UFC Fight Night 33 headliners, rugby stars find mutual respect

(Note: This story first appeared in Thursday’s edition of USA TODAY.)

BRISBANE, Australia – When the Brisbane Broncos first invited UFC reps to a meet-and-greet on the rugby club’s practice field, the plan was to show the fighters a few moves.

That changed pretty quickly.

On a sunny afternoon three days from UFC Fight Night 33, the card’s top draws were more interested in avoiding injury than engaging in a little friendly play. There’s not much of that when you get going in rugby, one of Australia’s most popular — and most combative — sports.

“It’s very dangerous,” ex-champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-8 MMA, 5-6 UFC), who faces James Te Huna (16-6 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the event’s light heavyweight co-headliner, told USA TODAY Sports.

Rugby might not have the popularity of MMA in the USA, but a bond shared among the contact-sport athletes wasn’t lost. Rua, Te Huna, and heavyweight headliners Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (18-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Mark Hunt (9-8 MMA, 4-2 UFC), donned jerseys from the team. Silva eventually tossed the ball a few times, too.

“We might be having him on our team,” Broncos front-liner Josh McGuire joked. “That would be good.”

UFC Fight Night 33 takes place Saturday at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. The event’s main card takes place Saturday morning in Australia but airs live Friday night in the USA (Fox Sports 1, 9 ET) because of the time difference.

In the buildup to the event, the UFC has scheduled a variety of events, including the rugby session.

That was good news for McGuire, who has watched the UFC with his father since the promotion’s early days and plans to attend the event.

“I probably am the MMA nerd on the team,” McGuire said. “Every time there’s a fight, I come to training talking about who won and lost. I’m a super big fan of what the sport’s done. It’s such a professional game, and I’m in awe of those athletes.”

The 23-year-old rugby player says the Broncos even have their own cage set up in the clubhouse to practice wrestling every week.

“It’s about getting the best possible position for us, because it’s about slowing the game down,” McGuire said. “The best way to do that is by using the wrestling techniques that MMA guys do.

“It’s just such a big part of rugby league now. We’ve kind of stole from MMA and put it into the game.”

Tom Wright, the UFC’s director of Canadian, Australian and New Zealand operations, said he expected the promotion’s fifth trip to the country to sell out. It takes place in the shadow of a ban on fighting inside a cage in the Australian states of Victoria and Western Australia.

The promotion continues to lobby government officials, who insist a ring is the more palatable choice. A new regional event series is planned for Australia if the ban is lifted, Wright said earlier in the week.

But where MMA isn’t seen inside the cage, Maguire said, its elements are being used on the field.

Hunt wanted to play professional rugby as a kid. But early on he realized fighting was the safer choice.

“I went for my first run and pulled my hammy,” he said. “Ten seconds after, I gave (up).”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 33, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Josh McGuire and Antonio Silva)