Shogun Rua's next fight may be at middleweight, as the former UFC light heavyweight champion has been contemplating a drop down in weight following a stinging defeat on Saturday night. The PRIDE FC legend also admitted that he was deeply hurt by the loss.
Shogun Rua's next fight date has yet to be determined, but the 32-year old Brazilian fighter revealed that he is thinking about dropping down to middleweight after a series of unsuccessful runs at 205-pounds. His first round technical knockout loss in the hands of up-and-comer Ovince Saint Preux seemed to be the last straw for Rua, who expressed his future plans through his Facebook fan page.
"Now I will rest, enjoy my family and then think about my next steps, TUF Brazil, maybe a weight class change, but I'll keep on going cause winning is easy, but keep on battling and overcome the obstacles is what makes a true fighter," Rua wrote.
With Shogun Rua's next fight undetermined, the Brazilian fighter will temporarily put his focus on the fourth installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, wherein he will be coaching a team of bantamweights and lightweights, against former long-time middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva.
The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 will begin filming in early 2015, as announced by UFC.com.
Meanwhile, Rua's Saturday night loss proved to be the most painful one yet, particularly after the fighter himself admitted that it was his anxiety to win thatcost him the bout.
"I made a techincal mistake, maybe due to anxiety and a big will to get this win in Brazil in such an important moment of my career, and I paid the price," Rua explained.
Shogun also admitted that his loss against Saint Preux hurt him the most, especially since he was not able to fully put his training into action.
"Losing is always very bad, hurts a lot, but what's hurting more is to lose without being able to show what I trained, and what I know," Rua said. "Fighting is fighting, and I know very well that in this weight class any punch that connects early on can cost a huge price."
