantly improving standup game, and a very solid base on the ground, which results in great ground and pound. His reach obviously helps him a lot, but don't mistake things; he has a lot of talent. A lot of guys have a big reach and can't use it for real; he can 'cause he is a talent. Before the fight, I said he was a talent and I would give him accolades if he could pull it through and rise to the occasion. Props to him; he did it! He deserves to be a champion right now and it's up to us to work hard to deserve a rematch one day.
PC: How is Shogun dealing with the loss?
EA: He is dealing with it in the only way he should deal with it. He is a competitor, so obviously he is sad with the defeat and the way it took place, but he is growing even more with it and he is thinking a lot of what improvements he should make and how he can evolve more as a fighter. This game is ever changing and what we see today won't be the same in about two years. Things are getting tougher and tougher and Shogun knows with his talent, he can achieve big things again with lots of hard work. Right now, he is digesting things, making conclusions, and this is very important right now. It's the best he can take out of this experience in order to grow. Shogun is a smart guy, inteligent fighter, and this will make him stronger.
PC: I've talked to a couple of fighters that feel he would benefit from training here in the States. Is that something you guys are considering?
EA: We are considering a lot of different options. It's important to emphasize that Shogun has won the belt training in Brazil at UDL. He defeated the then undefeated Lyoto Machida, another great fighter, training in Brazil at UDL. My point is there's great training everywhere. It's more a matter of putting the right pieces together and working hard than just where you train at, be it in the U.S. or in Brazil or wherever. I think doing some specific camps in different parts to seek improvements and learn new weapons is always a good option, and regardless of where Shogun will do his training camps, UDL will stay strong and keep developing other fighters.
PC: It's very rare that you find a supporter that supports fighters through thick and thin. How cool is it to have a guy like Bloodstain Lane support Shogun throughout his career the way he has?
EA: He is the best; a very passionate guy who really supports us in all times, and I also think he developed his own act, which is also very entertaining. I think besides the amusing part of his work, he is a great guy who really loves MMA, is very passionate about the sport, and deserves a lot of respect for the amount of time and work he puts into it. He genuinely cares about Shogun and our team and we really appreciate it. Shogun is fortunate to have a lot of diehard fans who support him in good and bad times, and I think I'm fortunate to end up inheriting the support from Shogun's fans themselves as well.
PC: Best of luck to you guys on the comeback trail. I look forward to seeing Shogun back competing soon. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
EA: I want to thank all the fans who supported us before, during, and after the fight. I got endless messages from fans showing support, and so did Shogun. I pretty much said all in my post-fight statement, and again I repeat, no excuses and props to Jones. We will work harder, not only with Shogun but all our other fighters. At this point, regardless of what happens in the future, I must say we had a great run and with all the commitment we put into things, if this ends, I'll leave with great memories and a lot of respect for the people who appreciate it and pay our bills trough the love they have for MMA. It has been tough in many ways 'cause of all the dedication and passion we put into it and the sacrificies we make with our personal lives, but the support we see for the fans make it worthy and it's something I'll never forget.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]