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MMA legend [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] will return to the octagon on Saturday when he meets Paul Craig in the UFC on ESPN+ 22 co-main event.

“Shogun,” though still only 37, is essentially a relic of the sport these days. He’s among the last of a dissolving generation of fighters who made their fame outside of the UFC. Rua’s pre-octagon stage was with PRIDE Fighting Championships.

The Japan-based promotion, which held its final event in April 2007, was a breeding ground for some of the sport’s biggest stars before it was bought out and had much of its top talent transferred to the UFC. Rua’s run of success with PRIDE was among the best in company history, though, and he will forever be among the prominent names built under the PRIDE banner.

It won’t be long until fighters with PRIDE bouts on their record fall by the wayside for good, though. Rua, a former UFC light heavyweight titleholder, is one of the few still representing in the UFC, and he’s having as much or more success than any of his fellow alumni, with five wins in his past six octagon appearances.

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These are the PRIDE veterans who are still part of the UFC roster, and where they stand today:

• Nick Diaz (PRIDE record: 0-0 with one no contest): Diaz only fought once in PRIDE, throwing down a memorable gunslinger with Takanori Gomi at the promotion’s sophomore U.S. event in February 2007. His gogoplata submission win was overturned to a no contest because he failed a post-fight test for marijuana. It’s been nearly four years since Diaz fought, but he just recently pushed for a fight against Jorge Masvidal.
• Robbie Lawler (PRIDE record: 1-0): Like Diaz, Lawler only made one PRIDE appearance, but it was memorable. He scored a 22-second flying knee knockout of Joey Villaseñor at PRIDE 32 in October 2006 before bouncing around various promotions for the next several years until returning to the UFC, where he would become welterweight champ. “Ruthless” is currently sitting on three straight losses, though, and is awaiting his next booking in 2020.
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (PRIDE record: 8-2): Although he never achieved championship success in PRIDE like his brother, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, “Lil’ Nog” had many notable moments in PRIDE, including the 2005 “Fight of the Year” against Rua. Nogueira has been in the UFC for a decade and, at 43, has lost four of his past six. He said he plans to fight once more in 2020 before retiring from MMA.
• Alistair Overeem (PRIDE record: 7-7): Overeem was a mainstay in PRIDE in the mid-2000s, fighting many of the biggest names the promotion had to offer with mixed success. It wasn’t until after PRIDE fizzled that Overeem retuned to heavyweight and changed his career trajectory. He went on a run that eventually landed him in the UFC, where he’s already fought once for the title. He’s trying to get back there now, too, and gets a big opportunity when he headlines UFC on ESPN 7 against Jair Rozenstruik on Dec. 7.
• Mauricio Rua (PRIDE record: 12-1): Rua’s run through PRIDE was the stuff of magic. It’s one of the great stretches from any fighter in MMA history, and his only blemish in 13 fights with the organization came when he dislocated his arm 49 seconds into a fight with Mark Coleman. “Shogun” was among the faces of PRIDE during its final years, but eventually he would go to the UFC, where he would claim the light heavyweight belt. Injuries have plagued Rua’s octagon tenure, but he’s still won many fights and is on the cusp of a co-main event slot against Craig in his home country.
• Anderson Silva (PRIDE record: 3-2): Silva’s PRIDE stint lasted less than three years and included the high of his flying knee knockout against Carlos Newton, as well as the low of his flying scissor heel hook loss to Ryo Chonan. He found his way to the UFC a couple years later and went on the greatest winning streak in company history at 16 fights. Those days seem long removed. “The Spider” is now 44 and has earned just one victory in his past eight fights.
• Fabricio Werdum (PRIDE record: 4-2): Werdum’s run in PRIDE was relatively short, all things considered. He fought there six times over 17 months but was still very young in his MMA career. More than eight years would pass before the Brazilian would become UFC heavyweight champion, and it’s been more than three years since he lost it. Werdum is now 42 and in the middle of serving a USADA suspension that doesn’t expire until May 2020.