Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira gave everything he had left to give for his fans in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night. But it wasn’t anywhere near enough to get the victory at UFC 190.
Stefan Struve (26-7) grinded his way to a victory in a heavyweight bout, defeating the legend and future Hall of Famer via unanimous decision. The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board.
“I know you guys wanted him to win, but I couldn’t let that happen,” said Struve (25-8), who snapped a two-fight losing streak “But I respect this guy and love him as much as you guys.”
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Nogueira (34-10-1, 1 NC), the former UFC interim and PRIDE champion, had his moments during the fight. Every time Struve seemed to pull ahead, Nogueira would land a big overhand shot. But he simply didn’t have the gas in the tank to follow through and turn the bout in his favor.
Struve, for his part, said he was sick before the fight. Despite that, he still managed to use his range well and connect when he had to. He landed several big shots, including a couple head kicks, but Big Nog kept coming forward.
“This is not a normal man,” Struve said of his opponent. “I hit him with a couple huge rights and he didn’t drop.”
It was Struve’s first victory since he finished Stipe Miocic in Sept. 2012.