If PRIDE fans thought their days of nostalgia were over after Saturday night’s UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan, check out the light heavyweight matchup the UFC has on deck for June.
According to a report by Brazilian media outlet Lance!Net (translation via MMA Mania), verbal agreements are in for a light heavyweight clash between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
The bout, set to take place at a yet-to-be-determined location and event in June, is a rematch from June 2005. The “Fight of the Year” performance ended in a unanimous decision victory for “Shogun.”
Rua, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, is no longer the dominant force he once was, going just 3-4 in his past seven fights.
His most recent performance was a unanimous decision loss to rising contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fox 5 in December.
“Lil’ Nog” also appeared to be on the tail end of his career after losing consecutive decisions to accomplished wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, but has since rebounded with wins over Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans.
Injuries have also kept the highly decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt inactive in recent memory, as he has only fought three times since March 2011 and actually didn’t step inside the cage at all in 2012.
A third consecutive win over a former divisional champion would easily put the 36-year-old in the title picture at 205 pounds.
Also worth noting is the fact that Nogueira asked for a rematch with Shogun back in August, but his wish wasn’t granted until he was able to defeat Evans at UFC 156 last month.
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