MAURICIO RUA has promised fans they will see his best performance ever when he faces Lyoto Machida on Saturday.
Shogun will challenge Machida for his light-heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 104.
The Dragon — officially the least hit fighter in the UFC — is odds-on favourite with bookmakers to retain his crown.
But Rua — who shot to fame after winning Pride's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix — claims he is in the shape of his life going into the clash against his fellow Brazilian.
He said: "The UFC will see the best Shogun on Saturday. Not the best since Pride, but the best EVER.
"Professionally and personally, I am at my peak now, this is the best time of my life. I've got much more experience than I had when I was in Pride.
"Machida is the champion and starts as the favourite and that is right. Maybe it is a good thing because I haven't lost as an underdog.
"I fight better when I am not under the pressure and now all the pressure is off of me and on the champion.
"With the bookmakers, I don't care what the odds are — I just know what I am going to do in the fight."
Rua, 27, suffered a shock loss to Forrest Griffin in his UFC debut two years ago and spent two years on the sidelines with a series of career-threatening injuries.
But he showed signs of getting back to his best by chalking successive victories over veterans Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell earlier this year.
He added: "The knee injuries, two surgeries back-to-back — they were dark times in my life.
"There were times when it was very bad for me, especially when I had another surgery right as I wanted to start training again.
"But things happen in life and you have to come through them stronger.
"I've not shown the best of myself in the UFC yet, but this is the perfect time to do that. I am 100 per cent — I am healthy."
Yet despite being in peak physical condition, Rua is wary of the threat Machida will pose inside the Octagon.
The unbeaten 31-year-old has notched explosive knockouts in his last two bouts — first over Thiago Silva and then against Rashad Evans to win the belt at UFC 98 in May.
Rua said: "Lyoto comes from a karate background and has translated his karate into a style which works very well in MMA.
"It is a rare style but there are things he does which I have seen before.
"Even in my last fight, Liddell was a counter puncher like Lyoto so there are aspects of what he does which aren't so different.
"Eventually, his style will be solved and I believe I will be the one to solve it.
"I am focused on the strategy we have come up with.
"I will keep to that plan because we have looked at his style and found a strategy we believe will defeat his style.
"I have a strategy, and he will too, but a fight is a fight and when things happen you have to react to things going a different way.
"The person who adapts to things quicker will win and that is where my greater experience may help me.
"I fight with a lot of strategy now whereas before I used not to think so much about a plan.
"To beat the top guys like Lyoto you need a plan before you go into the Octagon.
"A lot of people thought Liddell was going to knock me out but I proved that I am not finished and my best performances are in the future."
