This is the UFC 283 live blog for Mauricio Rua vs. Ihor Potieria, the light heavyweight preliminary main event on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro.
Tonight marks the end of an era. “Shogun” Rua, one of the most beloved and accomplished fighters in MMA history, a legitimate living legend, makes the final walk of his storied career. Shogun rose to prominence after winning the Pride FC Middleweight Grand Prix in 2005, in what remains one of the best single years in MMA history. After the UFC acquired Pride in 2007, Shogun came over with huge expectations and while he had some setbacks early, Rua eventually found his form again and won the light heavyweight title with a vicious knockout of Lyoto Machida in 2010. After dropping the title to Jon Jones in his next bout, the rest of Shogun’s career has been up and down with wins and losses, but the legend has still delivered some of the best fights in history, including his 2011 Fight of the Year with Dan Henderson which was enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018. After a 20 year, 42 fight career, Rua finally hangs up the gloves after tonight, and he hopes to ride off into the sunset with one final win.
Potieria, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old Ukranian prospect who made an unsuccessful UFC debut last July, getting knocked out by Nicolae Negumereanu, breaking a 15-fight winning streak. Potieria is looking to get on track tonight with a major victory against Shogun.
Check out the UFC 283 live blog below:
