Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Hua (41, Brazil), who has been the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Champion and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, is about to make his last sortie.
Shogun will have a mixed martial arts retirement fight against Ihor Porteria (26, Ukraine) at UFC 283 held at Jiunis Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 22nd (Korean time).
He passed the last light heavyweight weigh-in at 205 pounds (93 kg) on the 20th and was ready to finish.
It was a legendary career. He made his professional debut in 2002 and became the Pride Middleweight (93kg) Grand Prix Champion in 2005, three years later. After the UFC merger with Pride in 2007, he moved to the UFC and won the 2010 Light Heavyweight Championship.
He recorded 27 wins, 1 draw and 13 losses in 41 matches over 20 years. He defeated legends such as Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Ali Star Overeem, Lyoto Machida and Chuck Liddell.
In Korea, where Pride was very popular in the 2000s, it was also very popular. In the UFC, he was called the ‘Stamping Grand Master’ by rampaging stamping and soccer kicks, which were banned. In 2015, he also visited Korea to meet Korean fans ahead of the UFC Seoul event.
The reason why Shogun passed the bullying postponed his retirement was because he wanted to finish his career in his native Brazil. At Media Day held on the 19th, Shogun said, “I wanted to play the last match in Brazil. Every match brings a lot of emotion, adrenaline and tension. But because it’s the last match, I will concentrate and overcome it.” 토토사이트
He left no regrets in his fighter life. Shogun said, “I’m going to finish my career completely. A lot of people come back after a few years of retirement. But I don’t like that. I’m completely retiring.”
He added, “I could have ended it a few years ago. But I didn’t want to regret it because I set the wrong timing for my retirement. My wife kept encouraging me to retire after we got married in 2007. But I think I’m retiring at the right time this time.”
Finally, he expressed his gratitude, “I had a grateful career. It was an honor. Thank God. After playing the last game this Sunday, I think I can say that I had a very honored and happy career. I have achieved a lot.”
In this tournament, all players, including the four players who will compete for the double title, passed the weigh-in.
Glover Teixeira (43, Brazil) and Jamahal Hill (31, USA) competing for the vacant light heavyweight title weighed 205 pounds (93 kg) and 204.5 pounds (92.8 kg), respectively.
Flyweight champion Davidson Figueredo (35, Brazil) and interim champion Brandon Moreno (29, Mexico) both hit the limit at 125 pounds (56.7 kg). The two will fight for the first four straight flyweight titles in UFC history.