How much longer can ‘Shogun’ Rua’s ride last?
Here’s a fact that will underscore how time really flies: While [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] will always be best remembered by longtime fans for his work in the PRIDE promotion, where he once won a grand prix tournament, he’s actually been with the UFC twice as long at this point as he was with the Japanese group.
And there have seemingly been calls for “Shogun” to hang it up since the moment he showed up in the UFC and lost what was considered a major upset at the time to Forrest Griffin in 2007 at UFC 76.
But while everyone has been busy telling the former UFC light heavyweight champ to call it a day, fact is, the 37-year-old won four of his past five fights. And while it’s highly unlikely Rua (26-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC) competes for a title again, he clearly loves what he does, and just as clearly still has something to give the sport.
This time, “Shogun” finds himself in a co-feature bout against the struggling Paul Craig (12-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC), a late replacement for original opponent Sam Alvey, who pulled out with a broken hand. We don’t know how much gas Rua has left in the tank, so rather than catcalling him for not retiring, enjoy what one of the legends of the sport can still contribute while we still have him around.
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