Shogun Rua signals retirement after Glover Teixeira boxing bout in São Paulo

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua expects Saturday’s eight-round boxing match against Glover Teixeira at Spaten Fight Night 3 in São Paulo, Brazil, to be the last fight of his career. The former UFC and PRIDE light heavyweight champion came out of MMA retirement specifically for this bout, describing it as a match-up that felt absent from his résumé.

“I think it’s the last one,” Rua told MMA Fighting at the open workouts in Rio de Janeiro. “But I think the future is a mystery, so… I don’t know, but I think it’s the last one.”

Both Rua and Teixeira retired from MMA on the same night — January 2023 — when they suffered back-to-back losses at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro. Rua fell to Ihor Potieria while Teixeira was stopped by Jamahal Hill. Despite that shared exit, Rua said the two had never settled things between them inside a combat sports arena, and that unfinished business was enough to lure him back under boxing rules.

When asked whether any other names could tempt him into yet another comeback, Rua was measured but left a small door open. “Actually, I’m a fulfilled person. I think I’ve fought the best in the world. And I don’t think [I’ll fight again]. But I’m a guy who is driven by challenges. What drives me are my goals, my targets, my dreams. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I think this is the last one.”

Rua’s preparation has been complicated by a corner controversy. His head coach for the camp, Andre Dida, has been barred from the arena following a brawl that erupted between the teams of Wanderlei Silva and Aceilno Freitas after the main event of Spaten’s 2025 event.

“Dida won’t be in my corner,” Rua confirmed. “I did the entire preparation with Dida, but he can’t be here because of what happened at the last Spaten event. But I have my team here, who have been with me since the beginning of camp.”

Rua stressed the absence would not disrupt his game plan. He said he speaks with Dida daily and has also been in constant contact with renowned trainer Rafael Cordeiro. “I already have the strategy in my head. Everything is aligned between me, Master Rafael, Dida, and my team. Everything is great, everything is perfect.”

At 43, Rua is one of the most decorated fighters of his generation, having captured the UFC light heavyweight title in 2011 and previously reigned as PRIDE’s middleweight champion. A win over Teixeira — himself a former UFC light heavyweight champion — would give him a fitting final chapter, though by his own admission, the outcome of Saturday’s fight may not be the deciding factor in whether he truly hangs up the gloves for good.