Spokespeople for the UFC have announced today that the former UFC LH Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will face Corey Anderson at UFC 198 on May 14 in Rua’s hometown of Curitiba, Brazil. Rua was previously sheduled to face Rashad Evans on April 16, but pulled out of the event citing an injury.
The 34-year old former champion has had an up and down career since losing the title to Jon Jones in 2011. Rua has suffered defeats in the past few years by knockout to fighters such as Dan Henderson and Ovince Saint Preux. However, Rua was victorious in his last fight against former pride rival Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in August 2015. But Rua hasn’t had a consistent line of victories since 2009.
The 25-year old Anderson on the other hand, has gone 5-1 in the UFC with wins over top fighters like Fabio Maldonado and Jan Blachowicz. His last win was a dominant performance over Tom Lawler at UFC 196 on March 5. Anderson earned his way into the octagon by becoming the winner of Season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter.