The scar on his back serves as a reminder of the things he lost.
He walks the earth with one less rib than his equals, the result of a horrible accident that happened when he was 10 years old. The young boy was run over by a truck, lapsing into a coma for four days. He lost one rib and part of his liver, and it felt like the ending of the boy's story had already been written.
The boy, however, was a fighter.
Just 11 months after the horrible accident that took pieces of his body and nearly succeeded in taking his young life, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira went home. The first chapter in a remarkable story of guts, grit, and determination had been written, but this tale wasn't finished. No, it had only just begun.
Antonio was born in Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil on June 2, 1976. Founded in 1783, the town would eventually become known as a center of the Brazilian coffee industry.
Though young Antonio began his fighting career by taking judo classes starting at the age of five, his first significant victory was over death itself. He nearly lost his life to a truck, and many people counted him out.
Antonio began his fighting career at the age of five, but his mixed martial arts education started at 14, when he was invited to train in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Ricardo de la Riva Goded. In 1999 he accomplished a very rare feat, and was awarded a black belt in both jiu-jitsu and judo.
He made his professional mixed martial arts debut at World Extreme Fighting 6, forcing David Dodd to submit to a crucifix in the very first round. He fought again at the next World Extreme Fighting show, this time submitting Nate Schroeder to an armbar.
After the fight, Nogueira made his first foray into Japan, the country that would make him a superstar and a legend.
He entered the King of Kings tournament for the RINGS promotion in 1999. King of Kings has attained mythical status among hardcore fans of mixed martial arts, and for good reason. The 48-man tournament featured names like Renzo Gracie, Dan Henderson, Jeremy Horn, Renato Sobral, and Gilbert Yvel.
It was the largest mixed martial arts tournament in history and a direct contrast to the ugly, no-holds-barred world of the 1990s Ultimate Fighting Championship. Held over three consecutive events, King of Kings 1999 was a test of endurance and heart, and Nogueira displayed it all.
He defeated Valentijn Overeem, Iouri Korchikin, and Andrei Kopylov with relative ease, setting up a semifinal bout with "Dangerous" Dan Henderson. He lost that match to Henderson by decision, who would go on to defeat Sobral to be crowned King of Kings.
In 2000, Nogueira entered the King of Kings tournament yet again, and won all five of his matches en route to his first major tournament championship. Nogueira had quickly become known as a submissions master and one of the best young jiu-jitsu players on the planet.
He made his PRIDE debut on July 29, 2001, with a submission victory over the much larger Gary Goodridge. His victory over Goodridge would set in motion a winning streak that would last until March 16, 2003, when, for the first time, he met his doppelganger and his greatest opponent: Fedor Emelianenko.
But first Nogueira would cement himself as a comeback kid, a fighter with unquestionable resolve and endurance.
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