MMA legend Rua loses by TKO in retirement fight
So long, "Shogun."
MMA legend Mauricio Rua officially hung up his gloves following a disappointing result in his farewell fight at UFC 283. He suffered a first-round TKO loss to Ihor Potieria on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro and confirmed afterward he's retiring from the sport.
Officially calling it quits. @ShogunRua formally announces his retirement after #UFC283
โ UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023
THANK YOU SHOGUN ๐ pic.twitter.com/JMTW6qF1PF
Rua tagged Potieria with a punch in the early moments of the fight. But not long after, Potieria clipped him with a right hand, dropped him with a flurry of shots, and then finished the job with ground-and-pound.
Ihor Potieria TKOs Shogun Rua in the first round!
โ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ข๐ช @๐๐ง๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ณ (@FTBeard7) January 22, 2023
Hate to see Shogun go out like that, but that's how the fight game goes most of the time. Still an incredible career! Salute to him ๐ซก pic.twitter.com/FnqasCWaq3
Rua, 41, is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and was the 2005 PRIDE FC Middleweight Grand Prix champion. The Brazilian was the last fighter on the UFC roster who competed in PRIDE FC in Japan. His 2005 campaign, which included wins over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Alistair Overeem, is widely considered one of the most dominant runs in MMA history.
"Shogun" walks away after losing three straight fights and posting a 27-14-1 record. His last victory was a split decision over Nogueira in a July 2020 trilogy bout. He had been a pro fighter since 2002.