At UFC 134, we see an old-school vs new-school match up in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Brendan Schaub.
If Nogueira was to lose, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion will now have lost two straight fights and would be 3-3 in the UFC. However, his losses will have come at the hands of former champions and top contenders in Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir and possibly, Brendan Schaub.
Furthermore, his fight with Schaub marks the first time Nogueira has competed since UFC 110 in February of last year, and therefore it is very likely that ring-rust and inactivity will play a factor in the fight.
People must bear these factors in mind before they call for Nogueira to retire. At the age of 35, Nogueira has accomplished a lot in this sport and it is possible that he could get back into title contention. Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson are living proof that it can be done.
If Nogueira loses, he may take up the role of gatekeeper that Randy Couture vacated when he had retired. Wins over young up and coming fighters in the division is the best way to get back into the title picture.
With a loss, Nogueira would be in exactly the same position as another legend, Mirko Cro-Cop, who has also lost to Brendan Schaub. Cro-Cop is now playing the role of gate-keeper to Roy Nelson who hopes to rebound from two straight losses with a win over Cro-Cop.
For now, the future for Nogueira after the Schaub fight is yet to be determined, but between now and then, Nogueira can focus on coaching the students at his school. In particular, he can focus his attention on, Junior dos Santos, who is set to face Cain Velasquez for the Heavyweight Championship later this year.
Bleacher Report’s Midhun Nair