Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has no plans to retire from MMA and it’s kind of worrying.
Shogun (22-10) was knocked out by Ovince Saint Preux in just 34 seconds last night in Rua’s native Brazil but he hinted that he plans to continue fighting at Light Heavyweight.
At the post-fight press conference, Shogun said: “Losing is always bad. In this weight class and heavyweight, when a punch lands, you feel it. But I’m gonna get through this loss and talk to my team and think about the future. Defeats always suck.”
The decision is a surprising one because Rua is undeniably past it. He has succumbed to two consecutive knockouts and, if Saturday night is anything to go by, he is a banker for a whole bunch more.
It’s not like Rua isn’t able to make waves in MMA. He has all the ability in the world to perform at a certain level and a certain weight class.
It would make a lot of sense for Shogun to drop down to Middleweight and start fighting people ranked around 10-15 in the world where he can perhaps show some glimpses of his former glory.
If Rua doesn’t accept the reality that he is not immortal then the time may have arrived for Uncle Dana to sit Shogun down and give him the ol’ Chuck Liddell reality check.
When Chuck Liddell stopped performing at the level that made him the single most recognisable face in the sport, Dana White pulled him aside and told him, straight-up, that he believed that Liddell’s skills had diminished and that if he was to continue fighting then the Liddell legacy might never be the same.
And Chuck listened, got out and remains an icon of the sport, because he got out at just about the right time.
I’m not breaking any new ground by saying that Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, at his best, was one of the most exciting fighters of all time and it’s hard to see someone like that continue to get knocked out.
It’s public knowledge that Rua’s wife and mother have asked him to call it a day in the octagon but he didn’t listen to them. I’m sure that he’ll listen to me though.
Get out Shogun! Before it’s too late.
