UFC Quick Quote: Frank Mir beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira because he was the better fighter, not thanks to a staph infection

"I won the last fight, which took place three years ago in Las Vegas, because I was the better fighter on the night. After the fight there were all sorts of excuses that Nog was hurt, that he had a staph infection but I personally don't think his staph infection played much part in the fight itself, or the result at the end of it all. Me punching him in the chin repeatedly had nothing to do with a staph infection, believe me. I could be sick as hell going into a fight, but I still remember and can perform the necessary techniques to get me out of trouble. The problem is, you can't keep repeating those techniques over a length of time, as you have nothing much in the tank. Nogueira lost that fight because my striking technique was better than his and that could be the reason he loses this rematch, too."

-- Frank Mir is "ultimate blogging" over at Sportsnet.ca and, surprise surprise, he's still defending his UFC 92 win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which took place three years ago. Mir ran through "Minotauro" that night, frequently battering the Pride legend before becoming the first man to stop him via strikes in 37 professional fights. To be blunt about it, "Big Nog" looked old and slow during the bout, even more so than normal. As we learned later, Nogueira had been suffering from a severe staph infection in the weeks leading up to the contest. It was apparently so bad, in fact, that he spent time in the hospital recovering from the sickness, which sapped his energy and greatly affected his training and preparation. In short, the Nogueira who Mir defeated that night was a shell of the Nogueira who Mir wants to think he beat that night. The good news? The two will lock 'em up one more time at UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and all of this can be fleshed out, excuses be damned. A healthy Mir vs. a healthy Nogueira, Maniacs -- who 'ya got?