Mauricio “Shogun” Rua did turn down a fight with Glover Teixeira, but his reasoning is much different than UFC President Dana White‘s.
The UFC inquired about a possible bout with Teixeira after Thiago Silva, Shogun’s original opponent, was sidelined with an injury.
Shogun’s camp declined the fight with Teixeira, and a bout against Brandon Vera was agreed and accepted on instead for the UFC on Fox 4 main event.
In an interview with MMAjunkie, Shogun set the record straight about his reasoning for passing on a proposed fight with Teixeira.
“That was a miscommunication [that I preferred being released over fighting]. Since Teixeira has only one fight on his UFC record, my crew didn’t think that was interesting to fight him at this time. [Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera] do have a record in the UFC. Everybody knows them. That was the difference.
I’m happy fighting Brandon Vera because he has good Muay Thai. He’s very known with the UFC, and he was part of several important events in the UFC. He has way more impact than the other fighters, so that’s the reason we decided to fight him.”
Shogun’s comments rank on the other end of the spectrum in comparison to White’s.
About a couple of weeks ago, the UFC President insinuated that Shogun straight up didn’t want to fight Teixeira, and he would much rather be released than have to step into the cage against the UFC’s feared newcomer.
White spoke with Ariel Helwani about the situation during a post-fight interview for UFC on Fox 3:
“[Shogun] said he would actually rather be cut than have to fight [Teixeira]. Dude, nobody wants to fight this guy. We’re trying to match this guy up with somebody, but he didn’t mind fighting Brandon Vera, so, he’s fighting Brandon Vera.
I don’t want it to sound like I’m disrespecting Shogun because I’m not. I’m just telling the truth. It’s verbatim what his people said when we talked to him, and you know me, I tell it like it is. If you don’t want that out in public, then don’t say it to me, then don’t say it on the phone because I’m going to say what was said.”
The situation between White and Shogun has quickly turned into a useless battle of he said, he said.
Who do you believe?
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