[bears9]

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a longtime PRIDE fighter who made an unsuccessful UFC debut against Forrest Griffin in September, will likely return to the octagon in February of March.
The report comes from Chris Howie of MMANews.com, who quoted Chute Boxe representative Julio Heller.
According to Wednesday’s camp update, Rua is recovering nicely from a post-UFC 76 knee surgery. The 25-year-old (who turns 26 on Sunday) suffered an upset submission loss to Griffin on Sept. 22. Griffin spoiled Rua’s debut — the Brazilian had won 12 of 13 fights before the loss — with a third-round rear-naked choke.
Rua reportedly had a knee injury prior to the fight with Griffin, but the fighter made no mention of it before the fight. In a series of interviews after the event, he said he didn’t want people to think he was using the injury as an excuse.
An opponent hasn’t been named for Rua, but according to MMANews.com, his team thinks a fight with former UFC champion (and current “The Apprentice” contestant) Tito Ortiz “would be a very interesting fight.“
If the team is, indeed, looking at a February or March return, UFC 81 (Feb. 2) and UFC 82 (March 3) appear to be the most likely options.

Report: “Shogun” to Return in February or March