Dana White believes that UFC 255 should be the last time we see Mauricio “Shogun” Rua compete in MMA.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has certainly had a Hall of Fame career, dating back to his successful Pride run all the way through his 13 years in the UFC, which includes one world championship. Rua’s name is among the most respected in the industry, but not unlike another Brazilian who White deemed recently deemed obsolete, White believes that it is time for Rua to hang it up as well following his UFC 255 loss to Paul Craig.
“I hope tonight was (Rua’s) last night. I’d like to see him retire,” White said bluntly at the UFC 255 post-fight press conference.
Paul Craig was able to defeat Shogun Rua, with a rare tapout-to-strikes finish in the second round. As much as White acknowledges the strength of Craig’s performance, the main takeaway for him is how the UFC 255 version of Shogun Rua differs from the man who earned a future spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
“(Paul Craig) looked good. And not to take anything away from him at all…he came in and did what he had to do tonight,” White began. “But just being honest, Shogun didn’t look like Shogun to me tonight. Shogun looked old and looked like a shell of his former self tonight. So, yeah, I’d like to see him hang it up, hopefully.”
There have been no talks from the Shogun Rua camp about any potential retirement, and despite the loss to Craig, Rua had only lost one out of his previous six bouts leading into the UFC 255 pay per view, so he may believe that he still has enough left in him to continue. But if White feels as strongly about Rua as he has about other legends he has advised retirement to, such as Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn, then Rua’s next fight might not be inside the UFC Octagon regardless of whether he decides to fight again.
Do you agree with Dana White? Should Shogun Rua retire?
