The Rua Shogunate (Patreon)

After PRIDE Total Elimination 2005, eight men advanced in the greatest 205 pound tournament ever assembled. Vovchanchyn, Overeem, Arona, Nogueira, Silva, Sakuraba, Nakamura and Rua all vied to prove themselves the greatest light heavyweight / 'Middleweight' in the world. With the UFC title in the hands of Chuck Liddell, all eyes were on the 205 pound division as the UFC and PRIDE alternated events through the summer of 2005. 

We recall the drama surrounding the final three rounds of the tournament which took place at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 and PRIDE Final Conflict 2005--which many fans consider to be the greatest event in the history of the promotion and even MMA as a whole.

The Rua Shogunate is now available 

Sorry about the turmoil, been having a crazy couple of months! The aim is to continue 2 podcasts a week when possible and one on slower weeks.

The scope of this one caught me out - so many characters and moving parts - so I'm taking it down in scale again for the next episode and we're focusing on two men and the rivalry that made the modern UFC.