Brother criticizes Shogun's tactics in the defeat to Sonnen: 'He played the wrong game'

The Rua brothers: Murilo (left) and Maurício (right). Photo: Reproduction/Facebook

the defeat of Mauricio Shogun for Chael Sonnen, last Saturday (17), surprised everyone with the way it happened, a guillotine submission in the first round. According to former fighter Murilo Ninja, Shogun's brother and former trainer, the Brazilian should have avoided the North American's falls.

For Ninja, his brother should have bet more on movement both when he was still standing and when he was knocked down. “I was surprised,” he said. “In my opinion, Maurício played the wrong game. He should have moved more to avoid falls. Fighting in half guard against a wrestler is not a good strategy”, said Ninja to the North American website MMA Fighting.

“He should have brought Chael into his guard when he was taken down, tried to sweep or threw a few punches. But Sonnen grabbed his neck, unfortunately”, added Murilo, who stopped holding the position of head coach at Shogun after falling out with other coaches.

“Some people in his camp said I wasn't good for Mauricio because I made him nervous when I was in his corner,” he explained. “He (Shogun) listened to that, so I preferred to leave his role as coach. If something was wrong, I had to point it out. I wouldn't lie just to please him. I always told him the truth. I might work with him again in the future, who knows. Let’s talk when he returns to Curitiba”, he concluded.