Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua said today that he turned down a fight with Glover Teixeira at UFC 149 because Texeira didn’t offer the kind of name recognition that would advance his career.
“Since Teixeira has only one fight on his UFC record, my crew didn’t think that was interesting to fight him at this time,” Rua told MMAjunkie.com through a translator.
Rua denied telling UFC president Dana White he would rather be cut from the UFC than take the fight.