Two days after UFC president Dana White was shaking his head during the UFC 141 conference call wondering aloud what ever possessed Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to opt to try to choke out a rocked Frank Mir rather than finish him up on the ground with punches during their UFC 140 bout a week and a half ago, and “Big Nog” has offered an explanation. According to the former PRIDE star and one-time interim UFC light heavyweight champion, referee Herb Dean made him switch gears when he told him his punches were illegal.
(Nog with his new bionic arm.)
Two days after UFC president Dana White was shaking his head during the UFC 141 conference call wondering aloud what ever possessed Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to opt to try to choke out a rocked Frank Mir rather than finish him up on the ground with punches during their UFC 140 bout a week and a half ago, and “Big Nog” has offered an explanation. According to the former PRIDE star and one-time interim UFC light heavyweight champion, referee Herb Dean made him switch gears when he told him his punches were illegal.
Here’s what Minotauro posted on his official website:
“Last Saturday I fought and lost via submission for the first time in my career; it was a bad feeling, but it’s part of the sport. Everything that happens in a fight is quick and the fighter acts most based on his instincts and reflexes than [what’s] on his mind. I knew I made a mistake as I tried to submit [my opponent] on a fight where I could have won by KO,” Nogueira wrote. “But when Frank Mir was practically knocked out I heard the referee tell me to stop punching him at the neck and that is when I tried to choke him. Mir put himself together and must be congratulated for submitting me. I checked the videos and I wasn’t hitting him on the neck, but on Mir’s side of the head, which is allowed.”
In spite of Dana’s obvious disappointment with Nogueira’s lapse of judgment in the fight, he says that the UFC president has made sure that he had the best surgeons available to operate on his arm, which took place Monday as well.
“But I’m not here to apologize. I lost. I’ll recover from my arm injury and then move on, probably on the second UFC Rio of 2012. The good thing about the loss was that I got many supporting messages, and I really thank the great treatment that the boss (Dana White) gave mein Canada. Dana used to tell me ‘Nog we’re not sparing any expense, you’ll have the best experts so you come back soon and well. I’m sure I’ll still fight for many years. I fight because I like it and I feel I’m in one of the best moments of my career.”
Noguiera had a titanium plate and 16 screws installed to stabilize the broken humerus bone while it heals. It’s likely that the plate will remain even after the fusion is complete.
Given their frequency within the sport, we oft discuss the rematch here at CagePotato: we’ve mentioned a few that we’d like to see, we’ve mocked the possible occurence of others, and we’ve even gone as far as to predict how future ones would go down. And with 2011 featuring over 10 in the UFC alone, we decided to take a look back at at a year that both showcased and disgraced the awesomeness that is the rematch. Join us on this trip down memory lane, won’t you?
The Ones We Needed to See
#5 – Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 134 (Silva v. Okami, though this image could be from just about any of Silva’s fights.)
Why it had to happen: Because the first fight marked the last time Silva had lost…at anything, and even if it was by way of illegal upkick DQ, it was enough to convince some people that Okami had his number. Plus, Okami had earned his shot by this point, and we were getting pretty damned tired of debating this old issue.
How it happened: Absolute. Domination. In typical fashion, Silva toyed with Okami like he was wrestling with his 4 year old nephew, letting the audience know that the fight would end when he decided it would. A head kick that rocked Okami at the end of the first round reinforced this belief, and Silva mercifully finished him off in the second. Cut. Print. TKO.
Given their frequency within the sport, we oft discuss the rematch here at CagePotato: we’ve mentioned a few that we’d like to see, we’ve mocked the possible occurence of others, and we’ve even gone as far as to predict how future ones would go down. And with 2011 featuring over 10 in the UFC alone, we decided to take a look back at at a year that both showcased and disgraced the awesomeness that is the rematch. Join us on this trip down memory lane, won’t you?
The Ones We Needed to See
#5 – Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 134 (Silva v. Okami, though this image could be from just about any of Silva’s fights.)
Why it had to happen: Because the first fight marked the last time Silva had lost…at anything, and even if it was by way of illegal upkick DQ, it was enough to convince some people that Okami had his number. Plus, Okami had earned his shot by this point, and we were getting pretty damned tired of debating this old issue.
How it happened: Absolute. Domination. In typical fashion, Silva toyed with Okami like he was wrestling with his 4 year old nephew, letting the audience know that the fight would end when he decided it would. A head kick that rocked Okami at the end of the first round reinforced this belief, and Silva mercifully finished him off in the second. Cut. Print. TKO.
How they happened: Things didn’t go so well for “Bad Boy” the second time around; after falling prey to Jung’s Submission of the Year earning twister at UFN 24, Garcia would be upended by Phan in a Fight of the Night earning performance at UFC 136. Though detrimental to Garcia’s career, it did restore the balance between the sacred realms that had been thrown into chaos as a result of his previous “victories.” And hey, at least he took it with class.
What they proved: That MMA judging has not followed the sport’s rapid evolution over the past ten years, and perhaps it was time for a change. We’ve already discussed what needs to be done, but are still waiting for our lawyer to draft up the official documents. Anyone else got an idea?
Merecedes Terrell tweeted this picture of herself in festive lingerie because she liked the sign: “FREE RIDE IN A POLICE CAR IF YOU SHOPLIFT”. What’s ironic is that Mercedes could get a free ride in.
Merecedes Terrell tweeted this picture of herself in festive lingerie because she liked the sign: “FREE RIDE IN A POLICE CAR IF YOU SHOPLIFT”. What’s ironic is that Mercedes could get a free ride in any getaway car if she shoplifted that outfit, as well.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira had a plate and 16 screws inserted into the complex fractured arm he suffered from the hands of Frank Mir at UFC 140.
Dana Whiteis hoping forAnderson Silva to retire with a Super Fight against Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre.
UFC 142 books Fabio Maldonado vs. Caio Malgalhaes in Rio.
Filed under: UFCJon Jones is the most dominant force in MMA today. Yes, more dominant than Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre. That became strikingly obvious at UFC 140, when Jones choked Lyoto Machida unconscious in under two rounds.
Jones has absolutely crushed each of his last six opponents, finished every one of them. The last three of them were former UFC champions, a feat unprecedented.
His win over Machida wasn’t the most lopsided of his recent run, but that actually made it more valuable as an assessment tool for those of us in the analysis business. Though he was never in any real trouble against Machida in the first round, it was clear he was a bit confused about the proper approach. Meanwhile, Machida was masterfully timing his attacks off counters and clearly felt comfortable with closing the distance between them.
This was the same Machida we had seen in his best days, when he was knocking out Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva, and there was nothing to suggest that Jones could suddenly figure things out between rounds after two months of preparation had left him looking a bit lost.
But whatever advantage Machida had was completely erased between rounds.
Jones made a few slight adjustments, re-took the center of the cage and suddenly seemed to understand everything that was in front of him. Machida landed nothing of any consequence in the round, and Jones drilled him once, cut him open with a slicing elbow, dropped him with a left hand, and finally finished him with a standing guillotine.
Among UFC champs, Jones has the longest streak of consecutive finishes, one that even heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos can’t match. Because of it, he’s the most dominant force in MMA, at least for now.
On to playing fantasy matchmaker…
Jon Jones
“Bones” will get a well-deserved vacation after four lengthy camps in 2011. Meanwhile, the UFC will wait to see how January’s Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis fight plays out. If Evans wins and comes out unscathed, the UFC will sync him up with Jones for a long-awaited fight that is guaranteed to do big business. Prediction: Jones vs. Evans, with Memorial Day weekend of 2012 as the target date Lyoto Machida
Machida is likely still wondering what went wrong after a strong opening round against Jones, but he’s hardly the only one who’s ever been left scratching his head at how it had all gone awry so quickly. Upon losing, Machida is in a similar position from the one he had before being paired with Jones, with the prospect of waiting since no obvious pairing for him exists right now. He’s faced a lot of the big names, already, and several of the other possibilities are locked into other fights. Prediction: He faces Forrest Griffin
Frank Mir
For a second there, it seemed like Mir was going to be thrust into a replacement role against Brock Lesnar on short notice, but as long as Alistair Overeem passes his pre-fight drug screenings, he won’t be needed. It’s just as well. Mir would need more time to prep for Lesnar’s wrestling style, particularly when the fight would carry with it such major implications. If Cain Velasquez was ready to fight again soon, a Mir-Velasquez fight might make some sense, but he might need some more time off. And since the winner of Lesnar-Overeem will be moved into a title match with champ Junior dos Santos, options are limited. Prediction: Mir faces the loser of the Lesnar-Overeem fight
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
“Big Nog” is a proud man, but you have to wonder if pride is worth a broken bone and time spent on the sidelines when you’re 35 years old and in the twilight of your career. It’s easy for me to second-guess Nogueira here, so perhaps he thought he had one last escape attempt in him just before his arm cracked. That said, he apparently lucked out as the doctor he recently saw advised him against surgery, saying it would heal on its own in around five months. Still, add in time for a training camp and you’re looking at a minimum of an 8-9 month layoff for him. Prediction: Given the length of time away, it’s impossible to predict an opponent, but someone like Matt Mitrione or Roy Nelson might be a possibility.
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz did a very smart thing before his fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He said he planned to retire in May 2002, 15 years from his first pro fight. That essentially meant that win or lose, he’d probably only fight once more after the Little Nog bout, which he lost by first-round TKO. It was smart because he basically publicly promised Dana White that they wouldn’t have to continue the very public debate about his possible retirement. In essence, White wouldn’t have to draw the line and be the bad guy since Ortiz drew it himself. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s 1-6-1 in his last eight fights, but it’s probably enough to get him one last fight before calling it quits. Prediction: I won’t even guess the opponent, but the UFC gives him a winnable style matchup against a mid-level opponent. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
A couple weeks ago, after Mauricio “Shogun” Rua lost his fight with Dan Henderson, I predicted he would next fight Thiago Silva, but I completely whiffed on the possibility that he could line up a rematch of his 2005 bout with Little Nog, a bout which was one of the best bouts of that year. With both coming off wins, it’s now or never. Prediction: He faces Rua
Chan Sung Jung
The “Korean Zombie” is the UFC‘s Mr. Excitement, win or lose, creating amazing moments. The latest was his record-tying, seven-second knockout of Mark Hominick, a former No. 1 contender Jung isn’t quite ready for the title picture yet, but he’s starting to creep into the conversation. Prediction: He faces Ricardo Lamas Igor Pokrajac
Pokrajac looked good against the durable Krzysztof Soszynski, needing just 35 seconds to finish him in a KO. The win made him 3-1 in his last four, so let’s match the hard-hitting Croatian up with another striker and see what kind of magic they make. Prediction: He faces Brandon Vera.
Today, the Gracie brothers touch on Tony Ferguson’s slick omaplata attempt from his unanimous decision victory over Yves Edwards at the TUF 14 Finaleas well as Brandao’s glass plaque-earning effort before breaking down possibly the most shocking submission finish in MMA history, Frank Mir’s come from behind kimura over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria that absolutely destroyed the Brazilian’s arm, a picture of which can be seen after the jump:
Today, the Gracie brothers touch on Tony Ferguson’s slick omaplata attempt from his unanimous decision victory over Yves Edwards at the TUF 14 Finaleas well as Brandao’s glass plaque-earning effort before breaking down possibly the most shocking submission finish in MMA history, Frank Mir’s come from behind kimura over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria that absolutely destroyed the Brazilian’s arm:
Ho. Lee. Shit. Only a man who has been run over by a truck as a child can look at an injury as horrifying as that with the approximate concern of someone who just lost the page in the book they were reading. Anyway, check out the video and learn yourself some BJJ, because we all know what your face would look like if this happened to you.
Also on this week’s breakdown, the Gracie’s discuss UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ Mckenzietine-esque choke that, currently according to Wikipedia, killed Lyoto Machida. What I want to know is, who the hell was that guy at the post-fight press conference? Begin drafting up your conspiracy theories…NOW!
