This weekend was a real disheartening one if you were a fan of PRIDE, DREAM and well, everything that was outside of the UFC’s chain link cage over the past few years. Two guys who made names for themselves in Japan by the way of Alistair Overeem and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua found themselves embarrassed and beaten in the octagon. In the case of Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, his career took a wrong turn due to his knee problems, and while he might be in an uneasy place right now, he’s not ready to retire just yet.
Here is the translated statement from MMAJunkie.
Last Saturday, August 17, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ was surprised by Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC Fight Night on FOX Sports 1, in Boston, United States. The submission setback was greatly felt by the Brazilian, but will serve as a learning for his upcoming fights in the organization.
Already recomposed after the defeat, the fighter analyzes the bout and promises to identify the mistakes inside the Octagon, as to not be surprised again.
“I’m a very competitive guy, who hates being defeated. I know I did everything I should have done in preparation, but Sonnen was better in our fight; credit goes to him. Unfortunately, in fighting, we have to wait a long time for redemption. In soccer, you may lose on Sunday and win on Wednesday, and everything is OK. I’ll go home, see what went wrong in the fight and train hard so this error does not happen again,” he reflects.
At 31 years of age and with an accomplished career, Shogun, former UFC light-heavyweight champion and Pride champion, is not contemplating retirement upon his return to Brazil, which will place this Thursday, the 22th, when he will be joined by his daughter Maria Eduarda and his wife Renata, three months pregnant.
“I have an 11-year career in MMA/Vale Tudo and I am an accomplished athlete; I achieved everything I ever wanted. I’ve reached all my dreams, and I still fight because I want to live them again. I still plan on many victories and becoming world champion again. I will be the one who decides when to stop, no one else. Thankfully, I am financially stable and these days I fight because I love it,” he says.
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ wishes to thank those who have always been by his side, his true fans. Regarding their loyalty, the fighter reverses the roles and considers himself a fan.
“I’ve always been a fan of Ayrton Senna, and I never though he wasn’t good when he didn’t win. I was a true fan, who admired him for everything he did, whether he came last or first in a race. His name is now etched in history, and I believe mine will also be etched in MMA history. I thank the fans who comforted me with words through social networks; you are very important to me. ”
The team assembled by Mauricio ‘Shogun’ and his managers for the matchup against Rogerio Nogueira and subsequently Chael Sonnen will remain the same in preparation for his next fight in the UFC.
“Mauricio has invested a lot in this camp, trained with the best, came to the United States to learn new techniques, so we decided to keep the same base. He trained with Freddie Roach in the United States, brought Jacob Harman to Curitiba, and had the support of Glaube Feitosa, Roberto Gordo and Renato ‘Babalu’ in his corner. He was very well prepared, but it was Sonnen who was happy that day. Mauricio is a winner by nature and I have full confidence that we will bounce back”, shares Leonardo Salomao, who alongside Lucas Pires manages the fighter’s career.