Legendary disrespect? Ihor Potieria explains post-fight dance after finishing Shogun Rua at UFC 283

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans relax! Ihor Potieria did not disrespect Shogun Rua (thankfully) at UFC 283 last night (Sat., Jan. 21, 2023) inside Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Potieria, by far, picked up the biggest win of his career in UFC 283’s “Prelims” undercard headliner, finishing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the first round, sending a true legend of the sport into planned retirement (watch highlights).

However, Potieria’s post-fight celebration quickly overshadowed the win over the Brazilian legend. After finishing Rua with strikes, Potieria did a dance that made the Internet — and Shogun fans — furious.

Watch below:

At first glance, it looked like it was disrespectful; however, Potieria later explained in his post-fight interview with the media (watch it here) that it was all respect ... and he even danced again.

“I’m about to show you this dance again,” Potieria told the media. “So, make sure that you film it and that your camera is not shaking. But really, my nickname is a duelist, and that was a duel. I took out my gun, but I did not fire [at Shogun]. I fired into the air because I respect my opponent, so I told him respect.”

The victory over Rua was Potieria’s first UFC win and put him back into the win column after losing his debut via knockout.

For complete UFC 283 results and coverage click here.