Shogun Rua Considering Retirement Once UFC Deal Ends

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua may hang up his gloves at the end of his current UFC deal.

Rua is coming off a devastating knockout loss to Anthony Smith in the first round. Going into the bout, “Shogun” was riding a three-fight winning streak. Rua’s prime years have been gone for quite some time and many are wondering when he will retire. “Shogun” reveals it could happen after three more fights.

Rua is approaching 37 years of age in November. He understands that father time waits for no one. Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Rua said retirement could be looming:

“I’m really upset, and I plan on ending this contract with the UFC, I have three more fights, and when it’s over, I’ll take a break and talk to my family and my team and see what I’ll do. I want to fight as soon as possible. I was talking to Eduardo (Alonso) yesterday about that. I have a goal. I want to fight again this year, maybe December, and then we’ll see what happens. I want to end this contract and then I think I’ll probably stop. I don’t know. I’ll analyze it with my family and my team, everybody.”

Prior to running into Smith, Rua scored victories over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Corey Anderson, and Gian Villante. Rua’s loss to Smith is his first defeat since Nov. 2014. His last loss also ended by way of first-round knockout.