Man, we all know that Dana White likes to have these “retirement” talks with fighters when they start to lose a step or two, pushing them to retire possibly before they’d like to, sometimes for good reason, other times just to save face. When it comes to Shogun Rua I’m not sure which side of the coin I’d believe it to be. Shogun Rua is only 32 years old and it’s hard to believe that 32 is “too old” considering the UFC has an entire “TRT Division” of older fighters who have extended their careers through TRT usage.
But if Shogun Rua loses to James Te Huna? Dana White wants to have that talk with Shogun Rua.
“This is a huge fight for both of these guys,” White said. “Obviously for ‘Shogun’ Rua, to be in this position right now fighting a guy like Te Huna – this is the fight of Te Huna’s life. If Te Huna wins this fight, it catapults him into the Top 10, everybody knows his name and everybody’s going to want to see what’s next for him.
“And yes, if ‘Shogun’ loses this fight, I probably would have that (retirement) conversation with him.”
Then again, he’d also maybe have the 185lbs talk with him as well. [source]
“I have not, but it’s not a bad idea,” White said. “If he lost this fight, I’d be interested in giving him a run at 185.”