A key match-up from the 2005 PRIDE middleweight tournament will be contested again, as UFC light heavyweights Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua are set to face off on the main card of UFC 161. That event is planned for the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on June 15. USA Today reported the news overnight, which came from statements made by UFC President Dana White.
Winnipeg now becomes the fifth Canadian city to host a UFC event, behind Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.
Rua, 31, defeated Nogueira in 2005 in the quarterfinals by unanimous decision and ultimately won the entire famed tournament. He has been up and down in his UFC run, however, going 5-5 inside the Octagon. He earned the UFC light heavyweight title in defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 in May of 2010. He surrendered it in his next bout, however, losing to current champion Jon Jones at UFC 128 in March of 2011. His current MMA record stands at 21-7.
Nogueira, 36, is 4-2 in the UFC. He most recently defeated former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at UFC 156 in February of this year by unanimous decision. He holds a MMA record of 21-5.
According to the report, a light heavyweight bout between Dan Henderson and Evans is also being targeted for UFC 161, pending medical approval for Henderson.
Henderson, 42, most recently competed at UFC 157 in February where he lost a split decision to Machida. He is 6-3 in the Octagon during his three different stints in the organization and 29-9 in professional mixed martial arts.
Evans, 33, has lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career. In addition to his most recent loss to Nogueira, the former UFC light heavyweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to Jones at UFC 145 in April of 2012. Evans is 17-3-1 in professional MMA.