5 reasons why Shogun Rua should consider retirement immediately

#2. The UFC now has little use for Shogun Rua

The UFC now has little use for Shogun Rua

From Shogun Rua’s point of view, retirement is almost certainly the right call to make at this stage, but would the UFC agree? After all, we’ve seen numerous examples over the years of fighters stunning Dana White and company by walking away seemingly before the UFC wanted them to.

In this case, though, it’s likely that the UFC certainly wouldn’t frown upon Shogun hanging up his gloves. It sounds harsh, but the truth is that at this stage, the promotion probably has very little use for the Brazilian legend.

The UFC always loves to make bouts between aging veterans and young prospects in order for those prospects to build their names off the back of bigger stars. Unfortunately, no young prospect is likely to make a name from beating Shogun now. He’s simply too far past his prime.

Given that a win over Shogun doesn’t mean all that much these days, what else does he have to offer? From a UFC perspective, the answer is very little. He’s still one of the higher-paid fighters on the roster, but doesn’t really draw money, and a win over him won’t help to build a new star.

Therefore, the UFC would probably prefer him to step away. In this instance, they’d be justified.

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#1. Shogun Rua has nothing left to prove

Shogun Rua has held titles in both PRIDE and the UFC

Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of examples of fighters who hung on for too long, both inside and outside the UFC. However, in most cases, these aging veterans continued to fight because they felt like they still had something to prove.

Take Michael Bisping, for instance. ‘The Count’ arguably should’ve retired following his serious eye injury in 2013, but he still believed he could become the UFC middleweight champion. Unlike many other fighters, he actually achieved his goals in 2016.

The majority of fighters, however, fail miserably to prove their point and end up retiring in a far worse state than they might’ve done.

Unlike most fighters, though, Shogun Rua has absolutely nothing to prove. Not only did he hold titles in both PRIDE and the UFC, but he also holds wins over the best fighters of his era, including Rampage Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Chuck Liddell.

Essentially, the Brazilian reached the top of the mountain when he won the 2005 PRIDE grand prix. He then surprised most observers by reaching the summit for a second time when he claimed gold in the UFC, too.

Simply put, Shogun has absolutely nothing left to prove to the fans, and he should probably have nothing left to prove to himself, either. He’s up there with the greatest fighters of all time, and should hang his gloves up and be recognized as such.