· “Ninja” Rua To Fight For Dream And Shine Fights This Spring
Following a successful streak in the Brazilian fighting organization Bitetti Combat, Murilo "Ninja" Rua (18-10-1) is looking to have a busy spring season with back-to-back fights in Dream and Shine Fights. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Rua gave his thoughts on the companies he is fighting for and on his upcoming bouts.
Rua has been under a three-fight non-exclusive contract with Dream since early 2009 and will be appearing in their March 2010 show against a yet unnamed opponent. Since his first appearance in the organization, a decision loss to Riki "Killer Bee" Fukuda (15-4) at Dream 8, he has fought exclusively in Brazil under the Bitetti banner.
On fighting in a major promotion in Brazil, Rua explained how appreciative he was to fight in front of his home country. Aside from providing a high-profile boost to the competitive MMA scene in the South American nation, he noted several material advantages to fighting so close to home. "We're professionals and we're used to it, but we're all the time fighting in countries with different time zones, flying 12, 15, even 24 hours to fight, etc. It's nice to be on other side for a while,"
While the date has not been finalized for his spring debut in Shine Fights, Rua knows he will be facing off against Falaniko "Niko" Vitale (26-9). Rua has nothing but praise for his new parent organization. "They are signing some very talented fighters and have interesting plans, so why not join them? They treated me with respect and presented me a great opportunity, and I'm very happy and looking forward to fighting in Shine."
Though Shine may not yet have the recognition of an organization like Strikeforce, Rua feels there are other advantages to the way the organization is run. "I think Strikeforce is also a great promotion, but right now as far as America goes I'll be fighting for Shine Fights, and they will allow me to keep fighting in other countries like Brazil and Japan." In his 29 MMA fights, Rua has fought in his native Brazil only seven times, while fighting in Japan 15 times and the United States four times.
