Mauricio Shogun Rua has addressed long-standing rumors that he told Dana White he would rather be cut from the UFC than face Glover Teixeira back in 2012. Rua clarified that his team made a strategic decision to decline the bout, noting that Teixeira was unranked at the time while Rua himself was a top-5 light heavyweight. "Glover wasn't even ranked at the time, and I was in the top 5 in the UFC. … My team felt it was better not to accept the fight at that moment," Rua said.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has broken his silence on a long-circulating story from 2012, explaining why he and his team chose to turn down a proposed fight against Glover Teixeira during that period of his career.
Rua addressed reports that he had told UFC president Dana White he would rather be released from the promotion than accept the matchup. The former light heavyweight champion pushed back on that framing, clarifying that the decision was a calculated one made by his camp. At the time, Teixeira had not yet cracked the divisional rankings, while Rua was firmly positioned inside the top five at 205 pounds. "Glover wasn't even ranked at the time, and I was in the top 5 in the UFC," Rua said, adding that his team simply felt the bout did not make sense for his career trajectory at that moment.
Teixeira, now 46 years old, went on to build one of the more remarkable late-career runs in UFC history. The Brazilian, who fights out of an orthodox stance and stands six-foot-two with a 76-inch reach, holds a professional record of 33-9-0. He averages 3.73 significant strikes landed per minute alongside 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes, reflecting the well-rounded pressure game that made him a serious threat throughout his time in the division.
Why it matters
- The clarification reframes a story that had long painted Rua's decision in an unflattering light, presenting it instead as standard career management.
- In 2012, accepting a fight against an unranked opponent carried real risk for a top-five contender with little ranking upside.
- Teixeira's subsequent rise to the championship makes the declined matchup one of the more notable what-ifs in light heavyweight history.
