UFC Fight Night 56 was not a good night for fans of Mauricio Rua, who lost to Ovince St. Preux in a short main event.
St. Preux achieved the victory with a counter left hook and ground strikes, ending the fight at the 34-second mark in the first round, MMA Fighting reported. The loss is the fourth Rua has suffered in his past five fights, and he said he will now speak with his team about what lies ahead for his MMA career.
"Losing is always bad," Rua said via a translator after the fight. "At this weight class and heavyweight when that punch lands, you feel it. But I'm going to get through this loss, talk to my team and talk about the future, but defeats always suck."
Shogun was originally scheduled to take on Jimi Manuwa at the event, which was held on Saturday in Uberlandia, Brazil, ESPN reported. However, St. Preux came in as the replacement after a broken foot forced Manuwa to pull out of the fight.
"This fight meant a lot to me," St. Preux said. "Shogun is a legend. I have a lot of respect for him and I'm still going to be a big Shogun fan. It's just one of those things: In order to become a legend you have to beat a legend."
While proud of his victory, St. Preux admitted that he was surprised the fight ended as quickly as it did, MMA Fighting reported.
"I don't think he was slow at all," he said. "The thing about me is that I'm super explosive and I can take you to the ground super quickly. I think he mistook my reach so I was able to catch him. I don't think he's slow, he still has it. He hit me with a couple of good leg kicks."
Rua took responsibility for the punch that knocked him down, and said St. Preux got a good punch in.
"The punch landed clean and that's when the knockouts happen," he said. "He was happy to get it. I made a mistake."
The 32-year-old MMA legend added that he feels obligated to do his best in every fight he's in.
"Now it's time to come back home and stay with my family," Rua said.
