One of the most legendary fighters in MMA history will gain individual shine this summer when Mauricio Rua is inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
With a spot on the fighting wing for his incredible 2011 war With Dan Henderson at UFC 139 already secured, “Shogun” will now be individually inducted into the pioneering wing as part of the Class of 2024 during the annual ceremony on June 27 at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
After a dominant run under the now-defunct PRIDE FC banner, which 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, however, and win three of his next four fights en route to winning the UFC light heavyweight title with a stunning knockout over Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 in May 2010.
Rua was unable to successfully defend his title when he encountered Jon Jones at UFC 128, who beat him up to claim the belt.
Although he never returned to the title, Rua would continue fighting under the UFC banner for nearly 12 more years. He has fought a series of exciting battles and spectacular knockouts, from his war with Henderson and beyond.
Rua, 42, retired from MMA competition following a first-round TKO loss to Ihor Potieria at UFC 283 in January 2023, ending his career with a three-fight losing skid.
He joins the pioneering Hall of Fame wing that 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 class of 2024.
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 at UFC 117 (fighting wing) and Beneil Dariush (community award).
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 301.
