Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua suffered a 36 second knockout at the hands of Ovince St. Preux last night in his native Brazil, but despite talk that he should retire he wasn’t looking to make any hasty decisions.
“Losing is always bad,” Shogun stated at the post-fight press conference. “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.”
Shogun now has just one win in his last five UFC fights and with an overall 6-8 record in his current stint in the Octagon it’s evident that the 32 year-old is no longer the fighter he once was during his heyday in the PRIDE organization where he produced a 12-1 record.
Given the series of wars he’s been in over the years, repeated injuries and the rapidly mounting evidence that his chin has deteriorated, it would be a wise decision for the 32 year-old to call time on his career.
However, Shogun has a warrior’s mentality and no doubt would rather fight to the bitter end and go out on his shield.
There’s also the fact that he’s already signed up to coach TUF: Brazil 4 opposite Anderson Silva, though in a break from tradition the two legends won’t fight at the end of the series.
However, the temptation to have at least one last fight after the season is over will surely be too strong to pass up, so, for better or worse in terms of his long term health, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of Rua in the Octagon just yet.
