UFC Sao Paulo: “Shogun” Rua Calls Split Draw “Totally Unfair”

“Shogun” Rua did not emerge from UFC Sao Paulo with the 27th win of his career, and the legendary fighter doesn’t think that should be the case.

Rua battles Craig to a split draw

The Brazilian star and former light-heavyweight champ faced Craig in the co-headliner, and in the opening round, the latter outscored Rua with some heavy shots. In rounds two and three, Rua controlled much of the action while working from the top position on the floor. Although Rua looked worse for wear after 15 minutes, in comparison to Craig, it looked like he had done enough to win. Only one judge scored the fight for Rua, however, as one judge awarded it to Craig and the other saw it as a draw.

Rua’s post-fight comments

Well, after the bout, the 37-year-old Rua had this to say about the fight, the scoring and the possibility of running it back with Craig  (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“It was clear that he won the first round, and I won the other two,” Rua said. “I though it was totally unfair.”

“Absolutely,” Rua said through an interpreter. “I just have to see if the UFC wants that. Do they agree with that rematch? If they do, I’m ready for a rematch.”

Was the scoring “totally unfair”? Personally (and I haven’t rewatched the bout), I had it scored for Rua, two rounds to one, as he believes it should have been scored. It’s certainly true that Craig inflicted more damage and he landed 26 more significant strikes that Rua in the bout.

But, 31 of the strikes Craig landed took place in round one. While Rua didn’t really punish the Scottish fighter in rounds two and three, Craig never appeared to seriously threaten “Shogun” either from below.

And is Craig down for a rematch? Not surprisingly, he is:

“Is there any opportunity to fight ‘Shogun’ Rua again? Only he’d be able to tell you that because I’d take that fight in a heartbeat. (But) with how his face was looking after that fight, I can’t see him accepting that fight.”

So, it will be interesting to see what happens here. Recently Rua confirmed that he only intended to fight two more times, and that was before UFC Sao Paulo. So, no disrespect to Craig, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the UFC looked to another, bigger name opponent for Rua. As a means to maximize the exposure for his final fights.