Image Credit: UFC.com
Shogun Rua confirms UFC 283 bout against Ihor Potieira will be his final MMA fight
UFC legend Shogun Rua confirmed that his upcoming UFC 283 bout against Ihor Potieira will be his final MMA fight.
The 41-year-old Rua confirmed in an interview with Combate that his fight next month against Potieira at UFC 283 will be the final time that fans see the legend step into the steel cage.
“The feeling is that I am happy with this fight, it will be my farewell and I am happy that it will be in my country, at home. I’m happy, I’m grateful to the UFC for being one of the oldest in the UFC. I’ve been there for 15 years, there’s nobody with as much longevity as me in the UFC. I’m grateful for everything. The feeling is of being happy. (It’s the farewell) for Shogun in MMA. I’ve been fighting for 20 years, I started very early, I’ve been fighting for many years in high performance. Since 2005 against the best, so I’m an accomplished guy and I’m grateful to God for everything I’ve achieved in my career. Being an accomplished guy, that makes me stop at the right time,” Rua said.
Rua holds an all-time MMA record of 27-13-1, which includes an even record of 11-11-1 in the Octagon. He is the former UFC light heavyweight champion and he was a champion in PRIDE before that. Rua has fought the best of the best during his 20-plus years in the sport, including wins over Rampage Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
If this is truly the end of Shogun in MMA, then he will leave the sport as a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He was one of the most exciting fighters to watch in his prime, and was one half of arguably the greatest MMA fight of all time when he fought Dan Henderson at UFC 139 in 2011.
Do you think Shogun Rua will go out with a victory over Ihor Potieria at UFC 283 in his final MMA fight?
