Following a second-round TKO loss to Paul Craig at UFC 255, Mauricio Rua may have to re-evaluate his fighting future, according to Dana White. At a post-fight scrum, the president of the company called for the former light-heavyweight champion to call it a career. White called Rua “a shell of his former self” after the loss, according to MMAJunkie.com. This could happen to anyone who’s about to turn 39 on Wednesday, November 25. Sufferings an elbow injury during the fight may play an even bigger factor in his future plans.
The 41-fight veteran will consult with his family to discuss his future plans. As for the man who has seen two of his best fighters call it a career over the past month in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anderson Silva, he’s hoping Rua becomes the third. Rua holds an 11-10-1 record in the Octagon. With Twitterverse unimpressed with the fight before and after the end results, the family meeting may be more immediate than ever.
Opener of the main card: Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua – I hate this fight. The first fight was one of the most stupid fights in history. There was no reason for Craig to not win and he threw it away. I don't care at all about this rematch, but I got Craig #UFC255 #UFC
— Jared Feuring (@jaredfeuring) November 22, 2020
https://twitter.com/feet_work/status/1330346499558006785?s=01
This is an ironic scenario for the MMA legend. 41-year old fellow light heavyweight Glover Teixeira is advocating for a title shot, riding a five-fight win streak, after a chug from the fountain of youth. Shogun, on the other hand, may not be as lucky. Where he has tasted UFC glory in the past, just fighting to end his career on a high note may be the primary goal, should he continue to do so. With little time left, how can the 18-year Curitiba native scrapper create a storybook ending for a career that had a sensational start, but now he may be headed towards a dark road?
With the 2020 campaign almost done, he may feel competitive enough to have another go inside the Octagon. It’s safe to say we may see him in 2021 should he decide to make another push to continue his career. Otherwise, it would be almost wise to call it an illustrious career sooner than later as there may be nothing else more to accomplish.
