Former UFC champion Mauricio Rua is reportedly coming back after a November 2020 loss to Paul Craig.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua is returning to the Octagon for the first time since 2020.
According to Ag Fight’s report, ‘Shogun’ is set to rematch the man who knocked him out in only 34 seconds, back in 2014: Ovince Saint Preux. Per the same post, the pair is scheduled to meet at UFC 274.
In his last outing, Rua (27-12-1) got TKO’d by Paul Craig when he submitted to ground strikes, back in November 2020. The defeat happened after the 40-year-old scored a split decision win in a trilogy fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and after fighting the aforementioned Craig to a split draw.
Currently on a two-fight losing skid, Saint Preux (25-16) will look to recover from knockout losses to Tanner Boser, in a heavyweight bout, and Jamahal Hill. The 38-year-old’s last win happened in September 2019, when he knocked ou Alonzo Menifield.
Now, Rua is expected to meet Saint Preux at UFC 274, on May 7, in a location yet to be determined by the promotion. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight title bout between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, along with a light heavyweight title co-main between the champion, Glover Teixeira, and challenger Jiri Prochazka.