Mauricio "Shogun" Rua dropped Forrest Griffin with a looping right hand then followed it up with his patented go-for-the-kill ground and pound to finish the fight at 1:53 of the first round. Rua showed no mercy as he bounced Griffin's head off the canvas with repeated hammer fists.
Mauricio Rua defeats Forrest Griffin via knockout at 1:53 of Round 1.
Griffin had hoped to win the rematch to put a seal on a series with Shogun, but now they've split their pair of fights 1-1. Rua was utterly dominant in the rematch, hurting Griffin with a looping overhand right and then imposing his brutal will on the American fighter.
Rua was very excited to celebrate in front of the Rio de Janiero crowd after picking up the win. His last fight was a loss to champion Jon Jones. It's a certainty he'd like to get a shot to get his title back although after the one-sided nature of his loss to Jones makes that an uphill climb.