UFC 102 Profiles – Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Age: 33

Record: 31-5-1

Before UFC 102

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is facing a lot of skepticism at this point in his career. A couple of years from now, he could look back and see this as a rough patch or he could look back as see this as the point where he retired.

Big Nog is coming off a bad loss to Frank Mir in which Antonio made Mir look like Mike Tyson in his prime. But Big Nog wasn’t in the best shape because he had a staph infection just 20 days before the fight.

He’s 33-years-old, 13 years younger than Randy Couture, but Nogueira has so much ‘experience’ on his resume that he looks older. This is a critical fight for the MMA legend.

Fight With Randy Couture At UFC 102

There are differing reports heading into this fight as to what shape Nogueira is in. If he’s in tip-top shape, he should be able to be The Natural. If his gas tank is truly on empty as some pundits predict, this fight won’t last long.

Join BetOnline Sportsbook Today!

Couture will look to keep this fight standing, which wouldn’t really deter a healthy Nogueira too much. Clearly, he probably wouldn’t win the fight if it was solely fought standing up but he could hold his own.

The big difference is in the ground games where Nogueira has the type of game to submit pretty much anyone in the sport. Look for him to take the fight there at every opportunity.

After UFC 102

Big Nog is in line for a shot at Brock Lesnar – or whoever the champ will be – if he can beat Couture. Considering that Couture is a legend, a win for Nogueira will vault him up the ranks and he’ll be again considered one of the biggest threats in the division.

Although Nogueira likely wouldn’t likely get a shot at Lesnar immediately after this fight, if he were to win, a battle with Cain Velasquez would be very intriguing.

If Nogueira was to lose, though, and look bad in the process, there is a pretty good chance that it could be his last – or near to last – fight in the Octagon.