Minotauro Nogueira: Put me in coach, I'm ready to play

by Eduardo Cruz on Oct 9, 2009 9:16 AM EDT

NOG

Quoteworthy:

"For the (Couture) fight I trained the most in my life. I don’t know who's next, it’s up to the UFC. I fight whoever they ask me to. If it is to fight for the belt, I will. I don’t want to be taking much time off, though. I used to fight four times a year in Japan but I haven’t been managing to keep this pace of action in the U.S., so I want to fight more to maintain the stride. What may come ahead, I’m ready."

For PRIDE heavyweight and UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira anticipates a return to action following his thrilling three round victory over Randy Couture at UFC 102 on August 29 in Portland. That victory helped erase the memories of a "half-dead" Nogueira getting trounced by a suddenly pugilistic Frank Mir back at UFC 92. Does a reborn "Big Nog" still have the ability to finish off the major players in his division? Or will bruising behemoths like Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar turn him into Brazilian confetti?

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Lets get that rematch with Frank in.

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 9, 2009 9:34 AM EDT reply actions

Frank’s to big of a puss to fight Mir. I honestly think Nog was nowhere near 100% in there first fight.. but he still fought. That’s why everyone is on Mir’s nuts. Is because the nog fight and the nog fight alone made him look good. I will be suprised if mir gets by kongo even though i don’t like cheick. If Nog fights brock this is exactly how it will play out. Brock comes out and if he wants to trade will get hurt on the feet so he’ll take nog down. let’s fast forward to about the 4th round. After 3-4 rounds of brock taking nog down and doing a little damage here and there, Nog pulls a submission out of nowhere and Nog’s champion again. I just saved you all 50 bucks

by HoT SauCe on Oct 9, 2009 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions

i meant to say frank’s to big of a puss to fight nog.

by HoT SauCe on Oct 9, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Everyone knows Nog wasn’t 100% in that fight. It’s common knowledge, not your opinion. And nobody is on Frank’s nuts. And if Nog’s next fight is against Brock for the title, which it should be, Nog will be left feeling like he did when got run over by that truck as a 12-year-old or whatever he was.

by PW on Oct 9, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions

TOtally agree hot sauce!

SORRY pw, BUT NoG WILL toy WITH bROCK ON THE GROUND!

Mir is such a little hoe! Sadly, I dont think he willl ever fight Big nOg again. Take his cheasy win and run!

by john G on Oct 9, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Brock doesn’t need to be a BJJ black belt, all he needs is submission defense, which he is getting better and better at every day. And I still maintain that about the only way to submit Brock is exactly the way Mir did it — by grabbing the skinniest part of his body that is legal to grab, which is his ankle. His arms, shoulders and upper body are so rediculously huge that it’s near impossible to lock in any sort of a sub, and even if someone does he’s a good bet to power out of it.

by PW on Oct 9, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

I think Mir and Nog will fight again. I also think Nog will submit Brock but I don’t think it will be easy for him. I’m sorry to say but Rampage is a puss, he’s ducking high level competition. Mir stepped into the ring with Lesnar, he stepped into the ring with Nog, he then stepped into the ring with Brock again. Please people Mir might be overrated but to mock him by saying he’s afraid to fight is not only ridiculous its classless. I don’t see Mir ever ducking fights, is someone calling him out that he’s avoiding. Its my understanding he might even accept a fight with Silva which wouldn’t do him an ounce of good. Again your hate is making your statements about the subject biased and furthermore irrelevant.

by Cogito Ergo Sum on Oct 9, 2009 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions

agree to disagree buddy! I think unless Fedor is across the cage from him, NOG is unbeatable when Healthy and ON HIS GAME! Big nog is right though, the UFC needs to let him fight more often so he can stay in top form!

by john G on Oct 9, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions

I think that if Nog catches Brock’s back then its all over…

The question is…can he?

by OJR on Oct 9, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions

You saw how easily he swept Captain Paycheck. His timing is impeccable and everyone was on randy’s nuts coz he stalled out Jacare in a grappling match with retarded rules. Lesnar has a lot to catch up on and using pressure with his weight is the worst thing he can do on Nog especially if he’s playing half guard. From the top, Nog doesn’t miss subs.

I think he’s gonna play the striking game to close in and clinch with brock in the first and second round. See if he gets tired then work guard pulls or combos until Lesnar shoots in. From there, as he’s said before “If he throws me on the ground, I love, I love.”

by NameNotRequired on Oct 9, 2009 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

I like NOG and I like brock i think it will be a great match up that will test both fighters but I see brock coming out with a TKO victory in the second or third round as NOG will not be able to handle Brock like he did the 225LB Couture. I know a lot of guys think Mir is overrated but when Mir is on his game is a dangerous man and has the tools and experience to hang with the best I believe he wants to fight Kongo to get his stand up game at top level wich may be a mistake because many believe Kongo is the best striking HW?

by Puck Head on Oct 9, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

NNR, Nog won’t “Love love” getting hammer fisted in the face 120 times/second once he’s on his back. Nog can take enormous punishment and huge hits, but Lesnar doesn’t get people with powerful shots. He smothers them with those hammers. They’re not gonna knock you out, but they don’t give you time to think about attempting a submission or an escape, they just make you cover up and pray for deliverance. If Nog is gonna ever beat Lesnar, it’ll have to be ASAP cause his submission defense will get better every day and his jits inexperience is his only apparent weakness. He’s quickly patching up the chinks in his armor.

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

That would be nice, but I don’t think it’ll be that easy. Brock has pretty insane physical strength, you saw Mir’s face after the short inside punch’s Brock pummeled him with, he was jacked up. It doesn’t take much from Lesnar to really hurt someone. I’ll be pulling for Nog of course, but I think Brock is the clear favorite in that fight.

by O damn he got caught on Oct 9, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions

We also have to realize that Mir doesn’t have much technique and his ground is nowhere near as good as Nog. Mir can complain all he wants about how Brock was just holding him down. His lack of technique is what kept him in that position.

by Michael on Oct 9, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Mir is one of the top 5 HWs in the world on the ground, maybe top 3. To say he has no technique is asinine. And I don’t think Mir or anyone else said a damn thing about Brock just holding him down, since Brock pounded him out for the TKO.

by PW on Oct 9, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions

He didn’t have the technique to get out of that position.

by Michael on Oct 9, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

In Brock’s case, brute strength overpowers technique.

by The Negation on Oct 9, 2009 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions

He fought him the first time, without knowing he was hurt…

by Robert(1) on Oct 9, 2009 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

big nog vs gonzaga would be a good scrap

by big bo on Oct 9, 2009 9:42 AM EDT reply actions

i’ve always wanted to see that as well.

by Synyster on Oct 9, 2009 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Gonzaga sucks! Other than Cro Cop, he has crumbled every time he’s faced a half-decent opponent.

by PW on Oct 9, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t say he’d win or do well, just a match I’d want to see. Gonzo vs Mir and Kongo would be cool too.

by Synyster on Oct 9, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

I think they just signed Big Nog vs Gonzaga, Bo. I think that’ll be an exciting fight, but it’s gonna disappoint alll the people who wanted a title shot or a Mir rematch.

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Sign the Pitbull. Who wouldn’t want to see Big Nog fight Arlovski. I don’t kow why Dana isn;t signing him. Arlovski’s stock is low so the UFC could get him on the cheap. Make that fight happen!

The UFC doesn’t like him.

-JH

by Red on Oct 9, 2009 10:13 AM EDT reply actions

AA will demand too much money; Dana won’t be able to get him on the cheap. And there is no way AA would be able to beat Brock so there is not point.

I like AA but until he proves himself he won’t get back int he UFC. He should fight Tim Sylvia on the next Adrenaline MMA card.

by Stu on Oct 9, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Dana doesn’t sign guys who are coming off 16 second losses to cans. He’s not in the “buy low, sell high” business. Just the opposite. Dana buys fighters when they’re at their peak and sells them when they slump. He’s not looking for great bargains, he’s looking for great fighters. (no offense, AA, I’m still a huge fan!)

by shonuff on Oct 9, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Right, because we all know that Houston Alexander and Keith Jardine are much bigger players in their division than AA would be in the HW division. Dana makes decisions based on MONEY, because it’s a business. That being said, what is AA doing right now?

by Diceman on Oct 9, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions

when’s the last time the UFC picked up a fighter on a 2 KO losing streak???

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Rogers isn’t a can.

by frosnt1 on Oct 9, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions

he was till he beat AA.

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I personally am much more interested in seeing Nog shut Wank Mir’s mouth than I am in a title fight. Nog is definitely the most worthy guy in the UFC for a title shot, but please let him shut Wank up so we can really enjoy the fight with Brock in peace without having Wank at ringside talking about how he’s already beaten both of them.

by shonuff on Oct 9, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions

Hey Nog, your brain told me that it appreciates the long layoffs between fights.

by A Lynch on Oct 9, 2009 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

Look how stone faced Nog is sitting in the ice bath, he just don’t give a damn. Might as well be a hot tub to big nog. Tito bitches and sulks and big nog just sits there with a bad ass look and an umbrella drink.

by Hal on Oct 9, 2009 11:17 AM EDT reply actions

the ufc should sing some of the espn strongest men in the world competitors just to fight brock lesnar give then like 2 fights and throw them towards brock i could just see the commercails for the promo brock lesnar beating people up and some guy pulling a semi lol

by king criminales on Oct 9, 2009 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

They should at least have gotten some of those guys on TUF this season. Let them get some training and a few fights before they come to the big show so it doesn’t look like one of those Japanese freak shows.

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

I haven’t read anything about AA. After he was supposed to beat Rogers, he was to have his first professional boxing match, but unfortunately things didn’t work out. The heavyweight division in MMA is the most unpredictable weight class in MMA.

Arlovski had a great showing against Fedor, but got caught with Rogers. Rogers has a chance againt Fedor. I am in the minority on this, but Rogers isn’t a can and will give Fedor a competitive fight for a round or two and then he will probably get smashed. Will love to see Arlovski rematch Rogers one day to redeem himself.

by Red on Oct 9, 2009 11:25 AM EDT reply actions

A great showing against Fedor? He got knocked clean out. His striking has always been crisp, but I would think a “great showing” would be a winning performance, not controlling the stand up for two minutes en route to a Russian slumber party.

by Jesse Holland on Oct 9, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

What do you constitute as a great showing against Fedor? Nobody has beaten him! Arlovski had about the best performance against Fedor as I’ve seen…

by Goob on Oct 9, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree. For the first minute and a quarter, I thought Fedor might have met his match. Arlovski was schooling him on the feet before he went for that stupid flying knee. I’d never seen Fedor look that bad before. I think the KO punch was the first one he was able to land and he landed that one cause Arlovski pulled a “Maia”. Just like Nate, I give credit to Fedor for the timing and power of that shot, but it wasn’t his superior skills that created the opportunity, it Arlovki’s screw-up. I still think Arlovski is one of the most gifted Heavyweights of all time and a better offensive striker than any other HW in the UFC. But a world class striker with a glass chin is like mounting a machine gun on the roof of a Hyundai

by shonuff on Oct 10, 2009 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions