Frank Mir vs. “Minotauro” Nogueira II Confirmed for Sept. 25th

The UFC has announced today that the promotion is moving forward with the expected rematch between former champs Frank Mir and “Minotauro” Nogueira, for September 25th in Indianapolis. Why not right? Both dudes got bombed out in their last bouts (Nog by Cain Velasquez / Mir by Shane Carwin); both guys continue to be threats […]

mir hitting nogueira

The UFC has announced today that the promotion is moving forward with the expected rematch between former champs Frank Mir and “Minotauro” Nogueira, for September 25th in Indianapolis. Why not right? Both dudes got bombed out in their last bouts (Nog by Cain Velasquez / Mir by Shane Carwin); both guys continue to be threats in the heavyweight division, and of course, there’s a little bit of drama in the background to make things that much more interesting. You may recall that after Nogueira was throttled by Mir at UFC 92 in December, 2008, the legendary fighter announced afterwards that he had been suffering from a knee injury, as well as a staph infection, heading into their bout. You may also recall that Mir wasn’t really down with the whole ‘excuse’ thing…

In the press release announcing the rematch today, Dana White was quoted saying:

“Ever since Frank Mir beat Nogueira for the heavyweight title in 2008, Minotauro has asked me for this rematch because he wants to prove that the first fight was a fluke,” said UFC President Dana White. “On September 25th, he gets his wish, and I don’t think there’s any fighter more motivated than he is to even the score. As for Frank Mir, he wants to get back in the title picture, and if I know him, he was the first man to knock Nogueira out at UFC 92, and now he’ll want to be the first man to make him tap out.”

So, just a thought, but if you’re Nogueira, maybe this time it might be wise to drop out of the fight if you get seriously injured or sick again no?

The 7 Worst Predictions in CagePotato History

As the saying goes, "Men make MMA predictions and God laughs." With that in mind, let’s revisit some of the most classic blunders in CP history, in chronological order. Good thing we’re completely unaccountable for the things we say here…

As the saying goes, "Men make MMA predictions and God laughs." With that in mind, let’s revisit some of the most classic blunders in CP history, in chronological order. Good thing we’re completely unaccountable for the things we say here!

Keith Jardine Wanderlei Silva UFC 84 MMA photos
From: "Gambling Addiction Enabler: UFC 84 Edition" (The very first installment of the G.A.E.)
BG said: "Look, we know the Axe Murderer was a killer in PRIDE — but he needs to win a couple in the Octagon to convince me that he’s just as fearsome over here. Take away the use of soccer kicks and knees to the head on the ground, biased refs and judges, matchmaking that had him go up against opponents that were tailor-made for his style, (*cough*steroids*cough*), and the confidence that comes from never losing, and we’re not even talking about the same guy anymore. Silva won’t be doing any axe-murdering at UFC 84 — he’s going to be fighting not to lose, and will come out a much more cautious, tentative version of himself. Meanwhile, Jardine is surely working on another great game-plan with Greg Jackson, knowing that if he pulls off another big win his title shot will be waiting."
What happened: Wanderlei Silva via KO (rape choke), 0:36 of round 1. LOL @ Jardine’s "title shot."

Thiago Alves Matt Hughes UFC 85 MMA photos
From: "UFC 85: Bedlam — Ipecac Rematch Picks" (this article seems to have disappeared from the Internet; you can check out a screen-shot from my Google Reader here, and a little bit of backstory here.)
BG said: "Matt Hughes may be on the decline, and Thiago Alves is definitely on the come-up, but they haven’t passed each other yet, so to speak. Though Alves caught Karo Parisyan at UFC Fight Night 13, he’s failed in previous big tests against Spencer Fisher and Jon Fitch. Hughes may have trouble with Alves’s striking and youthful energy, and a submission victory is unlikely, but I can see the future Hall of Famer dominating the young challenger with his wrestling and grinding out a decision."
What happened: Matt Hughes got utterly ruined by the Pitbull’s striking and youthful energy; Alves via TKO, 1:02 of round 2. I lost bragging rights to Fightlinker, as well as the entire contents of my stomach.

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Monday Announcements: Keep Submitting Your ‘Summer Vacation’ Photoshops, Send Us Questions for the Bum Rush Mailbag

(Props: Corey O.)
Just a reminder for all you creative, good-humored types: You have until Thursday night to submit entries for our current Photoshop contest. The theme is "How are MMA fighters spending their summer vacations?", and all ent…

Wanderlei Silva roller-coaster photoshop
(Props: Corey O.)

Just a reminder for all you creative, good-humored types: You have until Thursday night to submit entries for our current Photoshop contest. The theme is "How are MMA fighters spending their summer vacations?", and all entries must be submitted to our Facebook page. I know we said that we’d be awarding CagePotato t-shirts to the five ‘shops that drew the most "Likes," but we’ve been getting so much good stuff that we’ll probably give out shirts to every image that made us laugh. A few more of our current favorites are after the jump.

And one more thing: We’d like to start collecting questions for an "Ask the Potato" segment on our new podcast, so if you have any pressing queries for Ben and Mike — MMA-related or otherwise — let us hear it. You can submit questions through the comments section on this post, at Facebook.com/CagePotato, or by sending an @cagepotatomma tweet on Twitter.

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Nogueira vs. Mir Rematch to Main Event UFC 119, Little Nog vs. Bader in Co-Main

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsWith UFC 119 on the hunt for star power, it’s the Nogueira brothers to the rescue.

MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira gets his long-awaited rematch with Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 119, MMA Fighting ha…

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With UFC 119 on the hunt for star power, it’s the Nogueira brothers to the rescue.

MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira gets his long-awaited rematch with Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 119, MMA Fighting has learned.

UFC President Dana White has confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting.

UFC 119 Picks Up Big Nog vs. Frank Mir, Lil’ Nog vs. Ryan Bader, and Mark Hunt, Of All People

(Always be specific when you order "Brazilian twins" from the local escort service. You could get badly burned. Trust me guys, *badly* burned…)
Sherk vs. Dunham? Who cares! Lots more UFC 119-related news just came over the wires, and it l…

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Rodrigo MMA UFC brothers
(Always be specific when you order "Brazilian twins" from the local escort service. You could get badly burned. Trust me guys, *badly* burned…)

Sherk vs. Dunham? Who cares! Lots more UFC 119-related news just came over the wires, and it looks like the people of Indianapolis are going to be in for a wild night, even if the main event is somewhat lacking in importance. Here’s what we’re dealing with…

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir: This will reportedly be the evening’s headliner. Hmm. If you’ll recall, the two former champions coached against each other on TUF 8, then Mir shocked our asses by TKO’ing Nogueira at UFC 92. Nogueira blamed his weak performance on a staph infection, so maybe this fight will turn out differently, but basically we’re being given another UFC main event where both guys are coming off losses, and the winner doesn’t even become the division’s #1 contender. Personally, I was more interested in a Big Nog vs. Cro Cop rematch. 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader: Now we’re talking. Lil’ Nog needs to redeem himself after nearly getting beat by late replacement Jason Brilz at UFC 114, while Ryan Bader is looking sharper every time out, most recently knocking out Keith Jardine at UFC 110. If Bader can out-hustle the Brazilian vet, he’ll land directly in the light-heavyweight title mix.

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MMA Top 10 Heavyweights: Brock Is the Best

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Rankings, Heavyweights
The UFC heavyweight champion is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts.

Zuffa’s belt already signified the best fighter in every weight class from bantamweight th…

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The UFC heavyweight champion is now the undisputed heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts.

Zuffa’s belt already signified the best fighter in every weight class from bantamweight through light heavyweight, and now the two big heavyweight fights of the last two weekends — Fabricio Werdum’s shocking upset over Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar’s comeback win over Shane Carwin — have resulted in a changing of the guard in the heavyweight division as well.

Lesnar is undeniably the sport’s No. 1 heavyweight, but how does the rest of the top 10 shake out? Find out below.