A little over seven years ago, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua arrived in the UFC as one of the prizes pieces of the Pride merger. He had won 12 of 13 fights prior to his UFC debut, with the one loss coming as a result of a broken arm.
He was one of the most exciting, violent fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts. The hype train was warranted, and undeniable. Then, in his first UFC appearance, he promptly lost to Forrest Griffin via submission. Since then, Rua’s up and down ride has only continued.
The 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix winner has had his share of success in the UFC, capturing the light heavyweight title from Lyoto Machida in 2010. He has also had more than his share of battles. From his first 5 round war with Machida, to the beating he took at the hands of Jon Jones, to the “Fight of the Century” with Dan Henderson, to the unexpected slobber-knocker with Brendan Vera, Rua has taken more than his fair share of damage is recent years. And with those battles, the losses have started to pile up. He has lost 3 of his last 4, most recently falling victim to an H-bomb in another loss to Henderson.
The calls for a “shopworn” Rua to retire have been getting louder and louder. At roughly 33 years of age and 12 years in the sport with the resume he has, no one would blame Rua if he decided to walk away.
However, he wants no part of it. It is totally understandable that a warrior of Rua’s pedigree would want to go out on top, or as close as to the top as he could get. But there’s the rub; Rua is nowhere near the top right now. While going out on top may seem ideal, fading into obscurity or becoming a sad cautionary tale would certainly be worse.
Saturday night in Brazil is the first step in determining the next phase in the career of Shogun Rua. He takes on a younger, more athletic fighter in Ovince St. Preux. Can the battle tested vet overcome the spry young prospect? Will Rua rise to contender status or be relegated to gatekepper duty in the light heavyweight division? Or worse yet, will he become an afterthought? Either way, here’s to hoping he’s got a little left in the tank.