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What's the story?
Having secured an impressive win over Tyson Pedro in Adelaide, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and veteran, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua feels that now is certainly not the right time for a shot at the gold once again.
In case you didn't know...
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua returned to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 227, as he faced and comprehensively defeated Tyson Pedro in an impressive manner at UFC Fight Night 142 in Adelaide, Melbourne.
Rua, who lost his last fight via Technical Knockout in the first round, knocked out Pedro in the third round of their fight to secure a very impressive win.
The heart of the matter
While interacting with the media in the post-fight press conference, Rua claimed that despite having won four out his last five fights, the former champion seemingly feels he doesn't deserve a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship just yet because there are people ahead of him in the title line.
According to Rua, his current goal is rather to fight in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil in May and despite the speculations, the UFC is yet to confirm a show in the city of Curitiba. (H/T: MMAjunkie)
“I won four out of five, but I know I don’t deserve the belt yet. There are people ahead of me in the title line. My focus now is fighting in Curitiba, in May (though Rua’s hometown of Curitiba has been speculated as a possible destination in Brazil, it hasn’t been confirmed by the promotion yet). That’s my focus. I don’t think about the belt because I know it’s not my shot yet.”
What's next?
Being a veteran of the sport, one has to give 'Shogun' Rua all the credits in the world for being a man of his words and not asking for a title shot due to the fact that the former champion seemingly feels there are more people ahead of him in the title quest.
However, let us hope that Rua gets his rightful chance of fighting in front of his home crowd in 2019.
