Tag: Mauricio Rua

Don’t Hate Shogun for Refusing to Fight Glover Teixeira

I’ve been hearing a lot of fans question Mauricio Rua’s manliness for refusing to lock horns with Glover Texeira. What babble—Rua would be foolish to risk his prestigious career against a relative newbie. A loss against unheralded jug…

I’ve been hearing a lot of fans question Mauricio Rua’s manliness for refusing to lock horns with Glover Texeira. What babble—Rua would be foolish to risk his prestigious career against a relative newbie.

A loss against unheralded juggernaut Glover Teixeira wrecks Rua’s viability, and a win over Glover hardly propels him up the light-heavyweight ladder.

No doubt, Teixeira is bloodcurdling challenge. As evidenced by his rout over Kyle Kingsbury, the Brazilian whiz kid possesses a range of lethal talents—both on the ground and standing.

Yes, Glover is a beast and he may well contend for the belt. Yet among casual fans, he’s still just “some guy.”

If “Shogun” were to be sunk by Teixeira, casual fans would crap all over Rua. He’d be losing to a “nobody.” Not only would Rua’s esteem with casual fans be demoted, but he’d be relegated to insignificance—he’d tumble to the base of the 205 ladder.

Also, “Shogun” would be risking his future salary on the gambit of battling Teixeira.

Fabricio Werdum signed a lucrative, six fight contract with the UFC in 2007. When Junior dos Santos punished Werdum with uppercuts from hell, UFC brass insisted on cutting Werdum’s pay. He lost to a “nobody,” after all. Say, whatever happened to that “nobody”?

Werdum, outraged, left the organization for greener (literally – ka ching) pastures. Rua foresees such absurdity plaguing him.

Rua is not a myopic brawler, poisoned by testosterone. He has nothing to prove. He’s playing his cards well. 

A loss to Rua would serve Dana White and Co. well at the bargaining table.

“You lost to this newbie? You’ve suffered two consecutive losses? And you expect me to pay you $150,000 to fight again?” Shogun’s wallet would shrivel.

Refusing to fight Teixeira was a tactical choice on Rua’s part—both for his Octagonal success and his financial success. And to call “Shogun” anything less than a smoldering furnace of manhood is just rubbish typed by spiteful keyboard warriors.    

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Shogun Rua: UFC President Dana White Lied About Glover Teixeira Conversation

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua may no longer be considered the top 205-pound fighter in the world, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to give up the dream of getting back there. However, after upsetti…

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua may no longer be considered the top 205-pound fighter in the world, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to give up the dream of getting back there.

However, after upsetting UFC President Dana White by turning down a fight with UFC newcomer Glover Teixeira, Shogun might be looking at a longer climb up the ladder.

According to White, the former champion told him that he would prefer to be cut rather than fight Teixeira. Shogun had a different recollection of the conversation.

“They asked me to fight Glover, my manager told me and then I talked to my team and we decided not to fight Glover because he’s a top guy but, but he’s building a career in the UFC,” Teixeira told TATAME.com. “He fought once and it was on an undercard, so it’s not fair. I made it clear that it wasn’t interesting for us now.”

Though Rua admits that he did not want the bout with Teixeira, he also denied White’s claim that he told the UFC that he would rather be cut from the company than take the fight.

“Dana White commented I rather leave UFC than fighting him but it was not true. UFC never thought about it neither did I,” he said. “[The conversation about preferring to be cut] never happened.”

Rua will instead fight Brandon Vera in the main event of the next UFC on FOX fight card from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on August 4, 2012.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Friday Link Dump: A Tribute to the Godfathers of Ass-Kickin’, Shogun Explains His Glover-Ducking + More

(Mike Tyson, Urijah Faber, and Snoop Dogg discuss the influence of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Props: RootsofFight. From now until Sunday, you can get 15% off their new Helio Gracie shirt — or anything else in their store — by entering Coupon code FD2012JB when you check out.)

–  Knockout of the Half-Year: Edson Barboza Banishes Terry Etim to a Lifetime Highlight Reel (MMAFighting)

– Scoring Error Corrected for UFC on FX 3; Mike Pierce Now Unanimous Decision Victor (MMAWeekly)

– ‘Shogun’ Rua Says He Would ‘Gain Nothing’ Fighting Glover Teixeira (Fightline)

– Brett Rogers Says House Fire Sparked Rift With Bellator 71 Opponent Kevin Asplund (MMAJunkie)

– Between Choices and Chance, the UFC Has Spread Itself Too Thin (BleacherReport/MMA)

– Three Exercises to Build ‘Dad Strength’ (MensFitness)

– The Ultimate Runway Model Fails Compilation (WorldWideInterweb)

– Kevin Durant’s Top 10 Plays For The 2012 Season (TurdFergusonBlog)

– How to Spend Your Lottery Winnings (HolyTaco)

– Girl on Girls: Sex Advice From a Woman (MadeMan)


(Mike Tyson, Urijah Faber, and Snoop Dogg discuss the influence of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Props: RootsofFight. From now until Sunday, you can get 15% off their new Helio Gracie shirt — or anything else in their store — by entering Coupon code FD2012JB when you check out.)

–  Knockout of the Half-Year: Edson Barboza Banishes Terry Etim to a Lifetime Highlight Reel (MMAFighting)

– Scoring Error Corrected for UFC on FX 3; Mike Pierce Now Unanimous Decision Victor (MMAWeekly)

– ‘Shogun’ Rua Says He Would ‘Gain Nothing’ Fighting Glover Teixeira (Fightline)

– Brett Rogers Says House Fire Sparked Rift With Bellator 71 Opponent Kevin Asplund (MMAJunkie)

– Between Choices and Chance, the UFC Has Spread Itself Too Thin (BleacherReport/MMA)

– Three Exercises to Build ‘Dad Strength’ (MensFitness)

– The Ultimate Runway Model Fails Compilation (WorldWideInterweb)

– Kevin Durant’s Top 10 Plays For The 2012 Season (TurdFergusonBlog)

– How to Spend Your Lottery Winnings (HolyTaco)

– Girl on Girls: Sex Advice From a Woman (MadeMan)

Dana White vs. Shogun Rua: The Battle That Nobody Wins

We know Mauricio “Shogun” Rua didn’t want to fight surging light heavyweight prospect Glover Teixeira.He has his own reasons, and I’m sure they include something along the lines of “he’s an awesome fighter but who in the world is Glover Teixeira?” That…

We know Mauricio “Shogun” Rua didn’t want to fight surging light heavyweight prospect Glover Teixeira.

He has his own reasons, and I’m sure they include something along the lines of “he’s an awesome fighter but who in the world is Glover Teixeira?” That’s a valid enough reason. Rua is a legend of the sport winding down a spectacular career, so he’s probably earned the right to not face monsters who have very little name value.

But then UFC president Dana White came out and said that Rua told him he’d rather be cut than actually have to fight Teixeira. That sounded a little off, if you ask me.

Why would any UFC fighter agree to be terminated from their contract rather than fight a hand-picked opponent? That’s why the UFC almost always gets the fight they want: Because, in the end, where else are you going to go and make the same kind of money?

And now Rua has responded by telling Tatame.com that the discussion about being cut never happened:

Dana White commented I rather leave UFC than fighting him but it was not true. UFC never thought about it neither did I. At any point I said I would leave in case I fought him. I just said it was not interesting right now and that’s why we had our agreement. This conversation never happened.

These kinds of things never look good on White, or the UFC for that matter. Even if what White originally said was true, what’s the point of making it public? Unless you’re planning on immediately putting Teixeira in main-event fights, all you’re doing is making the guy who turned him down seem like a giant pansy.

And that giant pansy, like it or not, is headlining a Fox show in August.

Part of White’s gigantic appeal with the casual public is his proclivity for saying exactly what’s on his mind at all times. But it might be time realize that throwing fighters under the bus isn’t always the best idea. These little feuds never look good on anyone.

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UFC on Fox 4: Fight Against Shogun Rua Might Be a Buildup for Brandon Vera

Most MMA fans and pundits were surprised when the UFC announced Brandon Vera as the replacement for Brian Stann, who was supposed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on Fox 4 in August. Although a great majority of people in the MMA co…

Most MMA fans and pundits were surprised when the UFC announced Brandon Vera as the replacement for Brian Stann, who was supposed to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on Fox 4 in August. 

Although a great majority of people in the MMA community think that Vera is a bad choice, the possibility that the UFC is building up a future contender/superstar in “The Truth” is still very viable. 

Making him fight Rua already is a great testament to this argument, for a win against the former light heavyweight champion will surely propel him up the rankings. 

Vera’s record aside, here are three factors that the UFC might have seen in him to give him this golden opportunity. 

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Brandon Vera Sees Fight With Shogun Rua as a "Defining Moment" in His Career

Brandon Vera wasn’t exactly the opponent most fans were hoping for when he was paired up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX 4.The announcement came after Brian Stann suffered a shoulder injury, which forced him and his opponent Hector Lombard off…

Brandon Vera wasn’t exactly the opponent most fans were hoping for when he was paired up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX 4.

The announcement came after Brian Stann suffered a shoulder injury, which forced him and his opponent Hector Lombard off of the card and prompted the UFC to find a new main event.

The new pairing of Vera and Rua has left fans unsatisfied, and a lot of them feel Vera is a mismatch for the former UFC light heavyweight champion.

But that only lights a fire under Vera, and he told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t Dave Doyle of MMAfighting.com) that he is ready to prove his detractors wrong.

“I need this, this could almost become the defining moment of my career, through all the good, the bad and the ugly. If I do this the way I’m supposed to, the way I can, the world will start following,” Vera said. “I’m not ready to let my story come to an end. I’m not ready to retire, I’m not ready to hang up the gloves.”

That is different tune coming from the 34-year-old, who at one point was hailed as the future of the heavyweight division after beginning his UFC tenure at 4-0. But recently “The Truth” has declined, compiling a record of 1-2-1. 

But he believes he has rediscovered the passion inside of him, something that was rarely seen since his early days in the company.

He is ready to prove himself against the former Pride FC standout and shut the critics up, too.

“After my performance against Eliot Marshall they’re supposed to be counting me out. I’m supposed to show up and get my ass whupped. That’s what’s supposed to happen. But it’s not going down like that on August 4. Everyone is expecting me not to beat him. I don’t mind being the underdog, that’s when I’m at my best,” he said.

Everyone likes an underdog story, however Vera might be biting off more than he can chew against the Brazilian. The truth is that Vera has not looked remotely capable of competing against some of the 205-pound-division’s elite fighters, let alone defeat them. 

Vera is reaching his mid-30s and is no longer the same fighter he once was. Rua is no spring chicken either, as he has looked rather vulnerable in some of his past fights, too, but one would expect “Shogun” to pull off the victory with ease. 

If Vera does walk away with the win, it doesn’t put him anywhere near the top of the division, but it will have fans believing in the hype and finally take him seriously.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com