Trevor Smith vs Alonzo Menifield shipped to Washington with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira hurt

I know that every time I say a fighter should retire I get flamed on social media but c’mon ... the always-injured Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is 43 years old, coming off a knockout loss, and fights once a year on average, sometimes less.

“Minotoro” was pegged to battle Trevor Smith at the upcoming UFC Sao Paulo event this November in Brazil, but a back injury forced him to withdraw. The promotion will now send “Hot Sauce” to the UFC on ESPN 7 card this December in Washington, D.C.

That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting.

Smith (15-9), who dropped two straight and three of his last four, will look to get back to his winning ways against light heavyweight phenom Alonzo Menifield, who is 9-0 with nine finishes and a season two graduate of Dana White’s “Contender Series.”

UFC on ESPN 7 will be headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Elsewhere on the card, Stefan Struve and Ben Rothwell collide in a titanic tilt, while welterweight veteran Carlos Condit looks to shut down the hot-and-cold Mickey Gall.