spoken like a true champion. i wish randy had that mentality.

I like Nogeira, he’ll fight anyone anytime , no complaints. Fight more, talk less.

It seems like more than anything he’s trying to put himself as close as possible to the top of the HW heap, but the UFC HW division is deteriorating at a rate making Nogueira’s argument a silly one. If not now, than soon.

God bless that man. Not a stab, or a slight, just the way it fucking is.

He’s right.

UFC definately will still have the best hw division still. All these guys arent going to the same org. They will all be spread out through different orgs, maybe fight one fight against another top talent, and then what?? M1 wont last, if they ever even begin. Proelite can sign some, but the will have the same problem signing all of them that UFC had. HD net fights has yet to take off, it may be promising, but I will belive it when I see it. Nog speaks the truth for sure.

How is he right? He’s basically saying “if all the best HW fighters were in the UFC, and they all fought often, we’d know who is THE best HW.” Well, I guess that much is true, but the best HW fighters aren’t concentrated in the UFC, so what’s the point??

if they could sign fedor i think most of the talent would want to come back, he is the big payday they can get out of the ufc but if he is in the ufc there not that same big fight out there for the other h.w.’s to go after.

Very much like Nog and he is a true champion but I must say or agree that it is a tuff argument to back up with the UFC heavyweight division in pieces. Even though I do not know any one that argues against Nog being one of the best; having Fedor, Randy, Josh, Tim, maybe AA, Mirko and mumerous others all spread around; at this point it looks like a full on pipe dream to think about the best fighting the best. Looks to be more like college football where your ranking is based more on how badly you beat up the opposing can.

i very pissed that fedor and randy wont fight here becuase they both have that thing between there legs that i call puss and theres right now hangs down like lunch meat they are a bunch of bitches i cxant stand them anymore.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira speaks the truth in a recent interview with the Press-Telegram. However, the recent — and possible — departures of some key players such as former champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, in addition to Couture, could leave the UFC heavyweight cupboard looking rather barren. Nogueira, Frank Mir, Brandon Vera, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Cheick Kongo, Brock Lesnar, Mark Coleman, Gabriel Gonzaga, as well as promising prospects Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, would essentially be the crux of the top talent. Is that good enough to be considered the best?

But you can definately count him as one of the best since hes fought great fighters and beaten them, apart from Fedor, fighters like Crocop, Sylvia, Herring, Barnett, Henderson, Sapp(ok not that great but an awkward fighter for anyone), Werdum, Goodridge, Coleman, Schilt, Overeem, Horn among others. Just because he hasnt fought Couture doesnt mean he cant be considered the best. Hes made the challenge there isnt much else he can do.

He is definately the best out there right now because he is fighting the best or whoever the management decide to put infront of him. Hes not picking his fights as is Fedor or Randy.

Nog is a bad"A". I think it is awesome that his club holds two belts.(him and Silva) They deserve it.

Now if the UFC can keep the best guys on board…

“UFC definately will still have the best hw division still. All these guys arent going to the same org.”

Why aren’t they MMA dude? And if not all of them why not 3 out of 4? There aren’t a lot of organizations out there with money to pay these guys. EliteXC has a huge opportunity to catch up to the UFC in record time if they play their cards right. Their first televised event on May 31st will most likely blow away the numbers of the greatest UFC pay-per-views. With their new corporate sponsorship if they could sign a few top heavyweights they could quickly catch up to the UFC.

spoken like a true champion. i wish randy had that mentality.

Randy does, Fedor doesn’t!

He makes a great point, but I can’t blame Randy for wanting to make the Fedor fight happen. He’s 44 years old, it’s not like he can wait patiently.

Mainia, I’ve been hearing GREAT things about Cain Valasquez. It’s good to see you validate that. I think his first fight is 4/19, but I hear he’s been tearing through dudes in training.

NOG nearly gets KO’d by Herring, the fight could have been stopped, and he gets an interim title shot for that.
Does he realize that HE didn’t beat the champion?

what moron posted this…Timmy hasn’t given his news yet and Arlovski has said he wants to be in ufc and Dana admitted he’s at fault for that whole fiasco, you guys are usually great, but this one is awful unless I missed something in the last 12 hours besides rumors????

UFC definately will still have the best hw division still. All these guys arent going to the same org. They will all be spread out through different orgs, maybe fight one fight against another top talent, and then what?? M1 wont last, if they ever even begin. Proelite can sign some, but the will have the same problem signing all of them that UFC had. HD net fights has yet to take off, it may be promising, but I will belive it when I see it. Nog speaks the truth for sure.

Totally agree. The other top ranked fighters are split between various organisations, UFC still has the larger pool of good fighters that HD or Elite or M1. Perhaps in a 12 months it may be a different story.

Is Nog now offical UFC Champ as stated in the article? UFC website still has Randy as Champ and Nog as Interim. Didn’t think it would change until the Couture/Zuffa case was over.

what moron posted this…Timmy hasn’t given his news yet and Arlovski has said he wants to be in ufc and Dana admitted he’s at fault for that whole fiasco, you guys are usually great, but this one is awful unless I missed something in the last 12 hours besides rumors????

The operative word, which you may have missed, is “possible.”

The operative word, which you may have missed, is “possible.”

BURN

Stupid! To be the best HW in the world, you must fight in the UFC? That’s such a stupid statement.

That’s like saying, to be the best cashier in the world, you must work at Lucky. Not Safeway. Not Raley’s.

To you people who claim Randy is running away from competition or ducking people, that’s the whole reason why he left the UFC.

NOT to run away from competition but to run TO competition.*

Stupid! To be the best HW in the world, you must fight in the UFC? That’s such a stupid statement.

That’s like saying, to be the best cashier in the world, you must work at Lucky. Not Safeway. Not Raley’s.

To you people who claim Randy is running away from competition or ducking people, that’s the whole reason why he left the UFC.

*NOT to run away from competition but to run TO competition.*

True. Randy is not ducking anyone. Randy is 44 and has no desire to hold the belt longer than the fight with Fedor. The Fedor fight would be his last. Thats all he wants. He doesn’t care about being the champ of the UFC, he cares about beating the ONE guy that everyone has said is the best. Thats a fighter.

Much respect for Nog, I hope Handy bites.

I wanted to see him fight Couture since they first said he was in the UFC. Porbably my favorite HW and this is why, he’s a true champion. Also, I think he would beat Couture.

What I would like to see more of is instead of believing that AA and Sylvia, etc. are on their way out how about we have faith that they re-sign. For one, why would the UFC let competition get stronger over a few dollars? Why would they let the top HW talent walk leaving their “cupboard empty” as Mania so eloquently puts it? They’re not gonna do that and at the end of the day guys like Arlovski, Sylvia and Koscheck (who arleady knows) are going to realize that the UFC is the only org. to be apart of, THE ONLY ONE!

So how about more optimism and less pessimism?

And btw, shouldn’t Nog be fighting someone at UFC 86 at the latest? I was hoping for 85 but with it getting ever closer and that card close to completion the best bet seems to say 86. Man, I hope they re-sign AA quick and have him fight Nog for the title as a co-main event with Rampage—Griffin. I bet they’re waiting on Couture to pass. He’s probably waiting to see what happens with Fedor…grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Also, notice how like not ONE HW match has been lined up sans the Werdum/Vera and Lesnar/Coleman fights. I mean you got guys like Sylvia, Mir, Kongo, Herring, Nog and chumps like Sanchez, O’Brien, Robinson and Hardonk who haven’t even been given fights and they’re all sitting around! I hate that!

At this stage I’d just like to see Randy fight again before he retires which I am sure the UFC is counting on =/

Of all the possible match ups for Randy to fight before he retires, Fedor aside, I would say Nog runs a close second in my mind.

I guess we should be careful what we wish for. It will make for great arm chair and professional debate for years to come if they don’t fight and Randy retires. On the other hand if they do fight the fall out if it failed to live up to its own hype..

Either way.. Heres to seeing Randy and Fedor throw down =)

But you can definately count him as one of the best since hes fought great fighters and beaten them, apart from Fedor, fighters like Crocop, Sylvia, Herring, Barnett, Henderson, Sapp(ok not that great but an awkward fighter for anyone), Werdum, Goodridge, Coleman, Schilt, Overeem, Horn among others. Just because he hasnt fought Couture doesnt mean he cant be considered the best. Hes made the challenge there isnt much else he can do.

Not only is he 1 of the best, he is a Heavyeight Legend in this sport. IMO, he has had a better heavyweight career than Randy Couture. Nogueira is a terrible match up for Randy, and its obvious that Randy wants no part of a fight with NOG.

I am over Couture and I am thrilled to Have such a classy, warrior holding the UFC Heavyweight title…Big NoG

Its a shame that the UFC lost Tim Sylvia. It is now more important than ever that the UFC signs Arlovski in order to put together a star studded heavyweight title fight betweein Nogueira vs. Arlovski

NOG IS A TRUE F***** WARRIOR!!!

Take note Randy and Fedor!

I am so over Randy freaking Coture. At this point if I never see him fight again I won’t be sad. In my mind he’s retired.

There are three sweet divisions in the UFC one okay division (middle) and one bland division (heavy). Not too bad if you ask me.

I love hearing this from Nog. I loved him calling out Couture after he beat Sylvia and now, with Fedor being a free agent, this. I hope both end up making the best decision (professionally, competitively, and monetarily) and sign (and return for Randy) to the UFC.

Handy doesn’t want any part of Nog. I think that would be a very bad match up for Couture.

big nog is a real champ…unlike crybaby randy hgh and over-rated fedor

please mania i beg u quit talkin bout crybaby randy hgh and fedor till he beats somebody wit a pulse

i never really liked nog (to be honest i tried to find his fights from pride and came up short) so i had only seen highlight reels, then i saw his fight against herring, and thought he had lost his touch, so i didn’t really like him. but after reading this, seeing the way he acts, and watching his heart against timmeh, i really really like nog.
i wanna see him fight mir.

Randy is a deuschbag. Sign Fedor already and lets find out who the real champ is. Randy lost to chuck twice and look at chuck’s record lately. I would pick Nog and Fedor over Randy anyday.

big nog is a real champ…unlike crybaby randy hgh and over-rated fedor

please mania i beg u quit talkin bout crybaby randy hgh and fedor till he beats somebody wit a pulse

You really have to leave Fedor out of this conversation. This whole thread is about how much we all (including myself) Love and respect the warrior that Nogueira is and how great of a fighter Nog is. Well Fedor really Destroyed him twice. It was a real 1 sided beatdown. So bashing the man who dominated the beloved UFC champion makes no sense to me.

Bash Couture all you want. i agree. He was a great mma fighter and a legend, but an Over rated heavyweight fighter. Fedor Ran through everyone he has faced and although I am not pleased at his recent choice of opponents, he will still crush anyone he fights. AS a big UFC fan, we could only be so lucky to 1 day have Fedor fighting in the Octagon. He is still only like 32 years old…not a 44 year old, half senial, cry baby that Couture has turned into.

The same people who bash Fedor, would all jump right on his bandwagon if he comes to the UFC and unleashes his Legendary ground n pound…So stop the hate, and pray we are lucky enough to have him fighting in the UFC.

Nogueira vs. Fedor part 4 (technically) in a UFC Octagon would be the biggest thing ever seen in the UFC Heavyweight division. So the Fedor hate is really dumb..Give it up!

They dont call him “the emperor” for nothing!

Heavyweight division may indeed be the UFC’s weakest, but it’s still the best Heavyweight division in the world by default. Can anyone name a promotion with a better one? No, they’re even worse. So this idea that Nog can’t prove his ranking by fighting in the UFC seems pretty silly.

big nog is a real champ…unlike crybaby randy hgh and over-rated fedor

please mania i beg u quit talkin bout crybaby randy hgh and fedor till he beats somebody wit a pulse

Fedor has already beaten Nog twice.

the Manic Hispanic Eddie Sanchez was left off the list of promising young prospects.

Big Nog true champ o the UFC f*** Randy

big nog is a real champ…unlike crybaby randy hgh and over-rated fedor

please mania i beg u quit talkin bout crybaby randy hgh and fedor till he beats somebody wit a pulse

over-rated Fedor beat Nog twice… Looks like Nog was ordered to say that by Dana

heavyweight division is a joke right now

How is he right? He’s basically saying “if all the best HW fighters were in the UFC, and they all fought often, we’d know who is THE best HW.” Well, I guess that much is true, but the best HW fighters aren’t concentrated in the UFC, so what’s the point??

Why dont you enlighten us, and tell us where the best group of HW in the world are.

He’s SO right! The only thing he forgot is that Josh Barnett needs to come into the UFC and back up the crap he was talking about Couture as well. Barnett, Nogueira, or Fedor: take your pick, Randy, on who’s going to put you into retirement!

Heavyweight division may indeed be the UFC’s weakest, but it’s still the best Heavyweight division in the world by default. Can anyone name a promotion with a better one? No, they’re even worse. So this idea that Nog can’t prove his ranking by fighting in the UFC seems pretty silly.

Personally, I feel the the HW division will progressively be phased out.

Unlike boxing, the appeal in MMA is at the lighter weight classes.

I like Nog but P4P he is way behind the likes of Penn.

I feel that had Nog not had the extremely rare padding in his skull to protect his brain, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

He has a great chin and when he is rocked, his recovery is measured in milliseconds.

Nog is also the elite in a division that isn’t exactly teaming with BJJ specialists, a handful at most. Most are bangers with very short gas tanks.

I now invite all the Nog nuthuggers here to bombard me :) lol

over-rated Fedor beat Nog twice… Looks like Nog was ordered to say that by Dana

Fedor is only overrated because people think he is invincible (especially Fedor himself). There are definitely fights that make it obvious that he CAN be beaten. I thought he looked pretty unimpressive in his decision win over Renato Sobral, but hell, that was in 2001. The truth is, Fedor’s grappling is better than the UFC fanboys will admit, it’s better than Barnett’s, and Barnett’s is certainly better than Couture’s, and about on par with Nogueira’s. Fedor has an insane sense of balance, he is not easy to take down for anyone, and to the people who say he only fights cans now, let me inform you, Hong Man Choi was no easy fight. That guy would beat down some UFC Heavyweights, I have no doubts. I’d like to see what Randy would have done against Hong Man Choi (probably get knocked out). Fedor is the most naturally talented fighter in the heavyweight division. We should call him Fedor “The Natural” Emelianenko and we should call him Randy “The actor who demands more money and a shot at the number 1 when he’s not in the top 3” Couture.

MANIA!!!!!!

What requires moderation on my post?? :(

You really have to leave Fedor out of this conversation. This whole thread is about how much we all (including myself) Love and respect the warrior that Nogueira is and how great of a fighter Nog is. Well Fedor really Destroyed him twice. It was a real 1 sided beatdown. So bashing the man who dominated the beloved UFC champion makes no sense to me.

Bash Couture all you want. i agree. He was a great mma fighter and a legend, but an Over rated heavyweight fighter. Fedor Ran through everyone he has faced and although I am not pleased at his recent choice of opponents, he will still crush anyone he fights. AS a big UFC fan, we could only be so lucky to 1 day have Fedor fighting in the Octagon. He is still only like 32 years old…not a 44 year old, half senial, cry baby that Couture has turned into.

The same people who bash Fedor, would all jump right on his bandwagon if he comes to the UFC and unleashes his Legendary ground n pound…So stop the hate, and pray we are lucky enough to have him fighting in the UFC.

Nogueira vs. Fedor part 4 (technically) in a UFC Octagon would be the biggest thing ever seen in the UFC Heavyweight division. So the Fedor hate is really dumb..Give it up!

They dont call him “the emperor” for nothing!

Fedor is only overrated because people think he is invincible (especially Fedor himself). There are definitely fights that make it obvious that he CAN be beaten. I thought he looked pretty unimpressive in his decision win over Renato Sobral, but hell, that was in 2001. The truth is, Fedor’s grappling is better than the UFC fanboys will admit, it’s better than Barnett’s, and Barnett’s is certainly better than Couture’s, and about on par with Nogueira’s. Fedor has an insane sense of balance, he is not easy to take down for anyone, and to the people who say he only fights cans now, let me inform you, Hong Man Choi was no easy fight. That guy would beat down some UFC Heavyweights, I have no doubts. I’d like to see what Randy would have done against Hong Man Choi (probably get knocked out). Fedor is the most naturally talented fighter in the heavyweight division. We should call him Fedor “The Natural” Emelianenko and we should call him Randy “The actor who demands more money and a shot at the number 1 when he’s not in the top 3” Couture.

so true

I feel that had Nog not had the extremely rare padding in his skull to protect his brain, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

He has a great chin and when he is rocked, his recovery is measured in milliseconds.

Nog is also the elite in a division that isn’t exactly teaming with BJJ specialists, a handful at most. Most are bangers with very short gas tanks.

Why are you taking away credit from Nog just because he has great chin and heart? That’s part of being a fighter, even though it’s not something you can train.

And also, it’s not Nog’s fault if he’s a BJJ expert and the other HW’s are lacking. They need to step up their game.

Should we knock Anderson b/c nobody else in the MW can cinch like him?

Should we knock GSP because his wrestling is far and away the best there is in the WW division?

Why are you taking away credit from Nog just because he has great chin and heart? That’s part of being a fighter, even though it’s not something you can train.

And also, it’s not Nog’s fault if he’s a BJJ expert and the other HW’s are lacking. They need to step up their game.

Should we knock Anderson b/c nobody else in the MW can cinch like him?

Should we knock GSP because his wrestling is far and away the best there is in the WW division?

Pat, you are contradicting yourself.

On one hand you are saying why am I taking away credit and on the other you are saying it isn’t his fault the HW division is lacking……which isn’t his fault, granted.

Most of Nogs fights I’ve seen, he’s been getting punished until he grabs an arm etc.

A great fighter doesn’t get hit very often.

He only needs basic BJJ skills to dominate an unskilled Division.

To say that having a great chin and heart makes a great fighter…..is Leben a champion????

Don’t compare Nog to Silva and say that I am comparing them either. Silva is dominating one of the most competitive divisions in the world. Nog is not.

Pat, you are contradicting yourself.

On one hand you are saying why am I taking away credit and on the other you are saying it isn’t his fault the HW division is lacking……which isn’t his fault, granted.

Most of Nogs fights I’ve seen, he’s been getting punished until he grabs an arm etc.

A great fighter doesn’t get hit very often.

He only needs basic BJJ skills to dominate an unskilled Division.

To say that having a great chin and heart makes a great fighter…..is Leben a champion????

Don’t compare Nog to Silva and say that I am comparing them either. Silva is dominating one of the most competitive divisions in the world. Nog is not.

Is Leben winning multiple championship fights? Bad comparison. a great chin definitely helps a fighter, and without a great heart you are not going to be a champion in the first place.

He’s been fighting forever and has only lost to Fedor, Hendo, and Barnett. No small feat. Give the man his props. You don’t have to be a carbon copy of Anderson Silva to be a great fighter and champion.

War BIG NOG!

he better leave stinking ufc cause everybody keeps dropping from it… face it guys ufc aint shit hahahah

Pat, you are contradicting yourself.
On one hand you are saying why am I taking away credit and on the other you are saying it isn’t his fault the HW division is lacking……which isn’t his fault, granted.
Most of Nogs fights I’ve seen, he’s been getting punished until he grabs an arm etc.
A great fighter doesn’t get hit very often.
He only needs basic BJJ skills to dominate an unskilled Division.
To say that having a great chin and heart makes a great fighter…..is Leben a champion????
Don’t compare Nog to Silva and say that I am comparing them either. Silva is dominating one of the most competitive divisions in the world. Nog is not.

A great fighter is one that wins, no matter how much punishment he takes. Nog has proven himself against the best whether in the UFC or Pride, thats why he is the best HW if not second only to Fedor.

i like NOG, but thats silly of him to include fedor in this conversation since its clear fedor has NOTHING left to prove to NOG. And come on, randy is just trying to do what NOG couldnt do twice, and thats beat FEDOR. So i think he should have a little more respect for randy for wanting to fight the best, isnt that what its all about??? hes just a little heart broken at the turn of events with all the heavyweights leaving as of recently.