Former UFC heavyweight champ Antônio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (32-6-1, 1NC) received clearance by his doctor to fight at the upcoming Rio event this August. The Brazilian spent most of this year recovering from surgery to his knee and hips, spending hours every day doing physiotherapy.
The UFC announced earlier this week that “Minotauro” would face former “TUF 10″ finalist Brendan Schaub at the UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami event. The two will square off on Aug. 27 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Nogueira has been undergoing extensive rehab, telling Tatame.com that he is “completed healed” from his injury, but isn’t “100% yet” having to work on his conditioning level for the upcoming fight with Schaub.
How was the feeling of being called in to be part of UFC Rio card?
We were waiting for the doctor to say I was good to go. I met him this week, I’ve asked the guys from UFC to wait a little longer (to tell that I’d be fighting in Rio), to check if I would have conditions to do actually do it. The doctor told me I’m ok, asked me to start training and he’ll be side by side with me until the bout, to check how I’m doing. I’m coming back after over a year without fighting, doing my trainings and regaining speed, but I’m feeling fine. I’m not 100% yet. The problem is my conditioning, because I’m completely healed from my injury.What do you expect off this bout with Brendan Schaub?
I’ll do my homework and watch his bouts. He’s a good boxer, uses the distance, but I’m prepared to strike. I won’t keep trying to take him down all the time. I’ll try to do my best, no matter where things are. I’m not worried about him. I want to be at my best, in a good shape, because I believe in myself. I want to be focused in being in my best shape ever. He’s a tall and thin guy, knows how to deal with the distance, he’s a good wrestler, he punches hard, but I’ll really go for it.Your greatest motivation is to be fighting in Rio de Janeiro?
Absolutely. I speed things up on my healing process because of this bout. I’ve focused on what I would need so that I could fight in Rio. I’ve never fought in Brazil. It’s a dream come true, fighting where I live, in my home. It’ll be nice, exciting. Representing Brazil will be cool.