Big Nog is the first person announced for the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is soon to be a Hall of Famer. It was only a matter of time before the recently-retired heavyweight legend was added to the exclusive club, and it will happen during the UFC Fan Expo the week of UFC 200. The company put out a press release during the UFC 198 weekend touting his addition:
“I’m really excited to announce Minotauro Nogueira as the first inductee of the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class. Big Nog is a mixed martial arts legend and, as an icon of the sport, we couldn’t think of a more fitting platform to make this announcement then at the record-breaking stadium event in Brazil. Nogueira is a true pioneer and we look forward to celebrating his career with all the fight fans in July at the UFC Fan Expo.”
Big Nog (34-10-1, 1 NC, 5-6 UFC) started out in RINGS in 1999, winning a tournament full of big names there. He then moved onto Pride, winning the heavyweight championship and defeating a laundry list of top talent, only losing to fellow legends Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett.
After defeating Barnett in a rematch, he moved over to the UFC and submitted Tim Sylvia for the interim UFC heavyweight championship in his second fight in the promotion. He lost it to Frank Mir in his next fight, but picked up a few more UFC wins before injuries and father time caught up with him. His last bout was a decision loss to Stefan Struve last August.
Congratulations to Big Nog, one of the toughest men to ever compete in the sport of MMA.