Last Saturday’s Ultimate Fight Night 56 resulted in a quick loss for Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and not long after the question of whether or not he should continue fighting was a popular topic on the web. At 32 years old when looking at the number he is still prime for competition but his 12 years in the sport may have aged him more than fans know. However, anyone has a punchers chance to win and it should be noted that his loss took place at nearly 4 o’clock in the morning local time and it was 90 degrees in the arena.
Rua was a favorite to win; we all had him picked to win considering the card change and the little known St. Preux facing someone of his caliber. Surprisingly enough St. Preux proved us wrong, and he did it in 34 seconds of round one. St. Preux employed the fade away check hook, one of the ways strikers deal with someone who comes straight at them. They step off to the side and land a strike just out of range of the straight line attack. Chuck Liddell used a similar technique throughout most of his career and it gained him wins against Randy Couture twice, Tito Ortiz, and any other fighter that would come straight in at him.
While in the post fight press conference Rua said he would have to talk to his team about his future and the past has shown he is not unfamiliar with losing to a punch he did not see coming. He was doing well against Dan Henderson before Henderson landed his well known overhand right that would break his nose and give him his last loss before he faced Ovince St, Preux this past Saturday. Martial arts fights can be compared with chess, two masters playing a game and each player is waiting to capitalize on the others mistake. “I made a mistake”, is exactly what Rua commented on the post fight press conference afterwards when commenting on his future.
People can speculate when he should quit fighting and suggest retirement; however, no one but the fighter can make the final decision. Daniel Cormier remarked on that sentiment immediately after the broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and it would seem he is correct. On the UFC’s Official Website a link was posted from Rua’s Facebook page where he thanked his supporters and explained the ups and downs of the sport. He hints at a weight class change and coaching The Ultimate Fighter in Brazil. He mentioned taking some time with his family and to “think about my next steps, TUF Brazil, maybe a weight class change, but I’ll keep on going cause winning is easy, but keep on battling and overcome the obstacles is what makes a true fighter.”
Considering the time he put in and his age, it is not a bad idea to take some time and be a coach then test the waters in another weight class. He should still have another 2 or three years left in him before retirement should be considered. If he thinks so, no one is going to change his mind anyway so fans may as well support his decision.
UFC Fight Night Uberlandia: Post Fight Press Conference | via UFC’s Official YouTube Channel
Shogun on Losing in Uberlandia Facebook Post | via UFC’s Official Website.
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