Mauricio “Shogun” Rua turned back the clock at UFC 198 and picked up a split-decision win against Corey Anderson on the main card in Curitiba, Brazil, on Saturday.
MMAjunkie tweeted out the scorecards:
The bout got off to an inauspicious start, with both guys gauging distance and Anderson respecting Shogun’s power.
Rua, 34, showed that he still has plenty of power in his hands, flooring his 26-year-old opponent to close out the round and likely take the opening stanza on the cards.
The UFC tweeted out the highlight of Rua rushing Anderson:
Shogun wasn’t able to immediately capitalize on the strong finish to the round, though. Anderson came out in the second round and looked more comfortable with his legendary opponent. He scored two takedowns and threw combinations.
Then it was deja vu. Rua finished the round with a thunderous hook that again put Anderson on the mat to end the round.
The third frame was comfortably Anderson’s. The younger fighter was able to impose his will in the clinch and with takedowns while stifling Shogun’s ability to inflict damage in the stand-up. As Jack Slack of Vice noted, it created an interesting judging conundrum, as Rua’s late surge in the second round made things murky:
In the end, it was enough to win the fight on two judges’ cards.
The win not only gave Shogun a great moment in his home country but also a bit of revitalization to his career. His victory over Anderson gave him a two-fight win streak. That might not seem like much, but it’s the first time he’s put together back-to-back wins since he defeated Mark Coleman and Chuck Liddell in 2009.
Despite the 3-4 record in his last seven fights, Rua still carries some weight in the light heavyweight division. He entered Saturday’s bout ranked No. 8 in the UFC rankings.
Now, Rua appears to be ready to aim his sights at the man just one position above him in those rankings—Rashad Evans.
“Rashad was injured once, then we were supposed to fight again and I got hurt,” Rua said, per John Morgan and Fernanda Prates of MMAjunkie. “I think a fight with him is inevitable.”
Given the UFC 198 win, Rua has likely staved off any retirement talk, and a fight against Evans makes sense. Rua’s subpar record since 2009 hasn’t kept him from being a consistent presence on UFC cards in Brazil. His last four fights have all taken place in his home country.
While the win should extend Rua’s relevance for a while longer, it will also stunt the growth of one of the light heavyweight division’s few young contenders. Anderson was the highest-ranked fighter under 30 years old in the 205-pound division, coming into the fight at No. 12.
After defeating Tom Lawlor in his last fight, the Ultimate Fighter 19 winner had a chance to prove that he belongs in the Top 10. Now, he’ll have to bounce back from his first loss since being knocked out by Gian Villante at UFC on Fox 15.
There’s still time for the 26-year-old to turn things around, but this loss will slow that development. For now, the 205-pound division is still ruled by the elder statesmen of the game.
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