Tag: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

What If the UFC Held a Heavyweight Tournament?

(Somehow we see this tournament going down before Strikeforce’s HW GP.)
With the current buzz surrounding the recently announced Strikeforce 2011 heavyweight grand prix, we figured we’d take a look at what kind of tournament the UFC could put on if t…


(Somehow we see this tournament going down before Strikeforce’s HW GP.)

With the current buzz surrounding the recently announced Strikeforce 2011 heavyweight grand prix, we figured we’d take a look at what kind of tournament the UFC could put on if they were so inclined.

Contrary to popular opinion, the calibre of the UFC’s HW GP would be just as good, if not better than Strikeforce’s. The only noticeable difference is that there really wouldn’t be any mismatches in Zuffa’s heavyweightpalooza.

Even if Joe Silva decided not to put the matches together that we hypothesized in order to save some of the more anticipated pairings for the sem-final and final rounds, shuffling the card around would not cause a great disparity in the calibre of opponents.

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Following Back-to-Back Hip Surgeries, Big Nog is Hoping for An August Return in Rio Against Lesnar

(Nogueira takes ice baths to quell hip pain and to treat his hypergonadism.)
Many fans of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira were disappointed by the spotty showing of former PRIDE star when he made the transition to the UFC. Some hypothesized th…


(Nogueira takes ice baths to quell hip pain and to treat his hypergonadism.)

Many fans of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira were disappointed by the spotty showing of former PRIDE star when he made the transition to the UFC. Some hypothesized that he was slower as a result of the accumulative damage the scores of punches and kicks his head has absorbed over the years, while others assumed he had lost a step due to age.

According to Nogueira, who by the way is only 34, the reason he hasn’t performed to the potential he demonstrated in Japan is that he has been secretly battling a pair of nagging injuries for the past four years. 

 “This is an injury I have had for about four years. For the past two years it has been bothering me a lot. I have been training for all the last fights I had, and it was very painful. My last 3 fights were very painful. To tell you the truth, when I was training in 2005, I felt it a little bit in my hip but it wasn’t that much. 2006 it hurt me. When I trained for the Couture fight it hurt me so bad, then this year it was impossible for training," Nogueira explained during a recent interview with SanDiegoMMA.net. "After Anderson Silva’s fight when he fought Chael [Sonnen], I was there in the group and from there I had training the next day and I couldn’t walk, so I went to Colorado [to see a doctor]. My physical trainer told me [the doctor in Colorado] was the best hip doctor in the world, Dr. Philippon. He took a look at me and said ‘you can’t fight. You are 40% on your performance.’”

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MMA Top 10 Heavyweights: Cain Velasquez Is the Champ

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Heavyweights
What a wild, crazy, unpredictable sport MMA is. A few months ago the heavyweight fight everyone wanted to see was Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar, and MMA fans thought we’d be deprived of having one true h…

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What a wild, crazy, unpredictable sport MMA is. A few months ago the heavyweight fight everyone wanted to see was Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar, and MMA fans thought we’d be deprived of having one true heavyweight champion because Fedor and Lesnar would never fight each other.

Now Fedor and Lesnar have both suffered decisive first-round losses, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone anywhere who considers either one of them the top heavyweight in the sport.

That distinction now belongs to Cain Velasquez, who at UFC 121 erased any doubt that he’s the heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts. You know that Velasquez is No. 1, and you can see how 2-10 stack up below.

Brazil Continues to be Tough But Fair with Chael Sonnen

(“Is good, no? Is from child’s meal at fast food restaurant.” PicProps: FCFighter.com)
By now we’ve all had a good chuckle over last week’s vid of the world’s most awkward van ride where Wanderlei Silva tells Chael S…


(“Is good, no? Is from child’s meal at fast food restaurant.” PicProps: FCFighter.com)

By now we’ve all had a good chuckle over last week’s vid of the world’s most awkward van ride where Wanderlei Silva tells Chael Sonnen to keep Brazil’s name out his mouth, if he wants that mouth to keep functioning for the purposes of things like chewing food and telling insane lies. But as Sonnen – who pretty much backed down in the face of Wanderlei’s rough-hewn wisdom — continues to hole up in Oregon and contemplate the possibility that he may have squandered his last chance at being a relevant fighter, a few other Brazilians followed Wanderlei’s lead over the weekend and let fly with their own opinions about the alleged testosterone addict.

That included Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who told Sherdog.com that he thinks “God is just” in not allowing Sonnen to win the UFC middleweight title while (probably) cheating against Anderson Silva. “The Spider” also spoke with the Dog, telling it that he didn’t think Sonnen deserved a rematch, anyway. For his part, Wanderlei went the extra mile to prove he’s like the nicest dude in the world, telling MMA Canada (during kind of an awkward video blog) that he thinks Sonnen’s year-long suspension is a bit too harsh.

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Ryan Bader: Once Big Nog’s ‘Golden Boy,’ Now Little Nog’s Enemy

Filed under: UFCINDIANAPOLIS — Just over two years ago, Ryan Bader walked into a Las Vegas gym with a dream to fight in the UFC. He was a blue-chip prospect, a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler who’d steamrolled his way to an unbeaten 7-0 reco…

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INDIANAPOLIS — Just over two years ago, Ryan Bader walked into a Las Vegas gym with a dream to fight in the UFC. He was a blue-chip prospect, a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler who’d steamrolled his way to an unbeaten 7-0 record.

Bader made the cut for The Ultimate Fighter, where he quickly impressed everyone, but perhaps none more than season eight coach Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In fact, Nogueira thought so highly of Bader that he immediately earmarked him for his first pick in the draft.

“I remember we were in the octagon, me, Frank Mir and Dana White, the first day we pick the guys,” Nogueira recalled. “They were training, light sparring and we were watching before we picked them. I saw him shoot the double leg, it was so good. And he had fast hands. He was my first pick. I said, ‘That’s my golden boy.'”

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Hoping to Return in Spring 2011

Filed under: UFC, NewsINDIANAPOLIS — Still in the midst of recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee, and with a hip surgery still to come, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a full 5-6 months away from returning, making the spring …

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INDIANAPOLIS — Still in the midst of recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee, and with a hip surgery still to come, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a full 5-6 months away from returning, making the spring of 2011 the rough target date for his next octagon date.

The MMA legend, who was supposed to face Frank Mir in the UFC 119 main event, still traveled to the show to work the corner of his brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who is competing in the co-main event against Ryan Bader. Walking slowly and with a noticeable limp, Nogueira said the injury dated back to two years ago and was discovered to be a complete tear during a medical examination.