By The Numbers: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Trilogy

They were compatriots who seemed to be made for each other.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira locked horns three times—once in Pride Fighting Championships and twice in the Ultimate Fighting Championship—between June 26, 2005 and July 25, 2020, as they engaged in an unforgettable rivalry that bridged generations and made them synonymous with one another. Rua emerged victorious in all three meetings, all while he established himself as one of the most accomplished light heavyweights to ever strap on the gloves. Now more than five years removed from their final clash, the Brazilians remain interminably linked by what took place between them inside the cage and the ring.

As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a by-the-numbers look at what made Rua vs. Nogueira so memorable:

5,508: Days between the first and third Rua-Nogueira meetings. Rua took a unanimous decision from “Minotouro” at Pride Critical Countdown in June 2005, then swept scorecards from Nogueira in their first rematch at UFC 190 in August 2015. “Shogun” won their third and final encounter by split decision at UFC on ESPN 14 in July 2020.



35,000: People on hand to witness their first installment of the Rua-Nogueira rivalry at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It was the highest attendance figure of the trilogy.

50: Minutes of fight time in the Rua-Nogueira series. All three of their matchups went the distance, highlighted by their epic 20-minute battle in the 2005 Pride middleweight grand prix quarterfinal. Rua went on to win the tournament a little more than two months later, blossoming into a full-blown superstar at the age of 23.

521: Total strikes landed between Rua and Nogueira in their trilogy. More than 40% of them (213) were tallied in their first confrontation.

11: Takedowns completed by Rua at Nogueira’s expense, having done so with a 61% (11-for-18) success rate. Nogueira, meanwhile, whiffed on his only two attempts.

50,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses distributed to the two men after their “Fight of the Night” in the UFC 190 co-main event on Aug. 1, 2015 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

436: Seconds of control time accumulated by Rua in his two UFC encounters with Nogueira. By comparison, “Minotouro” was credited with only 95.

34: Significant leg strikes landed by Rua across their three meetings. He did so on 35 attempts—a 97% accuracy rate. Nogueira connected with just two of them.

2: Submission attempts between Rua and Nogueira in their trilogy. Nogueira was responsible for both, neither of which was successful.

.688: Cumulative winning percentage between the two men outside of their trilogy. Rua owns a 24-14-1 record against everyone other than the Brazilian Top Team product, while Nogueira holds a 23-7 mark against everyone other than his Chute Boxe-trained rival.