The Great General’ Mauricio Shogun (41, Brazil) is one of the most well-known foreign fighters in Korea, along with Mirco Cro Cop of ‘Flame High Kick’, Fyodor Emilianenko of ‘Ice Emperor’, and Vanderray Silva of ‘Axe Killer’. Because he was a player who was very active during the Pride days when martial arts craze blew in Korea, based on such familiarity, he received a lot of support even after moving to the UFC. 스포츠토토
The infrastructure of martial arts itself can be said to be better now, but many domestic fans still cannot forget the pride of the ‘romantic days’ full of oriental emotions. In the meantime, with the retirement of Shogun, it is no longer possible to find a player with a strong sense of pride. This is why many fans are even more heartbroken over Shogun’s retirement.
Shogun was defeated by Ihor Porteria (26, Ukraine) in 4 minutes and 5 seconds of the first round at the UFC 283 event held at Jiunis Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the 22nd. The energy-filled body movements, as well as the strong tenacity that had not been shaken for a while, were now gone. As if he had no regrets anymore, Shogun said, “I wanted to decorate the end with a victory, but this seems to be the limit. I’m sorry and thankful to the fans who have supported me so far.”
It is true that the total record of 27 wins, 14 losses and 1 draw is somewhat disappointing to say that it is a record left by the Shogun. There were times when he was good enough to allow only one loss in 13 games in the early part of his career, but as the number of losses increased in the later years, it became regrettable compared to what he showed. He hasn’t built a winning streak, most recently suffering three straight losses. However, as evidenced by the fact that 21 out of 27 victories were won by knockout (78%), his fighting style itself was hot to the end and because of that, he received unwavering support from fans.
Stand tall as a Pride signboard star! A hot-tempered young fighter
Based on his fighting spirit, Shogun, who enjoys an all-out war against any opponent, was a graduate of the Stubokse Academy, which was called ‘the den of evil’, and did not give in to any other player in terms of grit and attack instinct. He even made players who were technically superior to him tired of him with his fighting spirit and stamina. At first glance, he looked rough, but he was overflowing with the temperament of a fighter more than anyone else.
During the Pride days, Shogun was the de facto leader in the same weight class. Even when he just entered Pride, he was highly evaluated as an unfinished, unfinished stand-by, but as if to ridicule such harsh criticism, he beat top-notch fighters with different fighting styles, such as Quinton Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Ricardo Arona. The scene where the proud Quinton couldn’t stand the baptism of soccer kicks and slapped his hands made me shudder.
Even after that, through various interviews, Quinton shook his head, saying, “You don’t know how scary and great a player Shogun is.” Shogun was the Grand Prix Champion at the time, and if it weren’t for the situation where Vanderrey Silva, who was like a sworn brother, had the title, he would have even taken the middleweight (light heavyweight) belt.
Shogun’s greatest strength is his outstanding adaptability. During his Pride days when he had just entered his heyday, it was unfortunate to say that he was top-notch in both hitting and ground. Rather, in the case of blows, he was beaten by Kazuhiro Nakamura, a former judoka, in a punch match, and suffered harsh criticism for being a water fist. However, Shogun knew how to defeat his opponent, and he was a player who used the group rules better than anyone else.