UFC: Is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on a Collision Path with Frank Mir, Again?

The road to recovery from multiple knee and hip surgeries has been a very long and tedious one to travel. But in the end it has lead to Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira to a big win over the up-and-coming Brendan Schaub, placing him into the UFC's Heavyweight title picture, yet again.

The victory was maybe the single most important victory in Nogueira's career. Not because of the opponent. Not because it was held in Brazil. Not because he would retire if he lost. It was important because he needed to prove to himself he could compete with the UFC's top competition after so many doubts were cast at him by fans and critics alike due to his wear and tear on his body.

Since his first stoppage loss to Frank Mir, message boards have been hot with comments saying that "Nogueira needs to retire" and "Nog is way past his prime." The bitter truth is that Nogueira's losses were to top-ranked competition that included Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez.  

Now after notching a win over a top five opponent in Brendan Schaub, Nogueira focuses in on another run at the UFC Heavyweight championship and looks again to be on a collision path with former champion Frank Mir. Seemingly enough though, Nogueira would need at least one more solid victory over a top five opponent to probably be considered for a title bout and Mir would be that man.

Enter Frank Mir, who has previously defeated Nogueira and currently sits as the UFC's third ranked heavyweight. Mir is on a two fight win streak and seems to be the most likely candidate for a title shot after his wins over Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson. Ironically, he finds himself sitting idle as one of the handful of heavyweights that is not scheduled for a match.

This leaves a very interesting possibility.

Mir and Nogueira were supposed to clash with each other for a second time at UFC 119 when Nogueira had to pull out with multiple injuries. The rematch was a result of many fans defending the Brazilian's excuse that a staph infection hindered his performance when fighting against Mir at UFC 92.

The match at UFC 92 was dominated by the stand-up striking of Mir, which Nogueira had no answer for. Mir easily dominated the first round, knocking down Nogueira multiple times. The second round was more of the same until Mir finished the fight by strikes, capturing the UFC Interim Championship in the process.

With Nogueira taking little damage in his win over Schaub and Mir sitting idle, the path for a number one contender seems very clear. Mir vs Nogueira II.

It has been nearly three years since arguably the two best Heavyweight submission artists locked horns. Who do you think would win in a rematch with Mir and Nogueira?