Though he holds the interim heavyweight belt, for all intents and purposes, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira may soon be known as the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
With the outcome of the Randy Couture, HDNet and Zuffa litigation battle to be arbitrated by a Nevada court, and the possibility that Couture’s resignation from the UFC is finalized, it is reasonable to predict that the matchup between “Big Nog” and Frank Mir later this year will be for the official UFC Heavyweight Championship. That is if Couture is finally stripped of his title.
Nogueira has been proverbially flying under the radar since his debut in the UFC in July 2007, when he beat Heath Herring for the third time. He has fought only once since then, against Tim Sylvia last February for the interim title. However, compared to all the other UFC belt-holders, it seems that he has been receiving the least publicity.
It seems that most of the media’s attention has been focused on fighters like BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, and the stacked light-heavyweight division. One heavyweight who has gotten a lot of press time lately is Brock Lesnar. However, this is mostly because Nogueira is not as well-acquainted with casual American fight fans, having spent most of his career fighting in Japan.
This should change with the debut of the Ultimate Fighter 8 on September 17, when Nogueira and Mir will be the head coaches to be featured on national television. The weight classes for this season will be light-heavyweight and lightweight. It was confirmed that Nogueira brought in fellow Black House training fighters Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida to train his stable of fighters.
There exists a simple fact known by hardcore MMA fans around the world that is worth repeating here for those who aren’t as well informed. It goes like this: if it wasn’t for a certain Fedor Emelianenko, then Nogueira would be regarded as the greatest fighter in the world and of all time.
Of course, throughout history, if it wasn’t for a few select individuals, a lot of things would have worked out differently. Still, it must be very difficult to accept being second-best at anything, especially a full contact sport such as mixed martial arts.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Nogueira had to learn this lesson the hard way when he lost to Emelianenko twice in PRIDE FC: once where he lost his heavyweight title and a second time which was for the title and the heavyweight Grand Prix Championship.
Other than these two defeats, Nogueira has losses to Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett. But he has since avenged those losses, and the only remaining blemishes on his record are the fights with Emelianenko. If the Russian phenom wasn’t in the mix, Nogueira would be rated as the No. 1 fighter on the planet right now.
Nogueira became PRIDE’s first heavyweight champion in 2001, and for the next two years was the most feared fighter in all of MMA. He has arguably the most impressive resume of any heavyweight fighter, even more so than Emelianenko.
The Brazilian fighter has wins over Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett, Bob Sapp, Heath Herring (x3), Sergei Kharitonov, Dan Henderson, Mirko Filipovic, Ricco Rodriguez, Mark Coleman, Gary Goodridge, Pawel Nastula, and Jeremy Horn. Few other fighters, if any, can match the quality of competition that Nogueira has faced.
“Minotauro” is known for his legendary chin and inhuman durability, having never been knocked out or even finished in 37 fights. In fact, not even a truck could put him away, because as a child he was literally run over by a truck.
He spent four days in a coma and eleven months in the hospital before being released. The accident left a huge scar visible on Nogueira’s back, which is the easiest way to distinguish him from his twin brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Rogerio is commonly referred to as "Little Nog," and competes in MMA's light-heavyweight division.
Nogueira has exceptional jiu-jitsu, with 19 of his 31 wins coming by way of submission. He may not have the best pure jiu-jitsu in the world, but he has adapted it to MMA like nobody else. “Big Nog” also has underrated technical striking and good wrestling ability, with a solid clinch.
The amount of punishment that Nogueira has absorbed throughout his career is simply inhuman, yet he keeps coming back and winning. He had a cataract in one of his eyes, and after having it removed, is reported as only having 20 percent vision in that eye.
Minotauro is known to take a beating early on in his fights, eventually wearing out his opponent and then submitting them or winning by decision. His epic battle with Bob “The Beast” Sapp is a perfect example of this tendency, where Sapp performed a pile driver on Nogueira that would have paralyzed most fighters. Nogueira eventually arm-barred the 6' 5", 375 lb. man after a brutal four minutes of being punched in the face.
It remains to be seen how much longer Nogueira’s body can hold out, he is 32 right now and has been fighting for nearly a decade. After the wars that he has been through, “Minotauro” has probably taken the equivalent amount of punishment that 30 years in the ring would entail.
Nogueira’s illustrious career was made in Japan but his tenure in America is just beginning. His appearance on the Ultimate Fighter 8 will be his coming-out party, so to speak. Sure, he gained popular acclaim stateside after beating Tim Sylvia, but his career in the UFC will really take off after this season airs and if he beats Frank Mir to regain his title.
Currently listed as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world by most rankings, it is a wonder why Noguiera is hardly included in any pound-for-pound debates. Among fighters who aren’t ranked No. 1 in their division, he is the best of the rest, and deserving of a place in the top 10 P4P ranking.
Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira may not be a household name, but just like how he finishes his opponents, it is only a matter of time before he gets the acclaim in North America that he deserves.
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3 months ago
Awesome article. Big Nog is definitely a physical phenom. Like that movie with Bruce Willis -- "Unbreakable", I think it's called. Also reminds me of Favre. He's probably the #5 P4P fighter in the world... at least on my list, and that's after reading your article. Before reading this piece I probably would have had him 2-3 spots lower.
from 3 months ago
I actually feel kind of bad for Nog, seeing as how Fedor came in and stole his thunder and embarrassed him twice. I mean, you saw how upset Nog was when he lost his belt, right? He was like: what do I have to do to beat this guy? Nog can and would beat anybody in the world, but I don't think that he will ever get past Fedor. It's has to be a terrible feeling, knowing that there is only one person out there who has your number, and that you're relegated to being second best on the planet.
I wasn't really following MMA in 2001 and 2002, but I've heard that Nog was regarded as unbeatable and even more feared and dominant than Fedor is now. I wonder what it was like to watch Nog/Fedor 1 live and see Fedor pounding on a seemingly invincible fighter.
Fedor was the underdog against Herring, and Heath was suppose to win that fight and then face Nog again. It's funny to hear the commentary during that fight, when Quadros and Bas realize that Fedor is a legit fighter as he absolutely destroys Herring.
from 3 months ago
That's the reason why Fedor is considered the best fighter by so many people. Everybody forgets or just doesn't know that Nogueira was at one time considered the BEST fighter on the planet and unstoppable until Fedor destroyed him. Same thing when Fedor fought Cro Cop, Cro Cop was the most feared fighter in the world besides maybe Fedor when they fought, and other guys like Herring, Coleman, Schilt, and Fujita were top ranked at the time that Fedor fought them. But anyway, Fucking great article man, I've always thought that Nogueira deserves way more credit but at the same time I know that the casual MMA fan knows very little about him, hell I've rolled with guys who had very good jiu-jitsu and loved MMA but still didnt know who Nogueira is. I agree with everything you said and if it wasn't for Fedor, Nog would be the best fighter of all time hands down.
3 months ago
Finally! I have wondered what type of accident caused that mark for a long time, thank you for a very informative article! *****
from 3 months ago
Thanks Dorothy. Here is the full story of what happened in the accident. Credit goes to Thomas Gerbasi from UFC.com for the quotation:
“I remember everything,” Nogueira says today, 21 years later. “It was the hardest time I had in my whole life.”
At a neighborhood party, Nogueira along with his brother Antonio Rogerio and 11 other children, played in the street without a care in the world. Soon though, everything would change when a truck parked on the street backed up and over Antonio Rodrigo.
“I was talking with someone and when I saw the truck, it was on my side, so I couldn’t escape,” he recalled. “The tires went over my body, and I remember my brother tried to pull me to escape from there, but I couldn’t get out. I remember a lot of pain in my legs, and then the tires went over my belly and then my shoulder. I felt like I was going to die.”
Before passing out, Nogueira remembers just wanting to talk to his family, and then everything went black. He would stay in a coma for four days and in the hospital for almost 11 months with broken legs and serious internal injuries. A broken rib perforated his liver, forcing removal of part of the organ and of one of his ribs. His diaphragm was injured as well, forcing him to breathe from machines.
“It was a hard time of my life,” said Nogueira in the understatement of the century. “I was by myself a lot, but my grandma was with me too, praying, and I know how important it is to have family.”
After finally being well enough to be released from the hospital, Nogueira still couldn’t walk for two more months, and if anyone one would have told his family that this child would one day be one of the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artists of all-time, they would have been either laughed at or smacked for telling such a cruel joke.
But they would have been right.
“I think that time makes me strong,” he said. “I feel when I fight that nothing’s gonna be worse than that.”
3 months ago
Children are so much more resilient than adults in recovering from devestating injuries. But that sounds so serious--how fortunate Nog is to have survived to become a MMA legend. Truly a most amazing story! Thank you for retelling Thomas Gerbasi's story (he is my very favorite MMA author).
3 months ago
I think he is GREAT...BUT (and no disrespect) I have seen him beat down too many times (not losses just beatings) and feel he is reaching the end of his career.
NOT that he doesn't have a few more good ones in him BUT because of his heart he has taken some serious beatings even when he gets the wins.
He does deserve MORE respect but he wont be around too much longer. What do you know about his kid brother?
from 3 months ago
Yeah, getting beat upon has certainly affected his health and longevity, but he still wins the match in the end, which is all that really counts. I'm not sure how many more fights Nog has left in him, but hopefully he can stick around a little longer, because he is a great competitor and the UFC needs all the top heavyweights that it can afford.
Nog's brother, Rogerio, fights at 205 lbs, and recently competed on Affliction's card against Edwin Dewees. He too fought in PRIDE FC, and had some really great matches. If you can find them online, "Little Nog's" fights against Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson are not to be missed. He also had a crazy fight against an African fighter named Sokoudjou; I'm not sure if you've seen it yet.
Rogerio is a very well-rounded fighter also, but hasn't fought a lot of MMA matches. But his fight against Shogun at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005 is one of my top 20 fights of all-time, and I've seen hundreds of fights. It was part of a middleweight grand prix tournament that featured several exciting matches. The DVD of the event is really good, if you can find it in stores. In fact, I just may have to go rewatch that fight right now.
3 months ago
loved this article. its my starbucks pick of the day. By starbucks I mean the type of article I dont read till I get a fresh cup of Starbucks to enjoy it with. lol
3 months ago
Great job Jad..although i respectfully dis-agree..nog needs alot of sparring and striking training(my opinion)....Big Tim(and Herring) should have never been able to hurt him the way they did ..(at least 3 times nogs legs went wobbly) take it from an ex-boxer ..when your brain short circuits..the legs folds first!
from 3 months ago
Nog's chin and recovery time have saved him several times from being knocked out. He doesn't have a lot of power in his hands, but has good technical boxing skills. He outstruck Herring in all their fights (minus the head kick) and also won the stand-up battle against Sergei Kharitonov, a feared striker in his own right. He also looked better on the feet against Barnett both times, and Barnett's striking keeps improving.
Nog is used to taking a lot of punishment and then pulling out the victory. It's like his trademark or modus operandi. The only question is how long before his body gives out?
I don't think Mir will be the one to take the belt away from him. Personally, I'd love to see Nog fight Arlovski, because I think the "Pitbull" could beat Nog, if the former returns to the UFC that is. Nog is still the #2 fighter in the world right now, and has been since his losses to Fedor dropped him from the top spot.
3 months ago
Great job Jad..although i respectfully dis-agree..nog needs alot of sparring and striking training(my opinion)....Big Tim(and Herring) should have never been able to hurt him the way they did ..(at least 3 times nogs legs went wobbly) take it from an ex-boxer ..when your brain short circuits..the legs folds first!
3 months ago
Great article and great reporting. I completely agree with you. Nogueira doesn't get the publicity he deserves and he hasn't gotten the belt he deserves either. Well, at least not yet. He has been patiently waiting in the wind. Other UFC champions, however, can't even seem to focus on their own division. The UFC champions, currently, are some of the best I have ever seen. Minus Forrest. He is actually one of my favorite fighters but he still needs to prove himself. Anyways. As much as I like Mir, I hope Nogueira wins. This fight couldn't happen soon enough.
3 months ago
..luckily ..the comments so far are all from pride fans ...of which i am not....nogs reign will be short lived(FRANK MIR WILL REGAIN THE TITLE THAT IS RIGHTFULLY HIS/ THANKS STOKER!
from 3 months ago
Just curious: how come you didn't like PRIDE FC Stoker? Or do you just prefer the UFC? I agree that Mir never technically lost his belt, but Nog has him outclassed in every department.
I am pretty excited about the new T.U.F. season though. Hopefully it will be better than the last couple outings, which were rather disappointing and boring. I don't think any of the athletes will be complaining about not receiving good enough jiu-jitsu intstruction from these two coaches.
3 months ago
REASON I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR PRIDE FC./mob ties..steroids ..(and most have lost in the ufc ..due to building up thier records by fighting each other)...Now that ufc has all the best of the pride fighters we will be able to see if they live up to the hype ...Fedor and Nog need more than a win against SYLVIA to convince me...Herring and Shogun??? ..well need i say more?? ..Soko .vs Machida? what happened ...Dan Henderson lost both titles? WHAT HAPPENED?? ( I THINK YOU SEE MY POINT HERE JAD)much respect to you and your great writing skills ..my friend/ no hard feelings/ stoker
from 3 months ago
You do realize Stoker that these guys not only had to fight in america and not japan, but also in a ring instead of a cage, with different rules. They were also not given many if any, tuneup bouts to get used to the cage.
Having said all that, Rampage came from Pride and he won the title at 205. Big Nog came from Pride and he won the Heavyweight title. If Fedor was in the UFC he would no doubt be champ. Soku has rebounded from his loss with a win, And Wanderlei won in his last fight.
Not to mention that Dan Henderson lost to two guys that had fought in you guessed it...........PrideFC.
Just a response Stoker, nothing personal my man.
from 3 months ago
Some pride guys did well and some did less than expected. Before UFC bought Pride however, I heard a lot of talk how the Pride guys could take the UFC guys. That failed to happen as anticipated. Wasn't A. Silva a pride guy for a while? So technically, Henderson lost to a pride guy. Henderson also lost to Rampage, another Pride guy.
from 3 months ago
It's true that the PRIDE guys didn't live up to all the hype when they came stateside. But I must agree with what Bryan said below. Plus, you have to wonder what would have happened if the reverse had happened, and PRIDE bought out the UFC (hypothetically). I think that the UFC huys would have had a hard time adjusting to the rules and atmoshphere, and would have underperformed too.
But in the end, it's fighter vs. fighter, regardless of organization. And the consensus amongst most fans is that Nogueira is indeed the second best fighter in the world, right next to Fedor. And they both have a lot more victories under their belt than just Sylvia. Nog and Fedor had plenty of great wins in PRIDE against solid competition, and they've both proven themselves beyond a doubt to be the cream of the crop in MMA.
from 3 months ago
Yes, Jad. But I really do think that the rule and enviroment adjustment is a very small issue. Nog, Rampage and A. Silva did well when they came from Pride to UFC. Very will in fact.
from 3 months ago
Haha, they already tried to bring back Coleman. The old man hurt himself preparing for Lesnar, hahaha
from 3 months ago
Don't forget about cro cop. He might be the biggest let down of them all. Suppose to come in and save the heavies and lost to Gonzaga and a very overrated Kongo. It seems to me most of the Pride guys seem like brawlers more than tactical fighters. Outside of Rampage who has gotten much better since working with Jaunito. I mean Hendo (who I like) has sloppy brawler striking, Wanderlei brawls although I do see him being a force at 205 despite his poor UFC record before and after Pride, Herring brawls, Soko and Shogun not so much. As for the cage comment by Bryan made lower it seems that Pride Fighters come in over arrogant and disrespect the cage. Cro Cop had ample opportunity to train in a cage but choose not to. All of these fighters just seem to think they are better than they are and don't come prepared. Shogun looked as if he gased early and didn't take Forrest seriously.
3 months ago
It is going to be hard for Nog to get the respect he deserves fighting in the UFC, because they really don't have anyone else. They have a few good heavies, but no one of top quality anymore...and that includes MIr. I think that Mir has really not been himself since the accident, and that a win over Mir would prove nothing. I wish he had more to fight to prove himself against. I would like to see him fight Lesnar...Just to show everyone that as long as they have a quality heavyweight Lesnar will never be champion.
from 3 months ago
Great point Jason. The migration of Arlovski, Sylvia and Cro Cop severely weakened UFC's heavyweight division. With Barnett, Fedor, Aleksander, and Kharitonov not in the UFC either, and Couture threatening to leave, they only have two top heavies: Nog and Werdum. And Nog has already beaten Werdum.
Vera was thought to be a contender at heavy, but consecutive losses dropped him to 205. Two losses in a row for Gonzaga dropped him out of the top 10 also. Kongo and Herring recently lost big fights. Mir just beat Hardonk and Lesnar; hardly contenders, but nobody else can really claim a title shot. I think Werdum will get the next shot after Mir, and then maybe Lesnar if he can string a couple more wins together. Perhaps someone like Shane Carwin or Cain Velasquez will emerge as a worthy challenger.
The Ultimate Fighter 8 is really a means of buying time for the heavyweight division to sort itself out and produce clear-cut contenders. Still, I don't think anyone in the UFC right now can beat Nog. I hope Arlovski and Cro Cop return so that they can fight him.
from 3 months ago
Lesnar, Velasquez, and Carwin are the future of the UFC Heavyweight division. I haven't seen enough out of Carwin yet to really know, but as far as I'm concerned, Velasquez and Lesnar are legit and will be title contenders at the least. Not to mention Kongo. The division is pretty weak right now but not for long.
from 3 months ago
I hope so Jad, or pretty soon they will be resigning Tank Abbot and Dan Severn. lol
from 3 months ago
Haha, they already tried to bring back Coleman. The old man hurt himself preparing for Lesnar, hahaha
from 3 months ago
I don't even think Kongo is worth mentioning. He lost to Herring and then whined and pouted after his win over what's his name. Hey, Cheik. There's a reason your fight is NOT on the main card. You are on a 1 (one) fight winning streak. An undercard fighter should not be demanding title fights...
3 months ago
Mir will shock the world and get back his title he never was defeated for. It's just a matter if he can execute his game plan.
3 months ago
i dont mean to be the what if guy, but what if heath finished nog after the head kick? that would have been interesting.
3 months ago
he will beat mir though
3 months ago
JASON...just a thought here but i believe Mir is coming along quite nicely..when i make my picks i have no fear of being wrong...because it happens alot.Mainly (because my background is in boxing) I will look for that skill and forget about the jits and all the rest.With Frank Mir though..i think he is the most underated of all the heavys out there!..Grabbing an arm and snapping it in half(Tim Syvia)..and submitting Brock lesnar in the midst of being pounded to death ..to me that was very impressive.Jad says that nog and fedor have many other impressive wins ..(my point was that all those wins are from fighting guys from pride over and over)..(if im wrong it ok)but i feel Nog, has never fought anyone who can match him in the jits department ...im picking Frank Mir in that fight!! sorry..
from 3 months ago
You are right in saying that Mir is underrated. And there's nothing wrong with predicting that he will beat Nog. But if you want to see Nog fight somebody with better jiu-jitsu than himself and Mir, check out his fight with Fabricio Werdum at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute. You can find that fight on the internet if you haven't already seen it.
Werdum is probably the best pure jiu-jitsu practitioner in all of MMA, or at least in the top 3. He is a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, 2007 ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He has a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a Brown Belt in judo.
Nobody in MMA, and I mean nobody, wants to go to the ground with Werdum and be in his guard. Yet Nog beat him handily enough, by keeping the fight on the feet and outstriking him. And that is how Nog will most likely beat Mir. Nog will avoid going to the ground, and just beat Mir on the feet until he can score a tko victory when Mir gasses. Mir is most dangerous from his guard, and Nog will avoid going there, just like he did against Werdum.
And I didn't mention the Pe De Pano fight, when Mir fought another jiu-jitsu world champion and lost in the first round. He still hadn't fully recovered from his accident, but the point is that Mir will have a hard time subbing someone as good as Nog, who Fedor couldn't even finish. Nog is world's above Lesnar, Sylvia, Abbott, and Hardonk when it comes to the ground game. Mir usually either subs someone early or gets finished early, because he's only gone past the first round three times in 14 fights. He won't be subbing Nog though, or coming close for that matter. But differing opinions is what makes MMA so fun to watch and discuss.
from 3 months ago
Well... Werdum is really good but there are others that compete for that 'pure jiu jitsu' title with him. Demian Maia, Jacare, Aoki (black belt in judo and jitz) ... I'm wondering, who are the two guys that you think might be ahead of him? (you said at least top 3)
P.S. I'm going to finally watch the Werdum vs Nog fight in just a moment.
3 months ago
..yeah..lol..im probably wrong about Nog ..but i watched nog fight BIG TIM (AND HEATH) and i could see the man getting caught with punches that i could see coming from my couch at home!!..lol..Nog was getting hit and getting hurt!!! ..but the problem is frank is a worse striker.LOL ..so we'll have to wait and see...i have renewed respect for Mir and would like to see him do well ..alot of fighters would have ended thier careers after a bad accident like that..Mir is a soldier..i give him full credit for hanging in there.
3 months ago
Robert: Yeah, all those fighters have great jiu-jitsu and are accomplished in BJJ competitions. It's hard to say who has the best pure jiu-jitsu in MMA, and I don't think that credentials are the only factor. You have to look at the level of competition too (in BJJ tourneys), plus some guys are better with the gi than without. Also, some have been more successful in MMA or are just more experienced. Weight classes make it more difficult also.
Ricardo Arona may not have the best pure BJJ, but has been the most successful at Abu Dhabi (13-0, mostly wins via decision and ground control). He's also the only man to take a round from Fedor. Roger Gracie has only had 2 MMA fights, so I'm not sure if he should count. Marcelo Garcia's MMA debut didn't go too well. Maia and Jacare are probably the two best at middleweight, and will be really tested soon. Gonzaga is also accomplished on the world stage. Almeida should be in the discussion as well. Palhares looks to be superb on the ground, though he doesn't have credentials.
A lot of people consider Garcia or Jacare the best in the world because they have been successful against larger opponents. Jacare is indeed a wizard, but Roger Gracie is very impressive too. Werdum has lost to Arona and Gracie before, but has beaten Pe De Pano. I'd list Gracie as #1, Jacare #2, Garcia #3, Werdum #4, Maia #5, Aoki #6. Of course, that list is very debatable, as some have had few MMA fights. I didn't include Arona though, because he hasn't fought in well over a year. And I think that Gracie subbing all eight opponents in 2005 in the Absolute and 88-98 kg division is more impressive than Arona winning by points in 2001.
Some people think it's hard to to decide the best P4P fighter in MMA. Well, that's nothing compared to figuring out the best P4P BJJ practitioner in the world. And there's no Fedor to smooth things out. But watching the best BJJ guys compete can be just as entertaining as watching MMA, boxing or kickboxing. I just wish they showed BJJ tourneys on television, but seeing as how fans still boo when a fight stays on the ground, we may be a long time from that point.
from 3 months ago
Thank you for the extended answer. I actually watched Roger Gracie vs Jacare yesterday and Gracie submitted him with a rear naked choke. I've also watched BJJ matches online with Jacare beating Werdum, and with Maia beating Jacare (both were with a gi). Certainly figuring out who has the best submission/jitz game in MMA is extremely difficult and debatable. You can't just look at credentials, that's for sure. Palhares looks like a beast and I can't wait to see him fight some better competition... starting with Henderson. If you haven't seen many of his fights other than against Salaverry I'd recommend looking some up online.
Quick subject change that kind of relates... I hope to see Jacare reach the finals and fight Manhoef at Dream.6. Whoever wins that win I can pretty much guarantee an exciting finish... Mousasi and Galesic aren't pushovers though. All the remaining MW contenders are exciting fighters, actually.
3 months ago
I didn't know that Jacare had beaten Werdum. That's pretty insane. It gets sort of confusing when a lot of the top BJJ guys have wins and losses against each other. Sometimes it just comes down to who is better prepared on that day.
Yes, the middleweight tournament finals look to be very promising. I'd like to see Jacare fight Mousasi. If Jacare wins the whole thing, it would really cement his transition to MMA. I wonder if he will stay in Japan or contemplate a move to the UFC. Perhaps in a year or two, if he keeps improving, he could challenge for the middleweight belt. I agree with you that a BJJ guy like Maia, Palhares or Jacare will be the one to beat Silva.
Speaking of Maia, did you see his fight with Jason MacDonald at UFC 87? That was a great showcase of jiu-jitsu; a real back-and-forth battle. That first round especially was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Maia also has a win over Gabriel Gonzaga in BJJ competition, and GG had like a 70 pound advantage. Maia has looked pretty good so far in the UFC. I wonder who he'll face next.
from 3 months ago
Yeah lots of the top guys have wins over each other and it makes things really confusing. It's easier to judge who has better mma jitz when you place less priority on accomplishments and victories in non mma competition.
Jacare and Mousasi probably match up better stylistically than Jacare and Manhoef. It could make for a more back and forth fight... maybe like the Miller vs Jacare matchup but better.
Yeah I saw that fight. It was my favorite fight of that card. Brock and GSP were very dominant, and Herring and Fitch's survivals were impressive, but Maia vs Macdonald was the fight of the night as far as I'm concerned. You could tell that Macdonald has great jiu-jitsu and that Maia is just on another planet. It's hard to find his next opponent. I'd say the winner of Kampmann vs Marquardt would be a good next fight for him. But I don't know if they want to give him that high of a jump in the division yet.
3 months ago
Yes, it was by far the best fight of that card. I predicted that Florian, GSP, and Brock would win quite comfortably, and wasn't surprised at the result of those matches. They were almost boring compared to that middleweight fight.
I figured that Maia would eventually win by sub or get a decision, but JMac is always dangerous and I knew better than to count him out. I think I'll watch that fight again later today.
I was a little shocked in the Emerson match though. Manny was a big favourite and was supposed to send Emerson out of the ring limping. Just goes to show that you can't leave your hands down and chin out against anybody. No matter how bad a match-up looks on paper, anything can happen in the cage, and that's what makes MMA so great. September looks really great, with UFC 88, DREAM 6, and a Fight Night card. I'm pumped.
from 3 months ago
Yeah I had those same picks. Emerson was the only pick on the main card that I didn't have. I should have known that there was a reason the UFC had enough confidence in him to put him on the main card. Manny will probably be a changed fighter in the future. And yeah I can't wait for the September cards...
3 months ago
Great article Big Nog gets no respect and hopefully that will change. I myself rank him #2 in the world for HW division only because of Fedor. I honestly though Nog vs Couture would have been a great fight doubt it will ever happen. Keep writing I will keep reading.
from 2 months ago
Yeah I would have liked to see Nog vs Couture too. It's a very interesting matchup.
from 2 months ago
Thanks Tim.
Nog vs Couture would be a great fight, but I think that Couture wants no part of Nog, otherwise he would have fought him to unify the heavyweight belt already. Couture knows if he lost that fight, it would diminish his shot at a huge payday against Fedor. He's savvy, but also depriving the fans of a classic match-up, which is just too bad.
Nog will clean out the UFC heavyweight division if he stays healthy. The only people who can beat him are Fedor, Barnett, and maybe Arlovski. And he avenged his loss to Barnett decisively. Nog will get more respect in the near future though, after he wins more UFC fights.
2 months ago
Idiot! Big nog never lost to Dan Henderson. Lil Nog lost to Dan. Lil No's record is not very good.
from 2 months ago
No. You're wrong. Check their records again.
from 2 months ago
Big Nog lost to Henderson via split decision at the RINGS King of Kings 1999 final. He later avenged that defeat with an armbar win over Hendo at PRIDE 24. And Lil Nog submitted Hendo with an armbar at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005. Perhaps you should look up the facts before insulting people.
2 months ago
Randy Couture walked out from the UFC and left his belt. he even said: "I'm NOT a UFC Champion, Nogueira is"
But now that Dana pulled the leash (the reason many top fighters do NOT want to sign with UFC: Barnett, Fedor, AA, Hansen etc) Randy is forced back. But in REAL life Randy is not a UFC Champion anymore.
Furthermore, Nogueira defeated their common opponent in 3rd round, while Randy went to a 5 round decision.
Nog is constantly overlooked for 2 reasons: 1 He got beat by the God twice, and 2 His style of fighting is not the HL reel KOs of Crocop (that guy will always get main event fights no matter how many times he loses)
from 2 months ago
Exactly. I like how you mentioned their common opponent, Sylvia. Nog finished Sylvia decisively, while Couture took him to a decision when he had a back injury. Werdum looked just as good as Couture when he fought Gonzaga, but Werdum hardly gets any credit for that win.
It baffles me how many people still think that Randy can beat Fedor either, considering the latter destroyed Sylvia in 36 seconds easily. Couture already turned down a fight with Fedor because he knows he can't win; right now he's in a better bargaining position and looking for a big payday.
I believe that if a fighter doesn't defend his title for one year for whatever reason, he should be stripped. Many fans see Couture's fight with Lesnar as a sort of punishment, and I would have to agree. Lesnar will beat Couture and then lose to Noguiera, who will once again prove that he's always been the number two fighter in the world, right behind Fedor.
Nogueira may not have the most exciting style, but he always finds a way to win, and that is what matters the most. It's a shame that so many are caught up in the UFC's propaganda when they discredit Fedor and say that Couture is the #1 heavyweight in the world.
from 2 months ago
some more things to consider:
1- Werdum finished Gonzaga sooner than Couture did.
2- Werdum finished Gonzaga without an accidental knee to nose collision which lost the fight for Gonzaga, as he could not see anymore. (This is not to discredit Couture, who fought an amazing fight VS Gonzaga)
3- Fedor beat Tim Sylvia 40 times faster than Couture did, and he did it with the same move Couture failed at.
4- Nog is without a doubt the best fighter in the world behind the MAN. Take the MAN out of the picture for a second. Now look at Nog's record, he has the best record in MMA, and the most top 10 opponents. Absolutely amazing.
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