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UFC News: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Coach Wants Him Against Cro Cop This Summer

Since he has been rehabilitating his injuries, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has spent a considerable amount of time away from the Octagon. Fans last witnessed the Brazilian laid out on the canvas, courtesy of Cain Velasquez at UFC 110. It …

Since he has been rehabilitating his injuries, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira has spent a considerable amount of time away from the Octagon.

Fans last witnessed the Brazilian laid out on the canvas, courtesy of Cain Velasquez at UFC 110. It was only the second time Nogueira had been finished in his career. But according to his boxing coach, Luis Dorea, the 34-year-old is currently training and hoping to make his return to the UFC soon.

“Regarding Rodrigo, he has been training very well. He’s doing rehab, seeing positioning, but the first step is his condition, his health,” Dorea told TATAME, courtesy of FightersOnly Magazine.

Aside from nursing his injuries, and preventing anything further, Nogueira has been open to fighting UFC heavyweight prospect Brendan Schuab at UFC Rio this summer. Schaub has also voiced his interest in fighting the Brazilian, but Dorea has another opponent in mind.

“I would like so much to see a bout between Nogueira and Cro Cop,” he said.

Nogueira and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic have a shared history as both men engaged in a memorable bout while competing in Pride FC, which saw the Brazilian pick up the victory. Dorea expressed his interest in the potential bout, seeing it as a great opportunity for both competitors and for the fans as well.

“I saw Cro Cop say he wanted to fight him. They’re two legends, two names… It really would be very interesting for the MMA world.”

In regards to scheduling the bout, Dorea said he would like to see the bout take place in Brazil this summer. However Dorea’s intention is to make sure Nogueira is healthy first and foremost.

“If he is 100 percent, he’ll fight. He has a physio team helping and he is totally into the recuperation… but this is a fight I would like to see: Nogueira vs Cro Cop,” he said.

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UFC 133: Anderson Silva to Help Nogueira Prepare for His Bout vs. Franklin

It looks like Antonio Rogerio Nogueria will be receiving some assistance from training partner Anderson Silva, in preparation for a light heavyweight bout against Rich Franklin at UFC 133. Should Nogueira defeat the former UFC middleweight champio…

It looks like Antonio Rogerio Nogueria will be receiving some assistance from training partner Anderson Silva, in preparation for a light heavyweight bout against Rich Franklin at UFC 133.

Should Nogueira defeat the former UFC middleweight champion, his boxing coach Luis Dorea feels a big opportunity lies ahead for him.

“He is among the best, so our dream, our target is one day to fight for the title. Rich Franklin is the way to reach the title. This fight is very well matched because he is a man who likes to fight, right? He fights, gives show and doesn’t get into the tied game. He trades, is aggressive on the mat, standing. The game fits well,” Dorea told FightersOnly Magazine.

Franklin has built a solid resume, since moving to light heavyweight, holding notable victories over Wanderlei Silva, Matt Hamill and Chuck Liddell. As a result, Franklin is looked at as a respected veteran in the sport. Nogueira could be another one of the more established names added to Franklin’s resume after UFC 133.

However, Noguiera will have an advantage over Franklin strategically, as he will bring in the last man to defeat Franklin at middleweight, Anderson Silva. Dorea said the addition will help Nogueira earn a victory over his opponent.

“This is something normal, they always train together. In this fight, as in all the others, we’re with everything set, helping each other, and certainly Anderson will pass on all the situations of how Nogueira has to behave… He’ll help so much,” Dorea said.

UFC 133 is set to place on August 6th, live from Philadelphia.

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UFC 131 Fight Card: 5 Reasons Why Junior Dos Santos Will Destroy Brock Lesnar

At UFC 131 Brock Lesnar will get a chance to become the No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title. The only problem is he will have to go through Junior Dos Santos. Dos Santos is 12-1 with eight knockouts. Dos Santos has only went the distance once. Th…

At UFC 131 Brock Lesnar will get a chance to become the No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title.

The only problem is he will have to go through Junior Dos Santos.

Dos Santos is 12-1 with eight knockouts.

Dos Santos has only went the distance once.

The two have traded wins back and forth on The Ultimate Fighter.

But many believe Brock Lesnar does not stand a chance come fight night. Here are five reasons why.

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UFC 129 Recap: Vladimir Matyushenko Wants to Rematch Tito Ortiz or Lil Nog

Success is not measured by the longevity of a career, but how much productivity one’s career is able to amount. And Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko certainly adds some truth to that statement. Following his knockout victory over Jason Brillz at…

Following his knockout victory over Jason Brillz at UFC 129, the Belarusian told Ron Kruck of Inside MMA that he feels accomplished to still be competing in mixed martial arts at 40 years old.

“Well it’s a big, big acheivement. For me, myself and for all the industry, for MMA, UFC and for all the fans, I am just glad it happened.”

Holding a professional record of 26-5-0, the UFC veteran has seen it all in MMA, competing in multiple organizations including, UFC, IFL, IFC and Affliction Entertainment.

And despite all the experience that he holds, Matyushenko admits that times have changed.

“It was pretty much fighting in a backyard or the parking lot, and now it ended up being this big in such a short period of time, even I’m surprised,” Matyushenko said.

After collecting a victory over Brillz, Matyushenko has now won five of his last six bouts inside the Octagon, and while he isn’t too savvy on hand picking opponents, there are two competitors who come to mind regarding his next bout.

“I have lost in the UFC to Tito Ortiz, and I have lost to ‘Lil Nog’ (Rogerio Nogueira) and I’d like to take those losses back.”

While the idea of witnessing a rematch between either legend is worth the price of admission, currently both Ortiz and Nogueira are scheduled to square off against Ryan Bader and Rich Franklin at UFC 132 and UFC 133 respectively.

In the meantime, Matyushenko will look to enjoy some time off after his most recent win while he waits for his next challenger to emerge.

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UFC Rio: Ben Rothwell’s Return and Rumored Opponent

According to a report on MMA Mania, Ben Rothwell will be returning to action this August at UFC: Rio. He is rumored to have two possible opponents as well, Brendan Schaub and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.If Rothwell fights at UFC: Rio, it would be hi…

If Rothwell fights at UFC: Rio, it would be his first fight in over a year. Rothwell will look to build on his last fight that saw him claim a unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Yvel.

The fight was considered lackluster by many fans, and even Rothwell said he was not pleased with his performance.

In his UFC debut, Rothwell faced Cain Velaquez. That bout saw Rothwell dominated by Velaquez, and the referee stopped the action in the second round giving Rothwell the TKO defeat.

Brendan Schaub is 8-1 with only one fight going the distance. He is currently on a four-fight win streak in the UFC, after being knocked out by Roy Nelson in the Ultimate Fighter 10 finale. That loss resulted in Nelson winning the season and Schaub finishing as the runner up.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria has not fought since suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Cain Velasquez in February 2010. The reason for the long layoff is a string of surgeries.

First, was a knee surgery to reconstruct his ACL, followed by two hip surgeries. Nogueria has said that he hopes to begin training again in May and be ready to fight when UFC: Rio arrives in August. If he does fight on the card, it will be his first fight in his career in his homeland.

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UFC 131 Fight Card: Will Junior Dos Santos Be Exposed On The Ground?

UFC 131 will feature a main event between heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, to solidify a No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title. Dos Santos has steamrolled through every opponent in the Octagon thus far, earning four …

UFC 131 will feature a main event between heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, to solidify a No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

Dos Santos has steamrolled through every opponent in the Octagon thus far, earning four knockouts, one submission and a decision victory. His superior stand-up game is arguably the best in the heavyweight division and he possesses knockout power in both of his hands.

However none of his opponents carry the size and athleticism that Lesnar holds, making the 265 lb behemoth a much more difficult test for the Brazilian than anyone he has faced.

Lesnar’s sheer size and athleticism is something to behold.

But despite his athleticism, one of Lesnar’s flaws just happens to be Dos Santos’ biggest strength: striking. Obviously, Dos Santos’ intention will be to keep the fight on the feet and expose Lesnar, but ultimately it will be Lesnar dictating where the fight goes, and considering he holds a sixty percent take down success rate, it is possible to see this bout contested on the ground before anywhere else.

And if this bout takes place on the ground, will Dos Santos be the fighter who becomes exposed?

The Brazilian has claimed in past interviews that he holds good Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills under the tutelage of his mentor, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, and while he might have not shown his ground skills yet, he did show good scrambling technique in his bout vs. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Versus. Gonzaga also happens to hold some of the best ground game in mixed martial arts.

It is been said that Dos Santos displays very good technique and movement in his hips, providing him with more torque in extending his striking and to help him maneuver off of the ground. But given Lesnar’s strength and size, one cannot help but wonder if Dos Santos has enough strength to prevent the former heavyweight champion from taking him to the canvas, and if he does take Dos Santos down repeatedly, will Lesnar’s imposing figure and superior grappling skills overwhelm and tire him out?

Now standing at 6’3″ and weighing at 240 lbs, Dos Santos will not be a push over against the former NCAA Division 1 wrestler, but it’s evident in Lesnar’s bout against Frank Mir at UFC 100, that his physical stature is overwhelming and difficult to compete against. Lesnar controlled Mir and imposed his size, along with his positional dominance, frustrating his opponent en route to a second-round TKO victory.

There is no doubt Lesnar is a dominant figure and his superior strength, size and athleticism certainly provides difficulty for his opponents to deal with, but if Dos Santos is able to avoid the ground as much as possible, then he is likely to expose Lesnar on the feet.

However Dos Santos’ ground game and cardio is questionable, and against a formidable opponent like Lesnar, this bout could expose some holes in the Brazilian’s arsenal as well.

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