UFC
Thiago Silva out of UFC 149, "Shogun" Rua turns down proposed replacement Glover Teixeira
Jun 1, 2012 - 1:45:12 PM Thiago Silva out of UFC 149, "Shogun" Rua turns down proposed replacement Glover Teixeira

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Thiago Silva's continued battle with injuries has taken him out of another fight, this time a bout against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at UFC 149. Rua is expected to stay on the card, provided he accepts a fight the UFC offers him.

According to UFC President Dana White, he's already turned down one name, recent UFC debutante Glover Teixeira.

"With Thiago hurt, we turned to Glover and asked him to go right back in to fight 'Shogun' at UFC 149," White said in comments made to MMAjunkie.com. "But 'Shogun's' people are adamantly refusing to take the fight. They want nothing to do with Glover."

Teixeira made a major statement in his UFC debut last weekend at UFC 146, dismantling Kyle Kingsbury on the feet before knocking him down and ultimately submitting him in the first round. That victory moved his winning streak to 16-straight fights, dating back over six years, and moved him to 18-2 overall in his MMA career.

Shogun is returning to action for the first time since his five round decision loss to Dan Henderson in an epic bout last November at UFC 139. He's alternated wins and losses in his last several fights, and hopes to get back on track at UFC 149; however, it appears it won't be against Teixeira.

UFC 149 takes place on July 21 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, headlined by a Featherweight Championship bout between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch.

Penick's Analysis: I can't blame Rua or his team for not wanting this fight. Teixeira isn't essentially an unknown name to UFC fans, and though he certainly has the record to put him into a fight like this, there is zero upside for Rua in taking the fight. A win would be very impressive to hardcore fans, but for the casuals it will be expected, and if he were to be taken out by Teixeira it could have a seriously negative effect on him. It's unfortunate for Teixeira that Rua doesn't want the fight, but what he'll need to do is win another higher profile fight in order to raise his name value in the organization. Once fans know who he is, there will be more incentive for others to try to defeat him.

["Shogun" Rua art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]