Antonio Rodrigo “Big Nog” Nogueira, the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, has not fought since February 2008 at UFC 81. That night, he submitted former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia via guillotine choke in the third round, and earned the interim belt.
As a result, Big Nog now sports a 31–4–1 record, with one no contest. During his long career he’s beaten some of the best fighters in the world, including Tim Sylvia, Heath Herring, Mark Coleman, Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum, etc…
He is also the only man to win both a UFC and PRIDE belt. He is generally considered the second-best heavyweight fighter in the world, behind Fedor Emelianenko, who Big Nog has lost to on two separate occasions, with their second match in the trilogy called a no contest.
The rumors have been swirling about Big Nog’s next bout. August and September are being singled out as targets for his next match.
The state of the UFC heavyweight division is a bit scrambled at the moment, so who is next on the horizon for Big Nog?
Let’s examine the current crop of heavyweight contenders.
- B/R Ticket Guide
This is a very short list that includes Heath Herring, Fabricio Werdum, Brandon Vera, Frank Mir, and Randy Couture.
Couture is in a contract dispute with the UFC, and only wishes to fight Fedor Emelianenko. He is not an option at this point.
Herring is coming off an impressive victory over Cheick Kongo in his last fight, however, he has already lost to Big Nog three times, and a fourth match would be unwelcome.
Vera is slated to fight Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85 in June 2008. Vera is 8–1 overall, and has beaten Frank Mir, but he lost to Tim Sylvia.
Werdum is now 1–1 in the UFC. He lost to Andrei Arlovski, and then beat Gabriel Gonzaga. He has also lost to Big Nog in the past at a PRIDE event in 2006.
Mir, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, beat Brock Lesnar in the co-main event at UFC 81. He’s beaten Tim Sylvia in the past as well, but he lost to Brandon Vera at UFC 65. According to multiple sources, he is slated to fight Justin McCully at UFC 86.
Big Nog’s next opponent has to come from this list. These are all the top heavyweight contenders at this point.
After a little research I found something very interesting. I recently checked the fight card for UFC 86, and the Frank Mir/Justin McCully match is mysteriously no longer being listed.
This leads me to believe only one thing. That Antonio Rodrigo “Big Nog” Nogueira will be fighting Frank Mir in August or September for the heavyweight crown.
That would certainly be a ground battle between two of the most skilled Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world.
Will this come down to who has the best stand up, or will this fight take place on the ground the entire time?
I can’t wait to find out.
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8 months ago
I have heard from several sources that Mir and Nog will do battle, after they coach on TUF. So it will be awhile before they meet. I'm hoping it goes down like this, If Vera beats Werdum and Lesnar beats Coleman we get Lesnar vs. Vera for a #1 contender spot. The winner of Lesnar vs. Vera gets a shot at whoever is the title holder at that time. I'm slightly concerned about a Mir vs. Nog Title fight, while diehards would love to see this technical BJJ battlle I don't know if the casual fan will appreciate it.
from 8 months ago
You think lesnar gets a title shot after going through coleman (which he will) and the vera/werdum winner?
You might be right. Lesnar's a big draw and that will play in his favor. However, i'd like to see lesnar face some guys like herring, kongo, gonzaga, etc... and pay his dues some more.
8 months ago
you don't give Lesnar Mir his second fight if you aren't gonna fast track him. The UFC has been known to push guys too hard too fast to title shots. It may not be the right thing to do, but it'd sell tickets, alot of them.
8 months ago
Ya, the current rumour is that Nog and Mir will be the coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. This means that the heavyweight belt won't be defended until December or even the beginning of 2009.
Usually it is not nice to see a division put on hold for so long, especially with what happened to the welterweight division last year with Hughes/Serra/GSP. But for the weakened heavyweight division, this could actually be a good thing.
Now there will be some time to sort out a clear contender and estasblish a division hierarchy before the Mir/Nog fight. With Tim and Cro Cop leaving, Couture in contractual limbo, and Arlovski possibly headed out the door, the UFC heavyweight division has been severely weakened and is the shallowest one that they have.
This next season will bide some time for the UFC, and hopefully produce a couple new heavyweight stars. At least they will receive great jiu-jitsu training from the two coaches.
8 months ago
anyone other than me think this is all academic? I think Brock will eventually beat WHOEVER is the champ soon enough. The only way I dont see that happening is if the UFC puts him in with Nog before hes ready. I think 3-4 fights from now he will beat whoever the champ is. Having said that I cant see Mir submitting Nog. I wonder what these guys gameplan would be for each other because im not sure the fight will end for either man by submission so maybe they want to stand some? who knows but I sure want to see that fight!
8 months ago
Was the heath herring win pointless i mean come on he beat Kongo who was possibly next in line for the title frank mir beat lesnar big deal but it was lesnars second match. It should herring
from 8 months ago
No, herring's victory was rather impressive. The problem is that they can't market a herring/big nog fight. Herring just lost to him last july. With Mir it can be former champ vs current interim champ.
Also, herring has lost to big nog three times now. Why would mma fans want to see a fourth fight?
8 months ago
Agreed. It seems to me that back when Herring fought Kongo, it was a supposed number 1 contender match.
While I can see that Lesnar is being ear-marked as the next champ, I think the UFC will think twice about throwing him at the champ after only two fights in the UFC. Let him put together a couple of wins and make sure he has fully adjusted to the octagon before rushing something that doesn't have to be.
Mir might be a little soon to speculate. Yes, he beat Lesnar (in Lesnar's first UFC fight). He did so after being dominated by Lesnar's strength then catching Lesnar in a kneebar. It is one fight back on track for Mir and a contender it does not make.
Verra needs at least another win before any more talk about getting a title shot. Sylvia ended Verra's run and he will need to prove himself against another top contender.
from 8 months ago
I think that if kongo would have won that he would be fighting for the title. I think that was the original intent.
I agree with you about lesnar though. I wish they would pit him against a handful of top level heavyweights before giving him a title shot, however, ufc 87 will be his second straight co-main event. I think they'll be forced to fast track him strictly because he's a big draw and I feel like that's a little unfortunate.
I don't think we should downgrade mir's victory over lesnar any just because he took a little beating. He still used his guard effectively and ended the fight quickly with a submission. Big nog was taking a beating from sylvia before he submitted him as well.
8 months ago
Minotauro wins that fight hands down!
from 8 months ago
I don't know ... both of these guys are equally skilled on the ground so i doubt that fight would end in a submission of any kind. I think it may come down to whoever has the best stand up that night. Neither one has great stand though.
I think Mir is a bad matchup for Nogueira because they are very similar fighters in that they both work best on the ground working off their backs. Would be interesting that's for sure ...
8 months ago
i really think the ufc made a mistake not resigning arlovski, as he added potential matchups for them. It was ok to let sylvia go, because i think he wasnt looking forward to being a stepping stone for brock soon, but arlovski could still be a major player. imagine if the UFC had signed Fedor and still had him? we wouldnt be having this discussion right now. Now it seems with the added bonus of Couture leaving, they are stuck having to push Mir into a title fight because Brock isnt ready yet and Kongo lost. Anyone other than me wish Vera would drop to light heavy? random thought.
from 8 months ago
For sure, i've been wanting vera to drop to light heavyweight for a while now. He has the potential to win a belt at 205, but at heavyweight they sheer size and reach advantage of some of his opponents is overwhelming even though he's a very skilled fighter
8 months ago
I also wish Vera would drop to Light Heavyweight. Kind of like if Cro Cop ever returns to the UFC I would want him to drop to Light Heavyweight. They're just too small for the bigger Heavyweights. Good article btw, I'm not quite sure how I missed the fact that they removed that fight... I check the UFC ppv's everyday.
I think a Nog vs Mir fight would be great. Nog actually has pretty good standup, probably better than Mir's. Mir only really showcased his striking in one match that I recall, against Wes Sims. Meanwhile Nog has shown he's more likely to stand up and bang with his amazing chin and endurance. Btw I disagree that Mir and Nog both work best off their backs. I think Mir's best jui-jitsu work comes off his back, and submitting his opponent from that position. However, Nog seems to be more about getting into his guard so he can get in a position to sweep. He's just as good once he gets on top as on bottom. Man... the jui-jitsu play between these two would be fascinating.
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