Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua: Sonnen Defeats Rua Via Submission

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 26 Saturday in Boston—the first broadcast featured on Fox Sports 1—Chael Sonnen defeated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua via submission.

In this light heavyweight battle, Sonnen proved that he still has plenty left in the tank and is a serious contender to eventually get another shot at the divisional title.

Sonnen came out strong and scored an immediate takedown to start Round 1. While Rua was able to score a reversal and get top mount, Sonnen took control and rained down shots on his opponent.

Rua reversed the takedown one last time before the first round ended, but instead of reversing, Sonnen sunk in the deep submission and won the battle.

Sonnen was coming off of two devastating losses—handed defeats by middleweight champion Anderson Silva and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones—and the victory over Rua is a huge step in the right direction for the 36-year-old fighter.

The trash-talking MMA superstar will be looking for redemption against Jones.

As big as this win was for Sonnen, it is completely devastating to Rua. As the loser of three of his past four fights and five of his past eight, the end of the road is close.

While UFC officials want to keep the 31–year-old fighter around for his name recognition, Shogun should retire from the sport before it’s too late. Rua may physically have the ability to contend in a few more fights, but the losses are starting to pile up.

As Shogun begins contemplating the next step in his life, Sonnen will be looking to capitalize on this win and make the step back into the upper echelon of the MMA ranks.

Sonnen made his intentions clear by calling out Wanderlei Silva after the fight and cutting an amazing promo about his intentions. This was another great moment in the MMA legend's career.

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