One of the most legendary fighters in MMA history will get his individual shine this summer when Mauricio Rua is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
With a spot in the fight wing for his incredible 2011 war with Dan Henderson at UFC 139 already secured, “Shogun” will now be individually inducted into the pioneer wing as part of the Class of 2024 during the annual ceremony June 27 at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
“‘Shogun’ Rua is one of the greatest Brazilian athletes in combat sports history,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a statement. “‘Shogun’ had an incredible run in PRIDE and UFC, and he was fearless inside the octagon. His fights against Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, and Dan Henderson represent some of the most memorable moments in UFC history and helped put Brazilian MMA on the map. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer during International Fight Week.”
After a dominant run under the now-defunct PRIDE FC banner that included becoming the 2005 grand prix champion at age 23, Rua (27-14-1 MMA, 11-12-1 UFC) made a highly anticipated move to the UFC.
He slipped up in his octagon debut, succumbing to a third-round submission loss against Forrest Griffin in September 2017. He would turn things around, though, and win three of his next four fights en route to claiming the UFC light heavyweight title with a stunning knockout of Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 in May 2010.
Rua was unable to successfully defend his title as he ran into the then-rising Jon Jones at UFC 128, who battered him to claim the belt.
Although he never got back to the title, Rua would continue fighting under the UFC banner for nearly 12 more years. He delivered a number of thrilling battles and spectacular knockouts, from his war with Henderson and much more.
Rua, 42, retired from MMA competition following a first-round TKO loss to Ihor Potieria at UFC 283 in January 2023, closing his career on a three-fight losing skid.
He joins the Hall of Fame pioneer wing, which currently includes Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Don Frye, Maurice Smith, Kazushi Sakuraba, Matt Serra, Rich Franklin, Kevin Randleman, Jens Pulver, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva, who is also part of the 2024 class.
Rua’s induction completes the 2024 UFC Hall of Fame class, which includes Silva (modern wing), former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (modern wing), former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (modern wing), Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen from UFC 117 (fight wing) and Beneil Dariush (community award).
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