By Thomas Gerbasi

This Friday night on Spike TV, PRIDE lives again with the premiere of “The Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships” at 10pm ET / PT. Watch series preview.

Featured on this first episode in a man long considered to be one of the top light heavyweights in the game, Brazil’s Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, who takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman in a 2006 showdown. The fight was just one of many defining PRIDE moments for Rua, seven of which we detail here.

Akira Shoji – October 5, 2003 – PRIDE Bushido 1
Result – Rua KO1
4-1 in his mixed martial arts career, 21-year old Mauricio Rua made his PRIDE debut against the man many of the Japanese organization’s big names made their bones against – veteran gatekeeper Akira Shoji. And despite the fact that Shoji had been on the losing end of his PRIDE bouts more often than not, he was never one to go away quietly, and he actually came into the Rua bout with a two-fight winning streak, his first in three years. And while obviously raw technique wise, there was no disputing the athleticism and potential of the youngster from Curitiba, who rebounded from a slow start that saw him taken down and almost caught in a heel hook to stop Shoji with a series of flush shots to the head at the 3:47 mark. The win began a streak that lasted nearly two and a half years and built Rua from unknown to superstar.

Quinton Jackson – April 23, 2005 – PRIDE Total Elimination 2005
Result – Rua TKO1
Following the win over Shoji, Rua stopped Akihiro Gono and Yasuhito Namekawa in Bushido bouts before moving to the big show with a February 2005 win over Hiromitsu Kanehara at PRIDE 29. Next up for ‘Shogun’ was established star Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who had just rebounded from his second loss to Wanderlei Silva by winning a split decision over Rua’s brother Murilo. With this added incentive, Rua stepped into the Osaka Dome ring not only looking to establish himself as one of the game’s top young stars, but to avenge his brother. As he told me in 2007, “He (Jackson) was the star in PRIDE, and I was the new guy from Brazil. I knew that the fight would be difficult, he beat Ninja (Rua’s brother Murilo) before in a very controversial result, and this was my opportunity to avenge my brother. At the end, the fight was easier than everyone could imagine.” I don’t know about easy, but it was certainly impressive, and perhaps Rua’s most spectacular victory, as he tore through Jackson en route to a first round TKO that put him on the international map. ‘Shogun’ was for real.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – June 26, 2005 – PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005
Result – Rua W3
Just two months after his career defining win over Jackson, Rua was called back into action to face countryman Antonio Rogerio ‘Minotoro’ Nogueira in the quarterfinals of the PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix. Combined, the two owned a 12-0 PRIDE record, and they fought hard to keep that zero, with the resulting bout gaining much fan support as one of the best in the organization’s history. And that’s no surprise considering the back and forth nature of the fight as well as the high-level striking and groundwork from both men. When it was over, Rua had pounded out a unanimous decision win, but there were some who believed ‘Lil’ Nog’ deserved the nod. With both fighters now in the UFC, what better way to settle things than to do it one more time?

Ricardo Arona – August 28, 2005 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
Result – Rua KO1
With two huge wins under his belt in the 2005 Grand Prix tournament, Rua made it three in a row with a semifinal stoppage of Alistair Overeem, setting up his final match against Ricardo Arona in August of 2005. It was both fighters’ fourth match in four months against world-class competition (Arona defeated Dean Lister, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Wanderlei Silva to make it to the final), and the question of burnout had to be considered. But once the bell rang, it was clear that Rua was only getting warmed up, and he broke open the fight and ended it suddenly at the 2:54 mark with a stomp and a series of follow-up hammerfists that put Arona out and gave ‘Shogun’ the 2005 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix title. Pound for pound? He was certainly in the conversation.

Mark Coleman – February 26, 2006 – PRIDE 31 
Result – Coleman TKO1
Following his defeat of Arona, the only thing left for Rua to accomplish was to add a legend to his resume. Mark Coleman was designated to be that legend, but what was shaping up to be an interesting contest instead ended abruptly when a Coleman takedown dislocated Rua’s elbow, forcing an immediate halt to the bout. And what was even more interesting than the bout itself was the post-fight melee in the ring that included Wanderlei Silva and Phil Baroni. Time healed the bad blood between the two, but they would meet again nearly three years later in the UFC, with Rua scoring a third round TKO win.

Cyrille Diabate – September 10, 2006 – PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute
Result – Rua TKO1
In his first fight following the injury suffered in the Coleman loss, Rua was matched with kickboxing standout Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate, who many UFC fans will remember as an assistant coach for Team USA on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Diabate may have been the best pure technical striker Rua had ever faced, and his prowess was evident early. In response, Rua did what all smart fighters do – he took the fight to his side of the playing field, and for him that was to the canvas. Rua dominated on the ground, but then finished things off with the stomps that are not legal here in the UFC. Rua was back.

Kevin Randleman – October 21, 2006 – PRIDE 32
Result – Rua Wsub1
As one of the featured fighters on PRIDE’s first United States show, Rua wanted to leave an impression on Stateside fans, and what better way to do it than to beat the Hammer House teammate of Coleman, former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman? Plus, like Quinton Jackson, Randleman held a win over Rua’s brother Murilo, so that added to Shogun’s incentive. “The Monster” tore after Rua at the opening bell, but the poised Brazilian weathered the storm and submitted Randleman. Following two more PRIDE fights, Rua was in the UFC.