Props: UFC.com
Quoteworthy:
"He [Antonio Rogerio Nogueira] is coming to the UFC very soon. You are going to hear that. I don't know when. They've already talked to him, so for sure he's coming to the UFC."
Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira informs the media during yesterday's conference call to promote UFC 102 next weekend that his "little" twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, is on the verge of signing a deal with the promotion. No official announcement was made, nor were details revealed about when he could possibly make his Octagon debut. "Little Nog" is a top 205-pound competitor who enjoyed tremendous success alongside his brother, competing under the Pride FC banner in Japan. "Minotauro," however, went a different route when it was acquired by Zuffa in late 2007, fighting in smaller shows and for Affliction MMA. In fact, he recently scored a knockout win over Vladimir Matyushenko at "Day of Reckoning" earlier this year. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt was most recently in action in May 2009, submitting Dion Staring via triangle choke at a Jungle Fight event. He was expected to take on Alex Stiebling at Bitetti Combat on Sept. 12; however, it appears that the bout could be off thanks to this latest development. It should be real interesting to see where "Little Nog" fits in with the other UFC light heavyweights. He's good friends and training partners with current division champion, Lyoto Machida, which essentially rules out any championship hopes as long as he's on top. Any ideas on who -- and when -- he should fight next?
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