… Well not really, but according to Dana White, Shogun Rua would have rather been cut from the UFC than have to fight prospect, Glover Teixeira. Why you might ask? Well apparently the real reasons for this are known only to Shogun. Theories are beginning to circulate, so let’s get to the crux of the matter.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was originally slated to fight Thaigo Silva at UFC on Fox 4; however, Silva was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Almost as quickly as Silva withdrew from the match noise started to build about a replacement opponent. Dana White favoured upcoming Brazilian fighter, Glover Teixeira.
Teixeira is a new name within the UFC, having just made his debut not more than a month ago at Mir v. Dos Stantos. At that event, he submitted Kyle Kingsbury with a spectacular arm triangle. However, Glover Teixeira is no new name to MMA having defeated some reputable names in his twenty career fights (18-2): Ricco Rodriguez, Marvin Eastman and Kingsbury to name a few.
While Shogun denies claims that he would rather be cut than face Teixeira, Dana White is adamant that this was the case. There are two theories that could explain this.
The first theory is that Rua refused to fight someone who was not a top-ten fighter. This one is a little hard to swallow, since Thiago Silva is arguably not a top-ten fighter, and his new opponent (Brandon Vera) is nowhere near a top-ten fighter.
The second theory, and more likely one in my opinion, is that Shogun feared losing to someone outside of the ten who really doesn’t have much of a name. Glover Teixeira, as noted previously, while not a big name has fought some credible fighters and has sixteen finishes to his eighteen wins. Shogun is in desperate need to string together some wins, and a loss to a fighter such as Teixeira would have a detrimental impact on his stock. Vera, his new opponent, is in the UFC only by default (was cut after his loss to Thiago Silva, but allowed back in after Silva tested positive for a banned substance), and has not looked like a top-ten fighter for several years.
It is unfortunate that Shogun will not be facing Glover Teixeira, because this would have made for a great match. If the rumour is true, as Dana White claims it to be, this fan’s respect for Rua has dropped significantly!
… and that is the last word.