I guess it is one thing to be a former UFC Champion, it is another thing to be a former UFC Champion and have renowned Boxing coach Freddie Roach say that you hit like a girl. That is apparently where Mauricio “Shogun” Rua stood when he first entered the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles while preparing for his upcoming fight with Chael Sonnen. This isn’t a joke, Freddie Roach said that Shogun hit like a girl.
According to Roach he was using improper technique, which was leading to him not being able to get as much power behind his shots as he should have been able to. Since Shogun has been fighting for so long, though, he was able to pick things up rather quickly, and doesn’t hit like a girl anymore.
“It’s funny, when we first started working together [Rua] wasn’t punching really hard because he didn’t have his balance and his feet under him, and I told him he punched like a girl. The last day he said, ‘Freddie, can I ask you a question? Do I punch like a boy now?’ I said, ‘Yes, you do.’ He’s really fun guy to be around and a really hard worker. We had a really good time.”
“He didn’t have his feet under him. He wasn’t pivoting off the right foot at the right time,” Roach explained. “The thing about striking is having weight on the right foot at the right time, and driving off that foot. He was more or less just using his upper body, which is okay. But if you get your whole body behind your shot, it’s just much, much better.”