“Shogun” Rua Discusses Knee Injury, Struggle to Remain in UFC FN 117 Headliner
By FCF Staff
Following the news that “Shogun” Rua will no longer fight Ovince Saint Preux this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 117, the legendary fighter’s posted a statement, outlining his struggle to remain on the card.
Rua was forced to drop out of the headlining fight due to a knee injury he’s been dealing with. Former middleweight contender Yushin Okami has agreed to face Saint Preux on short notice.
The light-heavyweight’s statement is below (via MMA Junkie):
Fighting has been my life for over 15 years. It’s what I chose for myself and what I love to do. For me it’s very hard to pull out of a fight, very hard, and accepting that was the only viable alternative wasn’t easy at all. Unfortunately, early in this camp, I hurt my knee. I spent the entire camp doing everything in my power so I could fight on September 23 (22 in Brazil), and I trained the entire time under medicine, protection in my knee, ice and physical therapy. I went beyond my limit because fighting in Japan again is something I’d been dreaming of for a long time, because I didn’t want to let the fans down, and because that’s how I was raised in martial arts by my master
I’ve stepped up to fight injured multiple times in my career, and it wasn’t for lack of effort or trying. But, unfortunately, all this effort ended up making the injuries worse, and there came a time when my team and I had to accept there were no alternatives, and I had to pull out of the fight. It wasn’t easy. I’d like to apologize to my opponent I’ve been in the same situation, including when we fought the first time, and I knew it’s never easy. And, mainly, apologize to the fans, especially those who were anxiously awaiting this fight. I will take care of my recovery now, heal my injuries and come back stronger. Challenges are put in front of us every day, and what really matters is how we face them. Thank you all for the kindness.
UFC FN 117 will take place in Saitama, Japan.