Teixeira and 'Shogun' Rua to meet in boxing match at Spaten Fight Night in São Paulo

Glover Teixeira and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, both former UFC light heavyweight champions, will meet in a boxing match at Spaten Fight Night in São Paulo, Brazil, on Aug. 29, the promotion announced Wednesday.

The pairing brings together two of MMA’s most decorated finishers — 38 knockout wins between them — for a crossover boxing bout that closes the chapter on parallel careers that ended on the same night. Teixeira (33-9 in MMA) last competed in January 2023, losing a decision to Jamahal Hill in Rio de Janeiro in a failed bid to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. Rua (33-9 in MMA) retired that same evening after a loss to Ihor Potieria, walking away from the UFC with an 11-12 promotional record that included stoppages of former champions Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Lyoto Machida.

Teixeira is no stranger to boxing, having competed at the amateur level before launching his MMA career in 2002. Since retiring from competition, he has remained prominent in the sport as a coach, guiding Alex Pereira to UFC titles at middleweight and light heavyweight. Pereira is now preparing to challenge Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14.

Rua’s legacy is rooted largely in his PRIDE years between 2003 and 2007, where the Chute Boxe product built his reputation with highlight-reel finishes of Alistair Overeem (twice), Ricardo Arona, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

The Aug. 29 card also features a pair of judo matches involving Olympic gold medalists Rafaela Silva and Beatriz Souza. Silva will face 2024 Olympic silver medalist Prisca Awiti, while Souza rematches her Olympic final opponent Raz Hershko.

It will be Spaten Fight Night’s first event since September 2025, when the promotion’s previous card descended into chaos. A brawl involving cornermen and associates of both headliners Wanderlei Silva and Acelino Freitas spilled into the arena, culminating in Silva being knocked unconscious by Freitas’ son Rafael Freitas. Silva was subsequently disqualified from the bout for multiple fouls.