Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is not done.
Not yet.
Despite coming into his fight against James Te Huna at UFC Fight Night 33 as the betting underdog (somehow), Shogun thoroughly outclassed his foe, obliterating him with a crisp counter-left hook just one minute into Round 1.
Te Huna held his hands low, threw an ill-advised lead left uppercut, and Shogun capitalized.
In case you forgot, Shogun’s power is terrifying (gif courtesy of Zombie Prophet).
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
We’ll obviously remember the finish.
The fight only lasted 63 seconds, and Shogun’s finishing blow was the only noteworthy strike.
If we must look past the knockout, Te Huna‘s lifeless flop to canvas and Shogun’s ferocious follow-up shot (that missed) were also pretty memorable.
What We Learned About Shogun
Shogun will brutally finish you if you leave your hands down.
While his body may be worn down and his ceiling may be lower than it once was, his power is still 100 percent intact.
He is no pushover, and he still presents danger to any and all comers.
What We Learned About Te Huna
Te Huna is not a top-10 light heavyweight in the UFC.
The major argument in favor of including Te Huna in the top-10 rankings centered around the fact that he only loses to good opponents.
While that is true, the fact remains that Te Huna has never defeated a fighter of note, either. Te Huna is still a guy who will probably beat anybody outside of the top 15 to 20, but when he faces legitimate, top-10 talent, he crumbles.
We learned that he is not ready to make the leap into contention.
What’s Next for Shogun
Shogun deserves another high-profile fight in his next outing, but I don’t think we need to send him down a path with a title shot in mind.
At this point in his career, Shogun should take fun, interesting matchups that draw a crowd and put on a show.
Give him Rich Franklin.
Franklin wants one more fight, and somehow these two legends have never fought.
Let’s do it at 205, let’s do it at 195—it doesn’t matter to me. Let’s just get it done.
What’s Next for Te Huna
Te Huna tumbles down the ladder with this loss and will likely go back to the undercard after this unimpressive performance.
Anthony Perosh, also a loser at UFC Fight Night 33, makes sense as Te Huna‘s next opponent.
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