Report: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Paul Craig set to rematch at UFC 255
According to a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC has booked a rematch between former UFC light heavyweight champion and former PRIDE middleweight grand prix champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Paul Craig that is set to take place at UFC 255 on Nov. 21 at a location that has yet to be determined.
The two first met in November 2019 at UFC Fight Night 164 in Sao Paulo, Brazil where they fought to a split draw. Both fighters recently picked up a victory last month at UFC on ESPN 14 in Abu Dhabi where Rua defeated fellow Brazilian legend Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via decision and Craig defeated Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission.
Overall, “Shogun’s” UFC career has been a bit up and down. Since 2015, however, the 38-year-old has compiled a 5-1-1 record. During that stretch, he’s earned victories over Nogueira twice, Corey Anderson, Gian Villante, and Tyson Pedro, while suffering a defeat against Anthony Smith and fighting to a draw against Craig.
The 32-year-old Craig has also experienced his fair share of ups and downs throughout his UFC run. A former BAMMA light heavyweight champion, the Scotland native has compiled a 5-4-1 record since entering the UFC in 2017. He’s currently 2-0-1 in his last three fights, submitting Vinicius Moreira in 2019 before fighting to a draw against Rua and beating Antigulov.
UFC 255 is currently set to be headlined by a pair of flyweight title fights with newly crowned 125-pound champion Deiveson Figueiredo defending his title against former bantamweight titleholder Cody Garbrandt in the main event and dominant women’s champion Valentina Shevchenko putting her title on the line against Jennifer Maia in the co-main event.
