Tag: Antônio Nogueira

Dan Henderson: Fans Wouldn’t Be "Interested" Seeing Me Face Rogerio Nogueira

Dan Henderson only has a few fights in mind before he calls it a career, and a bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira doesn’t appear to be one of them.Earlier this week, it was revealed that Henderson turned down a proposed fight between himself and the Br…

Dan Henderson only has a few fights in mind before he calls it a career, and a bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira doesn’t appear to be one of them.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Henderson turned down a proposed fight between himself and the Brazilian, which would have seen the former Pride stars square off in a rematch dating back to 2005, which saw Nogueira submit the American in the first round. 

While appearing on “Clinch Gear Radio” on Sirius XM, Henderson explained that he didn’t feel like it’d be a fight that would draw any real interest from fans. 

“I didn’t think the fans would be interested in that fight, and not as much time as I would like to prepare for a five-round fight,” Henderson said.  “It would have kept me active right now, but I’m OK waiting a little bit.  We’ll see what happens with the Rashad (Evans) fight and go from there.” 

While he hardly showed interest in a rematch with Nogueira, Henderson did not rule out a potential bout with “Lil Nog” if it were to be a three-round contest as opposed to the five-round bout he was previously offered.

UFC President Dana White made the announcement on “UFC Tonight” and said if Evans were to be victorious over Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 2, he would earn a title shot against Jon Jones later this year.

White also said had Henderson agreed to face Nogueira, the winner of that bout would meet the winner of Jones vs. Evans for the light heavyweight title.

UFC light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson has since stepped in to face Nogueira; he will headline UFC on Fuel 2 in his homeland of Sweden on April 14.

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Georges St-Pierre and the 10 Classiest Fighters in MMA Today

When you think of an MMA fighter, you may think of a guy who is violent, aggressive and has a lot of pent-up anger. Then there are those fighters like UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who come off as one of the nicest people in th…

When you think of an MMA fighter, you may think of a guy who is violent, aggressive and has a lot of pent-up anger. 

Then there are those fighters like UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who come off as one of the nicest people in the world. 

For the amount of damage some guys do in the cage, they show just as much class and respect outside of it.

Here’s a look at some of MMA’s most classy fighters.  

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Why Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Should Call It Quits and Retire from MMA

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a fighter fans don’t want to see retire.  Many know it’s time for him to hang up the gloves, but he has been around for so long and conducted himself respectfully during that time.He has become a fan favorite and—…

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a fighter fans don’t want to see retire.  Many know it’s time for him to hang up the gloves, but he has been around for so long and conducted himself respectfully during that time.

He has become a fan favorite and—like many others, including Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva—fans don’t want to see him walk off into the sunset.

The problem is that even though Nogueira’s surgery to his arm was successful. it still adds another scar to his ever-growing list.  He is starting to accumulate damage from his fights that he wouldn’t have in the past.  Mix that with the fact he is growing older, and it doesn’t look good for Nogueira.

A great counterpoint to calling for Nogueira’s retirement is that he just knocked out young heavyweight Brendan Schaub in his second-to-last fight.  Nogueira obviously still has something left to give in the cage.

However, this writer has always been a proponent of letting fighters leave when they still have something to show, not after they have burned out.  It may feel unfair to fans who want to see them step into the cage a few more times, but after what they give the fans it seems only right.

And as for Nogueira’s recent record it is true he beat Schaub while winning Knockout of the Night, but he also hasn’t won many other fights before that.

His current record in his last five fights shows he is 2-3, but one of those wins was against Randy Couture, who was already getting ready to retire and didn’t seem to have his heart into fighting anymore.  That isn’t to say Couture was lazy for their fight, just that he was a little removed from it and that he was at the tail end of his career.

The fight went the distance.

In between those three fights he has been knocked out twice and, in his last fight, submitted.  Before then it had never happened before.  The submission in his last fight broke his arm so badly he needed surgery. That means a new injury to heal from and, at 35 years old, time off he can’t afford.  

Those losses, along with their brutality, should tell fans and journalists alike that Nogueira is starting to slow down.

It doesn’t mean he couldn’t still compete in MMA or even that he would lose every fight.  It just seems he is done at the highest level, and for a man who was once a top fighter in PRIDE and the UFC to be asked to continue when he can’t be on that level anymore is a little cruel.

Nogueira still lost a fight to a top fighter in MMA.  He could try to go out on a win, but it usually doesn’t end that way for most guys who try to do it.

When he does retire he will have fighters to train and perhaps some commentary he could do in Brazil.  The future looks bright for Nogueira should he leave the cage.

All he needs to do to claim it is let go of the past.

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2011 MMA Wrap-Up: Top 10 Submissions of the Year

As fighters continue to evolve in this sport, you see less and less submission wins at the elite level of MMA. Everyone knows how to defend the classic submissions we have grown accustomed to witnessing over the years; avoiding them has become the stan…

As fighters continue to evolve in this sport, you see less and less submission wins at the elite level of MMA. Everyone knows how to defend the classic submissions we have grown accustomed to witnessing over the years; avoiding them has become the standard.

It seems like when a fighter is forced to tap to a submission, he receives more criticism for letting it happen than his opponent receives praise for applying the technique.

While the submissions may be less frequent in this knowledgeable new age of MMA, when they do happen, they are spectacular.

For me, submitting an opponent when they are rocked is one thing. Submitting your foe solely with craft and patience is another. When it happens, it can be mesmerizing.

Here are the top 10 submissions that stick out in my mind from 2011.

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UFC Fighters Big Nog and Dominick Cruz Compare Surgery Scars

There is a brotherhood among MMA fighters, as indicated by a recent picture showing UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former UFC heavyweight champion and Pride legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira comparing scars. Nogueira is recently co…

There is a brotherhood among MMA fighters, as indicated by a recent picture showing UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and former UFC heavyweight champion and Pride legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira comparing scars. 

Nogueira is recently coming off surgery on his right arm.

It was broken by Frank Mir in a shocking finish at UFC 140. Nogueira had Mir seemingly knocked out, but instead of continuing the onslaught with his fists, he opted for the submission (which he claims to have done because of Herb Dean’s warnings).

The loss was the first time Nogueira has ever lost by submission. Interestingly, Frank Mir was also the first man to knock “Big Nog” out. 

Cruz’s less theatrical but no-less-serious injury—a broken hand—was received in a fight against Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at UFC on Versus 6. 

The bantamweight champion even tweeted a graphic picture of his post-surgery hand back in October. 

The picture of both fighters just shows the camaraderie that MMA fighters have with one another. It shows what it is that makes the sport special. There is honor among MMA fighters; they are brothers.

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Nogueira Says Referee’s Warnings Made Him Go for Submission Instead of Knockout

There were many reasons why Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wanted the rematch with Frank Mir, and it seems as if he might be looking for another one.After he suffered his first knockout loss at the hands of Mir at UFC 92, the Brazilian heavyweight …

There were many reasons why Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wanted the rematch with Frank Mir, and it seems as if he might be looking for another one.

After he suffered his first knockout loss at the hands of Mir at UFC 92, the Brazilian heavyweight cited a staph infection as a reason that he performed poorly. It would be almost three years before they had a rematch at UFC 140 in November.

In the rematch, Mir looked to be all but out when Nogueira knocked him down and followed up with strikes. Instead of continuing his attack, Nogueira tried for a guillotine choke and let Mir recover long enough to lock in a kimura. Mir was able to jump to half guard and after a quick reversal, broke his opponent’s arm.

“I fought and lost by submission for the first time in my career,” Nogueira wrote in his blog at NogueiraBrothers.com. “That was a bad sensation, but it is part of the sport. Everything that happens inside the cage is very quick and the fighter acts more by reflex than by reasoning.”

Many thought former the Pride heavyweight champion would not need surgery on his broken arm after the fight, but it turns out he had to undergo surgery that required him to get 16 screws placed in his arm on Saturday.

“I know I made a mistake by trying to finish a bout that seemed won by knockout but when Frank Mir was almost knocked out, I heard the referee ask me to stop hitting the back of the head, so that was exactly when I looked to try the choke.”

“Mir recovered and finished me well. But I watched the replay and I was not hitting the back of his head, it was the side of his head, where it is permitted to hit. But I am not here to give excuses. I lost. I will heal up my broken arm and go for another bout, likely in the second UFC Rio event of 2012.”

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