Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (ɐ̃ˈtoniu ʁoˈdɾiɡu noˈɡejɾɐ born June 2, 1976) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

. He competes in the heavyweight

Heavyweight (MMA)

The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between .Although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division is, for the most part, uniform...

division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

, where he is a former UFC
Interim Heavyweight Champion. He is the twin brother of Antônio Rogério Nogueira

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Antônio Rogério Nogueira is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently signed with the UFC. He is the twin brother of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. A proficient amateur boxer, he was the 2006 and 2007 Brazilian Super Heavyweight Champion. He also won a bronze medal in the 2007 Pan...

.

He rose to prominence in the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese Pride Fighting Championships promotion, where he was the first Pride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a Pride FC heavyweight grand prix finalist. He is one of only three men to have held Championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the others being Mauricio Rua

Mauricio Rua

Maurício Milani Rua is a Brazilian mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion...

and Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman is an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, former NCAA collegiate wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler. In MMA, he was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion, and the Pride Fighting...

Early life

Born in the town of Vitória da Conquista

Vitória da Conquista

Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, in English: Victory of Conquest, is a city in Bahia, Brazil which serves as a regional center for the smaller cities Barra do Choça, Planalto and Poções...

, Brazil, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira started training in judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

at the age of 4, boxing at 14 and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he was 18. At the age of 10, he was accidentally run over by a truck and fell into a coma for four days. During this time he lost a rib and part of his liver and had to be hospitalized for eleven months. As a result of the accident he has a large scar, including a noticeable indentation, on his lower back.

A few years after his MMA debut he started to train at the Brazilian Top Team

Brazilian Top Team

The Brazilian Top Team is a mixed martial arts academy specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing.The academy was established in April 2000 by Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Libório, Mário Sperry and Luis Roberto Duarte, former-members of the Carlson Gracie Academy, to develop and create new...

. In June 2007 Nogueira officially left Brazilian Top Team prior to his UFC debut and is currently associated with Black House

Black House (MMA)

Black House is a mixed martial arts fighting team and gym based out of Brazil. Opened on November 27, 2006, Black House was started by former Brazilian Top Team member and black belt Carlos "Carlão" Barreto, Jorge Guimaraes and Rogerio Camoes...

Pride FC

Nogueira's victories in Pride include wins over Dan Henderson,Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, former UFC heavyweight champions Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez is an American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. He has also competed in Pride Fighting Championship, EliteXC, International Fight League, BAMMA, World Extreme Cagefighting and King of the Cage.-Early life:Rodriguez grew up in the...

and Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett

Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who currently fights in the heavyweight division of Strikeforce. Barnett has been an accomplished fighter in mixed martial arts, winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the King of Pancrase Openweight...

, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović

Mirko Filipovic

Mirko Filipović is a former Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, mixed martial artist, politician, and law enforcement officer. Filipović was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2003 through 2007...

, and Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp

Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former professional American football player. Sapp currently has a combined fight record of 21–21–0, mostly fighting in Japan...

.

Following the end of Akira Maeda

Akira Maeda

is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, also known as Kwik-kik-Lee for his time on the British Wrestling show World of Sport. He helped develop the shoot-style of professional wrestling during the late 1980s....

's Rings federation, Nogueira was signed by Pride. He debuted in July 2001 at Pride 15

PRIDE 15

Pride 15: Raging Rumble was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 29, 2001.-Results:...

, quickly submitting Gary Goodridge

Gary Goodridge

Gary Goodridge , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian-Canadian former super heavyweight kickboxer and heavyweight mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Goodridge is known for his hard-hitting fighting style and showmanship...

by triangle choke. In Pride 16

PRIDE 16

Pride 16: Beasts From the East was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships on September 24, 2001 at the Osaka Castle Hall in Japan. The fight card featured 7 fights that night, including the return of Don Frye to MMA...

, he submitted UFC and Pride Grand Prix champion Mark Coleman by armbar. He was crowned as the inaugural Pride World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Heath Herring by decision.

He next defeated Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue is a Japanese American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 12-8-0. He is a former Shooto Heavyweight Champion. He had also previously fought in Pride Fighting Championships, the biggest mixed martial arts organization at the time...

, and then fought for Antonio Inoki

Antonio Inoki

is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...

's UFO organization, scoring his first MMA KO

Ko or KO may refer to:* Ko , a Tamil action movie directed by K.V. Anand released in April 2011* Ko , the romanization of the Japanese kana こ and コ* Ko Mountain, the second highest peak in Sikhote-Alin*Ko, Lamphun, Thailand...

victory against Sanae Kikuta

Sanae Kikuta

Sanae Kikuta is a Japanese mixed martial artist who rose to popularity fighting in the Pancrase organization, and currently fights for World Victory Road...

.

He then represented Pride at a co-promotion with K-1

K-1

K-1 is a defunct world-wide kickboxing promotion based in Tokyo, Japan founded by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a formerKyokushin karate practitioner. K-1 combines stand up techniques from Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, Savate, San Shou, kickboxing, western-style boxing, and other martial arts...

, Pride Shockwave

PRIDE Shockwave

PRIDE Shockwave was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event co-promoted by the PRIDE Fighting Championships and K-1 promotions on August 28, 2002. It was held at the Tokyo National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. This event holds the Pride FC attendance record with 91,107 spectators...

, against the super heavyweight and former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

er Bob Sapp. He eventually won the fight.

Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

kickboxer Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt , also known as Sem Schilt, is a Dutch Ashihara karateka, kickboxer, mixed martial artist and four time K-1 World GP champion. He is the first and only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won,...

was his next opponent. He scored another victory by triangle choke.

Nogueira's first Pride title defense was against Russian Sambo

Sambo (martial art)

Sambo is a Russian martial art and combat sport. The word "SAMBO" is an acronym for SAMooborona Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates as "self-defense without weapons". Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve their hand to hand...

champion Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko) is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist. He has won numerous tournaments and accolades in multiple sports, most notably the Pride 2004 Grand Prix and the World Combat Sambo championship on four occasions, as well as medaling in the Russian national Judo...

at Pride 25

PRIDE 25

Pride 25: Body Blow was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan on March 16, 2003.- Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira:...

where he suffered his second career loss, a judges' decision after Emelianenko dominated the fight with characteristic ground-and-pound through the guard

Guard (grappling)

The guard is a ground grappling position where one combatant has their back to the ground, while attempting to control the other combatant using the legs...

.

Afterwards, he won a decision against former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez

. Rodriguez managed to score takedowns and maintain top position, but since Pride's scoring is determined primarily by "effort to finish the fight by KO or submission", Nogueira's multiple submission attempts won him the decision victory.

In November 2003, with heavyweight champion Emelianenko unable to fight due to injuries, Pride elected to crown an interim champion, so top contenders Nogueira and Mirko Filipović were matched up. Filipović managed to dominate the first round with his superior striking and a left high kick, but in the second round, Nogueira managed to secure a takedown and roll into an armbar to submit Filipović.

On 25 April 2004 at Pride Total Elimination 2004

PRIDE Total Elimination 2004

Pride Total Elimination 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event consisted of the first round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix...

, the first round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix, he faced the unbeaten professional wrestler and former judoka Hirotaka Yokoi

Hirotaka Yokoi

is a Japanese former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division.- Biography:After competing in judo, he moved on to mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotion ZERO-ONE.-Mixed martial arts record:...

, who he submitted with the debut of his anaconda choke. He then repeated the move against Heath Herring in the next round to advance to the semi finals where he defeated Sergei Kharitonov to again face Fedor Emelianenko in the finals. The fight was markedly different from their first, with Nogueira able to avoid the damage he suffered from ground-and-pound in their first meeting, but was stopped when Emelianenko suffered a cut after an accidental headbut and could not continue, resulting in a no contest. Another rematch was required to determine the tournament champion, and was scheduled for Pride Shockwave 2004

PRIDE Shockwave 2004

Pride Shockwave 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place at the Saitama Super Arena on December 31st, 2004...

on 31 December 2004. Nogueira suffered another unanimous decision loss to Emelianenko.

At Pride Critical Countdown 2005

PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005

Pride Critical Countdown 2005 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on June 26th, 2005.-Background:...

he defeated Polish Olympic judoka Pawel Nastula

Pawel Nastula

Paweł Marian Nastula is a Polish judoka and mixed martial artist. He was the 1995 and 1997 Judo World Champion, and 1996 gold medallist at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, winning those titles in the U95kg weight category.-Judo career:Paweł started training Judo at the age of 10 at AZS...

by strikes and following this, at Pride 31

PRIDE 31

Pride 31: Unbreakable was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on February 26, 2006 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan...

he beat professional wrestler and fighter Kiyoshi Tamura

Kiyoshi Tamura

is a Japanese middleweight professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.Once a student of legendary Pro Wrestler Akira Maeda, Tamura is known for his skill in catch wrestling as well as his ability to deliver exciting and realistic professional wrestling bouts....

by armbar for the second time.

He then entered the 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, progressing to the semi final by defeating fellow Brazilians Zuluzinho

Zuluzinho

Wágner da Conceição Martins , better known as Zuluzinho , is a Brazilian vale tudo fighter and mixed martial artist. He is the son of Vale Tudo legend Rei Zulu. Wagner was raised by his grandmother and works as a security guard in a number of reggae clubs in northern Brazil. Following in his...

and Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in Pride Fighting Championships, the...

. In the semi final, he faced the American catch wrestler

Catch wrestling

Catch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...

Josh Barnett and lost to a split decision, as both had landed damaging blows and submission attempts without managing to secure a victory. Barnett went on to face Mirko Filipović in the finals, submitting to punches and kicks to the face.

Nogueira avenged the loss to Barnett with a unanimous decision win in their rematch at Pride Shockwave 2006

PRIDE Shockwave 2006

Pride Shockwave 2006 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on December 31, 2006. In Japan, this event was called...

.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Nogueira has stated that his best moments of his career were against Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp

and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, both matches he won under Pride.

UFC

At UFC Fight Night 9

UFC Fight Night 9

UFC Fight Night: Stevenson vs Guillard referred to by the media as UFC Fight Night 9 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 5, 2007 at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada...

which took place on April 5, 2007 Nogueira was in attendance and was sitting cage side with UFC president Dana White

Dana White

Dana White is the current President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States.- Biography :...

. It was subsequently announced at UFC 69

UFC 69

UFC 69: Shootout was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday, April 7, 2007 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas...

, by White, that Nogueira had joined the UFC, promoted initially as simply "Minotauro" Nogueira, much like the UFC's promotion of Mirko Filipović as Mirko "Cro Cop" and Quinton Jackson as "Rampage" Jackson.

His debut in the Octagon was a third fight with Heath Herring at UFC 73

UFC 73

UFC 73: Stacked was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship . It took place on July 7, 2007 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California and featured a total of nine bouts: four on the preliminary card and five on the main card. In the main event, Anderson Silva put...

, promoted under various combinations of his name and nickname, but was officially introduced to the audience under his full name and nickname. Nogueira once again defeated Herring, via unanimous decision. During the first round Herring landed a head kick that sent Nogueira to the canvas, in which unofficial judge Eddie Bravo

Eddie Bravo

Eddie Bravo is a Mexican-American practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who holds a second degree black belt under Jean-Jacques Machado...

thought the fight could have been stopped. Herring let Nogueira get back to his feet, and Nogueira was then able to recover and come back with a dominant decision victory.

It was announced during the UFC 79

UFC 79

UFC 79: Nemesis was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship , that took place on December 29, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

broadcast and subsequent press conference that Nogueira would be fighting former long time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia

Timothy Deane Sylvia is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight Champion. He trains as a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp and is part of their MFSE group...

at UFC 81

UFC 81

UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip....

for the interim heavyweight championship. Nogueira was nicknamed "The Bull" because of his outstanding conditioning and iron chin.

At UFC 81

UFC 81

UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip....

Nogueira defeated Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia

in the third round with a guillotine choke

Guillotine choke

The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts and wrestling applied from in front of the opponent. The choke involves using the arms to encircle the opponent's neck in a fashion similar to a guillotine. The technique is either a type of tracheal compression restraint that prevents air flow...

to become the interim heavyweight champion. During the fight Sylvia knocked Nogueira down with punches. After pulling Sylvia into his half guard in the third round, Nogueira quickly secured a sweep

Sweep (martial arts)

A sweep is the name used for two categories of martial arts techniques. From standing, sweeps are throws or takedowns that primarily use the legs to attack an opponent's legs...

and attempted an armbar which he missed but immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke as Sylvia tried to regain his feet thus mounting an amazing "come from behind" victory. He is the first fighter to hold championships in both the UFC and Pride.

Nogueira's entrance music for UFC matches is The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

' "Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter

"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling...

".
Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir

Frank Mir

Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...

were the coaches for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...

, which premiered on September 17, 2008 on Spike TV.

Both winners of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Light heavyweight Ryan Bader

Ryan Bader

Ryan DuWayne Bader is an American professional mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir. On December 13, 2008, Bader defeated Vinicius Magalhães to win a contract with the UFC and the title of The Ultimate Fighter...

and Lightweight Efrain Escudero

Efrain Escudero

Efrain Escudero is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He trains under Drew Fickett and competes in the 155 lb weight class...

, were members of Team Nogueira.

He was also featured in the 2010 movie "The Expendables" as a Bolivian soldier.

After the season concluded, coaches Nogueira and Mir met at UFC 92

UFC 92

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 was a mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Frank Mir won a very one sided fight in the second round via TKO due to punches, showing much improved striking by knocking Nogueira down twice in the first round, Herb Dean

Herb Dean

Herb Dean is an American mixed martial arts fighter and referee. Dean is one of the most seen and well respected referees in mixed martial arts with well over 3,500 professional matches worldwide...

stopped the match at 1:54 of the second round. The loss marked the first time Nogueira had been stopped in his career.

Two days after the fight Dana White revealed in an interview that “Nogueira had just gotten over a Staph infection”. Nogueira himself verified this fact several months later in his own interview, stating that he had a Staph infection “20 days before the fight, [requiring] 5 days in the hospital.” When asked if this infection affected his fight, Nogueira answered: “For sure.” In addition to this significant illness, his knee was injured during training for which he had surgery in February 2009. Despite these legitimate handicaps, Nogueira offered strong praise for Frank Mir’s performance, with particular credit given to Mir’s ability to maintain “very good distance.”

The UFC next wanted to schedule Nogueira to face UFC Hall of Famer and Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture

Randy Couture

Randy Duane Couture is a retired American mixed martial artist, Greco-Roman wrestler, actor, a three-time former heavyweight champion, two-time former light-heavyweight champion, former interim light heavyweight champion and UFC 13 tournament winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

at UFC 97

UFC 97

UFC 97: Redemption was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 18, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It broke the UFC attendance record that was set 364 days earlier in Montreal at UFC 83, by 61 people.-Preliminary card:*Light Heavyweight bout: Vinicius...

, but Couture had to turn down the fight due to elbow surgery in January 2009. Couture later agreed to fight Nogueira at UFC 102

UFC 102

UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 29, 2009 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon...

in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

.
Nogueira defeated Couture via unanimous decision. Nogueira showed much improved sharpness on his feet, and displayed his excellent chin by walking through many of Couture's strikes while still throwing punches, eventually gaining the better of the exchanges as he scored two knockdowns of Couture in the fight. Although taken down twice, Nogueira swept from guard on both occasions (after some time on his back) to gain the full mount over Couture. On the floor, Nogueira threatened with two submissions, first with a D'Arce choke and later with an arm triangle.

Nogueira was expected to face undefeated prospect Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez

Cain Ramirez Velasquez is an American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa...

on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108

UFC 108

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.- Background :...

, but again Nogueira caught another severe staph infection cancelling the bout that was supposed to reveal the #1 contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar

Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...

. The bout instead took place on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110

UFC 110

UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Sunday, 21 February 2010 in Sydney, Australia, at the Acer Arena. The event marked the UFC's first trip to Australia. The main card was scheduled for 2:00 pm Sunday in Sydney to cater...

in Sydney, Australia. During the bout Minotauro was out-boxed as Cain landed a uppercut-right hook combo that dropped Antonio early in the first round. Velasquez followed up with five clean shots on the ground, prompting referee Herb Dean

Herb Dean

Herb Dean is an American mixed martial arts fighter and referee. Dean is one of the most seen and well respected referees in mixed martial arts with well over 3,500 professional matches worldwide...

to stop the contest, in which Velasquez earned a KO victory. Nogueira has been stopped in two of his last three fights.

Nogueira was to face Frank Mir

Frank Mir

on September 25, 2010 at UFC 119

UFC 119

UFC 119: Mir vs. Cro Cop was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 25, 2010, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The event was the first that the UFC hosted in Indiana.-Background:...

in a rematch from the Championship bout at UFC 92. Nogueira pulled out of this fight in order to undergo needed surgery on both of his knees and was replaced by Mirko Filipović

Mirko Filipovic

. Nogueira had been dealing with nagging hip problems throughout his career and therefore opted to have hip surgery in addition to the surgeries on his knees. He stated on May 15, 2011 that he will fight at the UFC's return to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil.

On August 23, 2011, Minotauro established a partnership with Brazilian football team Internacional

Sport Club Internacional

Sport Club Internacional is a Brazilian football team and multi-sport club from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded on April 4, 1909, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Cruzeiro. They play in red shirts, white shorts and...

to represent the club's brand in UFC. In an interview for SporTV

SporTV

SporTV is a Brazilian cable television network that has its programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat. It's the most watched sports channel in Brazil.- Auto Racing :*Formula One *Stock Car Brasil...

, Minotauro said: "I'll do my best to represent Internacional in the best possible way. Now I am 100% Internacional."

Nogueira defeated The Ultimate Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter

alumni Brendan Schaub

Brendan Schaub

Brendan Peter Schaub is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional football player for the AFL's Utah Blaze and as a member of the Buffalo Bills practice squad. He was a finalist and the runner-up of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.-Biography:Schaub was...

by knockout due to punches in the first round on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134

UFC 134

UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...

in Rio de Janeiro. It was his first fight in over 16 months and earned him his first Knockout of the Night bonus. Nogueira celebrated his victory by sitting on top of the octagon fence and displaying a Brazilian national flag with Sport Club Internacional

Sport Club Internacional

's emblem added to the center of the flag.

Nogueira is scheduled for a rematch with Frank Mir

Frank Mir

at UFC 140

UFC 140

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 10, 2011 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.-Background:...

in Toronto, Canada in December 2011.

Submission grappling

ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships
2000 ADCC – 99kg+: Quarter finals

CBJJ World Championships
1999 Black Belt Absoluto: 3rd Place
1997 Purple Belt Pesadissimo: 2nd place

CBJJ Pan-American Championships
1999 Brown Belt Pesadissimo: 1st Place
1999 Brown Belt Absoluto: 1st place

CBJJ Brazilian Championships
1998 Brown Belt Pesadissimo: 1st Place
1997 Purple Belt Pesadissimo: 3rd Place
1996 Blue Belt Absoluto: 1st Place

Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

Fighting Network RINGS
Fighting Network RINGS
Fighting Network Rings, trademarked as RINGS, is a Japanese combat sport promotion that has lived three distinct periods; puroresu promotion from its inauguration to 1995, mixed martial arts promotion from 1995 to its 2002 disestablishment, and the revived mixed martial arts promotion from 2008 to...
RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament Winner

PRIDE Fighting Championships
Pride Heavyweight Championship (One time, first)
Interim Pride Heavyweight Championship (One time)
2004 PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix Runner-Up
PRIDE Shockwave 2004
Pride Shockwave 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place at the Saitama Super Arena on December 31st, 2004...
2006 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Semi-Finalist
PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute
Pride Final Conflict Absolute was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on September 10, 2006.-Background:...

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
Fight of the Night
Bonus Awards
-Background:UFC Bonus Awards are three different kinds of awards usually given to four fighters after a UFC event.Fight of the Night - Award given to the two fighters that fought each other and delivered the "most impressive" fight on the card....

(Two times
Bonus Awards
-Background:UFC Bonus Awards are three different kinds of awards usually given to four fighters after a UFC event.Fight of the Night - Award given to the two fighters that fought each other and delivered the "most impressive" fight on the card....

)
Knockout of the Night (One time
Bonus Awards
-Background:UFC Bonus Awards are three different kinds of awards usually given to four fighters after a UFC event.Fight of the Night - Award given to the two fighters that fought each other and delivered the "most impressive" fight on the card....

)

World Extreme Fighting
WEF Heavyweight Superfight Champion (One Time)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter
2002 Fighter of the Year

Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt Magazine
Black Belt is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports founded in 1961 by Mitoshi Uyehara. During the early years of the publication, Uyehara was a hands-on owner and publisher...
- 2002 NHB Fighter of the Year http://www.blackbeltmag.com/archives/719

Inside Fights
2009 Fight of the Year – vs. Randy Couture on August 29

Mixed martial arts record

|Win
|align=center| 33–6–1 (1)
| Brendan Schaub

Brendan Schaub

| KO (punches)
| UFC 134

UFC 134

UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

Cain Velasquez

| KO (punches)
| UFC 110

UFC 110

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, Australia
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 32–5–1 (1)
| Randy Couture

Randy Couture

| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 102

UFC 102

UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 29, 2009 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon...

Portland, Oregon

Frank Mir

| TKO (punches)
| UFC 92

UFC 92

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 was a mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
| Lost the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.
|-
|Win
|align=center| 31–4–1 (1)
| Tim Sylvia

Tim Sylvia

| Submission (guillotine choke)
| UFC 81

UFC 81

UFC 81: Breaking Point was a mixed martial arts event held on February 2, 2008 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip....

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
| Won the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; Fight of the Night.
|-
|Win
|align=center| 30–4–1 (1)
| Heath Herring

Heath Herring

Heath Herring is an inactive American Heavyweight professional mixed martial artist who attained popularity fighting for PRIDE FC in Japan and most recently fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 73

UFC 73

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 29–4–1 (1)
| Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride Shockwave 2006

PRIDE Shockwave 2006

Pride Shockwave 2006 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on December 31, 2006. In Japan, this event was called...

Saitama, Saitama

' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...

Josh Barnett

| Decision (split)
| Pride Final Conflict Absolute

PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute

Pride Final Conflict Absolute was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on September 10, 2006.-Background:...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Semifinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 28–3–1 (1)
| Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride Critical Countdown Absolute

PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute

Pride Critical Countdown Absolute was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 1, 2006.-Background:...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 27–3–1 (1)
| Wagner Martins

Zuluzinho

| Submission (armbar)
| Pride Total Elimination Absolute

PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute

Pride Total Elimination Absolute was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan on May 5, 2006.-Background:...

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:17
| Osaka, Osaka, Japan
| Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Opening Round
|-
|Win
|align=center| 26–3–1 (1)
| Kiyoshi Tamura

Kiyoshi Tamura

| Submission (armbar)
| Pride 31

PRIDE 31

Pride 31: Unbreakable was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on February 26, 2006 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan...

Saitama, Saitama

PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005

Pride Critical Countdown 2005 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on June 26th, 2005.-Background:...

Saitama, Saitama

Fedor Emelianenko

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride Shockwave 2004

PRIDE Shockwave 2004

Pride Shockwave 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place at the Saitama Super Arena on December 31st, 2004...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Lost 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final

PRIDE Final Conflict 2004

Pride Final Conflict 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event held the final round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament...

; For Unified Pride Heavyweight Championship
|-
| NC
|align=center| 24–2–1 (1)
| Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko

| No contest (accidental headbutt)
| Pride Final Conflict 2004

PRIDE Final Conflict 2004

Pride Final Conflict 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event held the final round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final

PRIDE Final Conflict 2004

Pride Final Conflict 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event held the final round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament...

; rematch at Pride Shockwave 2004

PRIDE Shockwave 2004

Pride Shockwave 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place at the Saitama Super Arena on December 31st, 2004...

|-
|Win
|align=center| 24–2–1
| Sergei Kharitonov
| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride Final Conflict 2004

PRIDE Final Conflict 2004

Pride Final Conflict 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event held the final round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 23–2–1
| Heath Herring

Heath Herring

| Submission (anaconda choke)
| Pride Critical Countdown 2004

PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004

Pride Critical Countdown 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. It took place on June 20th, 2004, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.-Background:...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 22–2–1
| Hirotaka Yokoi

Hirotaka Yokoi

| Submission (anaconda choke)
| Pride Total Elimination 2004

PRIDE Total Elimination 2004

Pride Total Elimination 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. This event consisted of the first round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
| Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round
|-
|Win
|align=center| 21–2–1
| Mirko Filipović

Mirko Filipovic

| Submission (armbar)
| Pride Final Conflict 2003

PRIDE Final Conflict 2003

Pride Final Conflict 2003 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on November 9, 2003 and had over 67,450 people in the audience. This event was host to the semi-finals and finals of the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand...

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan
| Won Interim Pride Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center| 20–2–1
| Ricco Rodriguez

Ricco Rodriguez

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride Total Elimination 2003

PRIDE Total Elimination 2003

PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 was a mixed martial arts event held by PRIDE Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on August 10, 2003. This event was host to the quarterfinals of the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix tournament...

Saitama, Saitama

Fedor Emelianenko

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride 25

PRIDE 25

|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
| Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| Lost Pride Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center| 19–1–1
| Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson

Daniel Jeffery Henderson, is an American mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler, who competes as a middleweight and light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion...

| Submission (armbar)
| Pride 24

PRIDE 24

Pride 24: Cold Fury 3 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan on December 23, 2002.- Daijiro Matsui vs. Kazuki Okubo:...

Fukuoka, Fukuoka

is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 18–1–1
| Semmy Schilt

Semmy Schilt

| Submission (triangle choke)
| Pride 23

PRIDE 23

Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on November 24, 2002.- Jerrel Venetiaan vs. Hirotaka Yokoi:...

Tokyo

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 17–1–1
| Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp

| Submission (armbar)
| Pride Shockwave

PRIDE Shockwave

Tokyo

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 16–1–1
| Sanae Kikuta

Sanae Kikuta

Sanae Kikuta is a Japanese mixed martial artist who rose to popularity fighting in the Pancrase organization, and currently fights for World Victory Road...

Tokyo

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 15–1–1
| Enson Inoue

Enson Inoue

| Technical submission (triangle choke)
| Pride 19

PRIDE 19

Pride 19: Bad Blood was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on February 24, 2002.-Results:...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 14–1–1
| Heath Herring

Heath Herring

| Decision (unanimous)
| Pride 17

PRIDE 17

Pride 17: Championship Chaos was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on November 3, 2001. This event also saw the crowning of the first Pride FC Heavyweight and Middleweight champions.-Results: Renzo Gracie vs. ...

Tokyo

, Japan
| Won First Pride Heavyweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center| 13–1–1
| Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman

| Submission (triangle choke/armbar)
| Pride 16

PRIDE 16

|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 6:10
| Osaka, Osaka, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 12–1–1
| Gary Goodridge

Gary Goodridge

| Submission (triangle choke)
| Pride 15

PRIDE 15

Pride 15: Raging Rumble was a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 29, 2001.-Results:...

Saitama, Saitama

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center| 11–1–1
| Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist who competes as a heavyweight. He has previously competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS and Strikeforce...

| Submission (arm triangle choke)
| Fighting Network Rings

Fighting Network RINGS

Fighting Network Rings, trademarked as RINGS, is a Japanese combat sport promotion that has lived three distinct periods; puroresu promotion from its inauguration to 1995, mixed martial arts promotion from 1995 to its 2002 disestablishment, and the revived mixed martial arts promotion from 2008 to...

Tokyo

, Japan
| Won King of Kings 2000 Tournament
|-
|Win
|align=center| 10–1–1
| Hiromitsu Kanehara

Hiromitsu Kanehara

is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division.Although starting as a professional wrestler in 1991, Kanehara did not have much success as such, and eventually abandoned professional wrestling when his then-home circuit, Fighting Network RINGS, abandoned the...

Tokyo

, Japan
| King of Kings 2000 Tournament Semifinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 9–1–1
| Volk Han

Volk Han

Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov , better known by his alias Volk Han , is a Russian shoot wrestler and later a mixed martial artist renowned for his technical mastery of Sambo and submission victories in shoot wrestling and MMA. He was representing Russia in the Russian RINGS team with Fedor...

Tokyo

, Japan
| King of Kings 2000 Tournament Quarterfinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 8–1–1
| Kiyoshi Tamura

Kiyoshi Tamura

Tokyo

, Japan
| King of Kings 2000 Tournament 2nd Round
|-
|Win
|align=center| 7–1–1
| Achmed Labasanov

Achmed Labasanov

Achmed Labasanov is a Russian former mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division and has fought the majority of his fights for RINGS and IAFC...

Tokyo

Dan Henderson

Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan
| King of Kings 1999 Tournament Quarterfinal
|-
|Win
|align=center| 5–0
| Jeremy Horn

Jeremy Horn

Jeremy Graham Horn is an American mixed martial artist. He is one of the most experienced fighters in the sport with a professional record of 88–21–5...

Rome, Georgia

Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...

Tokyo

, Japan
| King of Kings 1999 Tournament 2nd Round
|-
|Win
|align=center| 3–0
| Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem

Valentijn Overeem is a Dutch mixed martial artist who competes as a heavyweight. He has previously competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, RINGS and Strikeforce...

Tokyo

Kenner, Louisiana

Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....

DeLand, Florida

DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...

, United States
|

External links

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Instructionals

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