Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won’t decide on a retirement date just yet. Nogueira last competed back in Nov. 2016. He was stopped by Ryan Bader via TKO in the third round. He’s gone 1-3 in his last four outings. The 42-year-old had been out of …
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira won’t decide on a retirement date just yet. Nogueira last competed back in Nov. 2016. He was stopped by Ryan Bader via TKO in the third round. He’s gone 1-3 in his last four outings. The 42-year-old had been out of action with a neck injury, but was flagged by the U.S. […]
It looks like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Sam Alvey will share the Octagon on the first day of fall. Combate reports that Nogueira and Alvey will do battle inside the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 22 for UFC Sao Paulo. Nogueira ha…
It looks like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Sam Alvey will share the Octagon on the first day of fall. Combate reports that Nogueira and Alvey will do battle inside the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sept. 22 for UFC Sao Paulo. Nogueira hasn’t been in action since his Nov. 2016 bout against Ryan Bader. […]
Junior dos Santos, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Marcos Rogerio de Lima have been embroiled in a months long investigation by USADA as the anti-doping agency was looking into contaminated supplements coming out of Brazil. In 2017, Dos Santos, Nogueira a…
Junior dos Santos, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Marcos Rogerio de Lima have been embroiled in a months long investigation by USADA as the anti-doping agency was looking into contaminated supplements coming out of Brazil. In 2017, Dos Santos, Nogueira and de Lima all returned positive drug tests that pulled them from upcoming fights in the […]
When is enough enough? For many of the best MMA fighters, that’s the toughest question to answer when it comes to ending their own careers in the cage. Whether it’s due to their natural fighting instincts, their continued need to make ends meet, a stubborn refusal to accept that their time has come and gone, […]
When is enough enough? For many of the best MMA fighters, that’s the toughest question to answer when it comes to ending their own careers in the cage.
Whether it’s due to their natural fighting instincts, their continued need to make ends meet, a stubborn refusal to accept that their time has come and gone, or just scant regard for their own well-being, many veteran stars end up delaying the inevitable far longer than they should.
The consequences for that can be devastating, and in this article, we’ll look at 10 high-profile UFC stars who have already traveled far down that path as they continue to put their long-term health and legacies at risk by delivering subpar performances and enduring repeated beatdowns in the Octagon.
Fighting is a fast-paced, notoriously unforgiving contest.
To be clear, we, as fans and/or writers can never tell a fighter when he or she should hang up their gloves, but at a certain point, it becomes difficult to watch our once-great idols sustain what could be life-altering trauma, and that pales in comparison to the heartache suffered by that fighter and their own family. With that said, let’s take a look at 10 formerly elite combatants who could avoid all (or at last most) of that by walking away right now.
Diego Sanchez
For many years, Sanchez was hailed as having one of the best chins in the game, holding a proud record of having only being stopped once (due to a cut) in 34 fights stretched over a 14-year period, despite having been in numerous brutal and bloody battles from featherweight all the way up to middleweight.
Then in July of 2016 at the historic UFC 200 event, his chin finally gave way when Joe Lauzon flattened him in just 86 seconds.
Though he did win his next fight, worse was to come in 2017 as Sanchez suffered back-to-back knockouts against Al Iaquinta and Matt Brown in a matter of minutes.
Even before this recent decline, Sanchez’s penchant for slugfests had led to concerns that he was taking too much punishment in the Octagon, and if it hadn’t been for highly controversial split decision victories over Takanori Gomi and Ross Pearson, he would have been on a six-fight losing streak from 2012-2015.
Nevertheless, the 35-year-old warrior’s fighting spirit still burns bright and so he’s vowed not to retire, and unfortunately, with his record showing that he’s never lost more than two fights in a row, he’ll likely be allowed to continue to compete even though it’s clearly against his best interests.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is out of his scheduled UFC on FOX 26 match-up against Jared Cannonier. The 17-year veteran was pulled from the December 16th bout after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found a banned substance in “Lil Nog’s” system stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered on September 27th. The UFC announced that […]
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is out of his scheduled UFC on FOX 26 match-up against Jared Cannonier.
The 17-year veteran was pulled from the December 16th bout after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found a banned substance in “Lil Nog’s” system stemming from an out-of-competition drug test administered on September 27th. The UFC announced that they are actively searching for a replacement opponent for Cannonier:
“The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has informed Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on September 27, 2017. Due to the proximity of Nogueira’s upcoming scheduled bout at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: LAWLER vs. DOS ANJOS in Winnipeg, Canada on December 16, 2017 against Jared Cannonier, Nogueira has been removed from the card and the UFC is currently seeking a replacement.”
Nogueira posted a statement of his own on the matter, revealing that he tested positive for “a diuretic substance.” Here’s what he had to say:
A post shared by Rogerio Nogueira (@minotouromma) on
“Students, fans, friends, family: to all who are always by my side, I am here to share with you that today I was surprised by USADA (anti-doping control organization) that a diuretic substance appeared in my exams.
“I am here to try to clarify because we do not yet have all the explanations, but from now on we will investigate this situation in depth. I have told all of you that I am confident in my defense and we will find out what happened.
“I have never needed to take a diuretic and everyone who accompanies me mainly my coaches know that I never had any difficulties to lose weight and this is the function of the diuretic.
“As soon as the UFC schedules my fight I will start a process of diet and training precisely so that at the end of my camp I won’t suffer with weight loss.
“It is very difficult going through this for me as I have always been honest and especially with my work which I have dedicated myself and continue to dedicate myself as it’s my passion. Because of this unfortunately my fight was canceled and I was very sad about it all but I hope as soon as possible to clarify this misunderstanding and give you all a spectacular fight.
“Thank you all for your support and respect for me.”
MMA Fighting reports that the substance Nogueira tested positive for was Hydrochlorothiazide, the same substance Junior dos Santos tested positive for this past summer. At this point in his career, any lengthy suspension could mean the end of Nogueira’s career.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter to get flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Nogueira was set to take on Jared Cannonier inside the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The bout was to be featured on the UFC on FOX 26 card on Dec. 16. That is no […]
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter to get flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Nogueira was set to take on Jared Cannonier inside the Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The bout was to be featured on the UFC on FOX 26 card on Dec. 16. That is no […]