After 21 years of fighting, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua ended his career at UFC 283. Though it was not the farewell ‘Shogun’ wanted, losing via TKO to Ihor Potieria, the 41-year-old feels at ease with the decision after the many battles and injuries he endured during his career.
During the event’s post-fight press conference, Shogun told Ag Fight he is leaving the sport with the feeling of a job well done and thanked the fans for all of their support throughout the years. Now, all Mauricio wishes is for fans to remember his legacy in a positive way after retirement.
“My biggest source of motivation is having my fans’ support. The crowd made me emotional with all the cheering and support they gave me after the fight. It made me feel good, because I’ve always treated my fans with a lot of kindness. I love my fans. Feeling all the support made things better. Of course I didn’t want to end my career with a loss. Unfortunately, it was not possible. Although I lost, I’ve got the feeling that mission is finished, my duties. For 21 years, I’ve given my best, but this happens sometimes.
“I feel relieved, accomplished and feeling like the job was done, because I did my best,” Mauricio said. “It was a long career. The legacy I want to leave and the way I want to be remembered is as a great person, a good role model inside and outside of the Octagon. For us, fighters, I think this is very important and it’s what I was trying to show the whole time.”
Rua (27-14-1) ended his career on a three-fight losing skid, with losses to Ovince Saint Preux and Paul Craig prior to the Potieria defeat. However, the Brazilian was one of the most successful mixed martial arts of his generation, winning the 2005 Pride middleweight GP at the age of 23 and the UFC light heavyweight title five years later, in 2010.
During his career, Shogun scored wins over some of the most notable names in Pride and the UFC, including Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Alistair Overeem, Chuck Liddell and Lyoto Machida, among others.
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