Biography(references)Rua was born on 25 November 1981 and raised in Curitiba, Brazil and is of Italian, and Portuguese descent. Rua's father is a businessman and his mother is a former track athlete and now marathon runner. Both are mixed martial artists training at Universidade da luta, though Marcos does not compete at a professional level. Rua followed his older brother in training at the Chute Boxe Academy, and was successful in BJJ championships at the blue and purple belt levels. In addition to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he now trains in wrestling and boxing.
Fighter Trivia(references)On 12 September 2007, Rua married physiotherapist Renata Ribeiro. Their first child, a daughter named Maria Eduarda, was born on 15 January 2010. Before becoming a fighter, Rua worked as a model in Brazil, doing books, pictures, and even fashion shows for brands.
Awards & Accolades
PRIDE Fighting Championships: 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion
UFC: UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
UFC: Knockout of the Night (Three times) vs. Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida and James Te Huna
UFC: Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Mark Coleman, Dan Henderson (x2), Antônio Rogério Nogueira
UFC: Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Tyson Pedro
UFC: Tied ( with Jon Jones, Ovince Saint Preux and Glover Teixeira) for most fight-night bonuses in UFC Light Heavyweight division history (eight)
UFC: Fight of the Year (2011) vs. Dan Henderson
UFC: UFC Hall of Fame (Fight Wing, Class of 2018) vs. Dan Henderson at UFC 139
World MMA Awards: 2010 Knockout of the Year versus Lyoto Machida on 8 May
World MMA Awards: 2011 Fight of the Year versus Dan Henderson on 19 November
Sherdog: 2005 Fighter of the Year
Sherdog: 2005 Fight of the Year versus Antônio Rogério Nogueira on 26 June
Sherdog: 2009 Comeback Fighter of the Year
Sherdog: Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards: 2011 Fight of the Year versus Dan Henderson on 19 November
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