Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
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Name | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira |
| Nickname | Minotauro | |
| Association | Team Nogueira / Black House | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight | |
| Height | 6' 3" (191 cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Judo | |
| Birth Date | June 2, 1976 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Country | Brazil | |
| Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Pictures | Nogueira's Official Website |
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, aka "Minotauro" is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. He holds notable wins over Tim Sylvia, Dan Henderson, Sergei Kharitonov, Mark Coleman, Valentijn Overeem, Gary Goodridge, Ricco Rodriguez, Mirko Filipovic, Jeremy Horn, Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Semmy Schilt, Bob Sapp, & Randy Couture.
He rose to prominence in the Japanese PRIDE Fighting Championship promotion, where he was the Pride heavyweight champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a Pride FC heavyweight grand prix finalist.
Nogueira has a twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, aka "Minotoro", who is also a professional mixed martial artist. Antônio Rodrigo has a distinguishing large scar on the right side of his back from a truck accident as a youth.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 34 - 7 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 3 (T)KOs 21 Submissions 10 Decisions |
| Losses | 2 (T)KOs 1 Submissions 4 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Dave Herman | Submission (Armbar) | UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar | 10/13/2012 | 2 | 4:31 | Won Submission of the Night |
| Loss | Frank Mir | Submission (Kimura) | UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida | 12/10/2011 | 1 | 3:38 | |
| Win | Brendan Schaub | KO (Punches) | UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami | 8/27/2011 | 1 | 3:09 | Won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Cain Velasquez | TKO (Punches) | UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez | 2/21/2010 | 1 | 2:20 | |
| Win | Randy Couture | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira | 8/29/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Frank Mir | TKO (Punches) | UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 | 12/27/2008 | 2 | 1:54 | Lost the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; First stoppage ever suffered in professional MMA career |
| Win | Tim Sylvia | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UFC 81: Breaking Point | 2/02/2008 | 3 | 1:28 | Won Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Heath Herring | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 73: Stacked | 7/07/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC debut |
| Win | Josh Barnett | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 | 12/31/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Josh Barnett | Decision (Split) | PRIDE: Final Conflict Absolute | 9/10/2006 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Fabricio Werdum | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Critical Countdown Absolute | 7/01/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Wagner da Conceicao Martins | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE: Total Elimination Absolute | 5/05/2006 | 1 | 2:17 | |
| Win | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE 31: Dreamers | 2/26/2006 | 1 | 2:24 | |
| Win | Pawal Nastula | TKO (Punches) | PRIDE: Critical Countdown 2005 | 6/26/2005 | 1 | 8:38 | |
| Loss | Fedor Emelianenko | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Shockwave 2004 | 12/31/2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Lost 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final |
| NC | Fedor Emelianenko | No Contest (Accidental Cut) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2004 | 8/15/2004 | 1 | 3:52 | 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final. Final scheduled for Pride Shockwave 2004 |
| Win | Sergei Kharitonov | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2004 | 8/15/2004 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Heath Herring | Submission (Anaconda Choke) | PRIDE: Critical Countdown 2004 | 6/20/2004 | 2 | 0:30 | |
| Win | Hirotaka Yokoi | Submission (Anaconda Choke) | PRIDE: Total Elimination 2004 | 4/25/2004 | 2 | 1:25 | |
| Win | Mirko Filipovic | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE: Final Conflict 2003 | 11/09/2003 | 2 | 1:45 | Won interim Pride Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Ricco Rodriguez | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE: Total Elimination 2003 | 8/10/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Fedor Emelianenko | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 25: Body Blow | 3/16/2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Lost Pride Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Dan Henderson | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE 24: Cold Fury 3 | 12/23/2002 | 3 | 1:49 | |
| Win | Semmy Schilt | Submission (Triangle Choke) | PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos 2 | 11/24/2002 | 1 | 6:36 | |
| Win | Bob Sapp | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE: Shockwave | 8/28/2002 | 2 | 4:03 | |
| Win | Sanae Kikuta | KO (Punch) | UFO: Legend | 8/08/2002 | 2 | 0:29 | |
| Win | Enson Inoue | Technical Submission (Triangle Choke) | PRIDE 19: Bad Blood | 2/24/2002 | 1 | 6:17 | |
| Win | Heath Herring | Decision (Unanimous) | PRIDE 17: Championship Chaos | 11/03/2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Pride Heavyweight Championship (First Pride Heavyweight Champion) |
| Win | Mark Coleman | Submission (Triangle Armbar) | PRIDE 16: Beast From The East | 9/24/2001 | 1 | 6:10 | |
| Win | Gary Goodridge | Submission (Triangle Choke) | PRIDE 15: Raging Rumble | 7/29/2001 | 1 | 2:37 | |
| Win | Valentijn Overeem | Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final | 2/24/2001 | 1 | 1:20 | Won King of Kings 2000 Championship |
| Win | Hiromitsu Kanehara | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final | 2/24/2001 | 2 | 0:27 | |
| Win | Volk Han | Decision (Unanimous) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final | 2/24/2001 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission (Armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block A | 10/09/2000 | 2 | 2:29 | |
| Win | Achmed Labasanov | Submission (Armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block A | 10/09/2000 | 1 | 1:38 | |
| Draw | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | Draw | Rings: Millennium Combine 3 | 8/23/2000 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Dan Henderson | Decision (Split) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Final | 2/26/2000 | 3 | 5:00 | For King of Kings 1999 Championship |
| Win | Andrei Kopylov | Decision (Majority) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Final | 2/26/2000 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Jeremy Horn | Decision (Unanimous) | WEF 8: Goin' Platinum | 1/15/2000 | 3 | 8:00 | |
| Win | Iouri Kotchkine | Technical Submission (Armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | 10/28/1999 | 1 | 0:40 | |
| Win | Valentijn Overeem | Technical Submission (Keylock) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | 10/28/1999 | 1 | 1:51 | |
| Win | Nate Schroeder | Submission (Armbar) | WEF 7: Stomp in the Swamp | 10/9/1999 | 1 | 1:52 | |
| Win | David Dodd | Submission (Crucifix) | WEF 6: World Extreme Fighting 6 | 6/12/1999 | 1 | N/A |
Biography
Born in the town of Vitória da Conquista, Brazil, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira started training in judo at the age of five. He was run over by a truck when he was eleven, 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. In June 2007 Nogueira officially left Brazilian Top Team prior to his UFC debut and is currently associated with Black House.
WEF and Rings Career
At the age of fourteen he was invited by a friend to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo de la Riva Goded. He had earlier started training some boxing. In 1999, at age 23, he was awarded with the black belt in both judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
That same year, he made his mixed martial arts debut against David Dodd in World Extreme Fighting 6, submitting Dodd via crucifix in the first round. After defeating Nate Schroeder via armbar in WEF 7, he fought in Japan for the Rings promotion's King of Kings 1999 forty-eight man tournament held over 3 events where he won three fights before losing by decision to Dan Henderson in the tournament semi-finals. In between the two Rings events in which he competed he defeated Jeremy Horn by decision at WEF 8. Nogueira then entered the King of Kings 2000 forty man tournament held over three events, winning all of his five matches to become the tournament champion.
Pride Career
Nogueira's notable victories in PRIDE include wins over Dan Henderson, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, former UFC heavyweight champions Ricco Rodriguez and Josh Barnett, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, and Bob Sapp.
Following the end of Akira Maeda's Rings federation, Nogueira was signed by Pride. He debuted in July 2001 at Pride 15, quickly submitting Gary Goodridge by triangle choke. In Pride 16, 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 defeating Enson Inoue, then he fought for Antonio Inoki's UFO organization, scoring his first MMA knockout against Sanae Kikuta.
He then represented Pride at a co-promotion with K-1, Pride Shockwave, against the super heavyweight former American footballer Bob Sapp. Sapp manhandled the much smaller Nogueira, spiking him onto the ring canvas and dominating the fight, until tiring and falling to an armbar submission. His battle with Sapp (who outweighed him by over 150 lb) made him a fan favorite for his seemingly inhuman ability to take punishment before recovering to win.
Dutch karate fighter Semmy Schilt was his next opponent. Again heavily outsized, he scored another victory by triangle choke. He then avenged his sole loss at this point by submitting Dan Henderson who had previously beaten him in Rings.
Losing the Title
Nogueira's first Pride title defense was against Russian Sambo champion Fedor Emelianenko at Pride 25 where he suffered his second career loss, a judges' decision after Emelianenko dominated the fight with characteristic ground-and-pound through the guard.
Bouncing back from the loss, he won a decision against former UFC heavyweight champion 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 controversial 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 Filipovic were matched up. Filipović managed to dominate the first round with his superior striking and landed his trademark left high kick, but in the second round, Nogueira managed to secure a takedown and roll into an armbar to submit Filipović.
On April 25, 2004 at Pride Total Elimination 2004, the first round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix, he faced the unbeaten professional wrestler and former judoka Hirotaka Yokoi, who he submitted with the debut of his anaconda choke. He then repeated this against Heath Herring in the next round to advance to the semi finals where he defeated Sergei Kharitonov with his superior boxing 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 on 31 December 2004. Despite Nogueira's improved gameplan and striking technique, he suffered another unanimous decision loss to Emelianenko.
At Pride Critical Countdown 2005 he defeated Polish Olympic judoka Pawel Nastula by strikes and following this, at Pride 31 he beat professional wrestler and fighter Kiyoshi Tamura 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 and Fabricio Werdum. In the semi final, he faced the American catch wrestler 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 Filipovic 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.
UFC Career
At UFC Fight Night 9 which took place on April 5, 2007 Nogueira was in attendance and was sitting cage side with UFC president Dana White. It was subsequently announced at UFC 69, by White, that Nogueira had joined the UFC, promoted initially as simply "Minotauro" Nogueira, much like the UFC's promotion of Mirko Filipovic as Mirko Cro Cop.
His debut in the Octagon was a third fight with Heath Herring at UFC 73, 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 Nogueira was hit with a high kick that sent him to the canvas, in which unofficial judge Eddie Bravo thought the fight could have been stopped. Herring tried to finish but Nogueira was able to hold on and come back with a decision win.
It was announced during the UFC 79 broadcast and subsequent press conference that Nogueira would be fighting Tim Sylvia at UFC 81 for the interim heavyweight championship.
At UFC 81 Nogueira defeated Tim Sylvia in the third round with a guillotine choke to become the interim heavyweight champion. Sylvia knocked Nogueira down in the first round with punches, and Nogueira was unable to get the fight to the ground for the first two rounds. After pulling Sylvia into his half guard in the third round, Nogueira quickly secured a sweep and attempted an armbar which he missed but immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke as Sylvia tried to regain his feet. He is the first fighter to hold both the UFC and Pride heavyweight championships.
Nogueira's entrance music for UFC matches is The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".
The Ultimate Fighter Season 8
Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir were the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, which premiered on September 17, 2008.
Both winners of The Ultimate Fighter Season 8, Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero, were members of Team Nogueira.
After the season concluded, coaches Nogueira and Mir met at UFC 92 for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Frank Mir won in the second round via TKO due to strikes, showing much improved striking by knocking Nogueira down twice in the first round, Herb Dean stopped the match at 1:54 of the second round. The loss marked the first time Nogueira had been stopped in his career. When Nogueira lost, this led to a re-match between Frank Mir and the UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship. It was later revealed by both Dana White and Junior Dos Santos that Nogueira had been suffering from a staph infection and had been hospitalized 15 days before the fight. Nogueira has yet to confirm or even comment on these reports.
Back in the Title Picture
The UFC next wanted to schedule Nogueira to face Randy Couture at UFC 97, but Couture had to turn down the fight due to elbow surgery in January 2009. Couture later agreed to fight Nogueira at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira in Portland, Oregon. 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 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 Choke - where he was inches away from finishing both if not for Couture's excellent submission defense. The fight won the two Fight of the Night Honors.
It was then learned that Nogueira would be facing off against Cain Velasquez in Australia at UFC 108. Dana White stated that the winner would most likely be the next one to get a shot at the UFC Heavyweight title. Unfortunately for both fighters, Nogueira came down a very bad case of staph infection, forcing him off the card. The bout was rescheduled for UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez, but with the title shot partially on hold. With Champion Brock Lesnar out indefinitely, the UFC set up an Interim title between the two top Heavyweights not scheduled to face off against one another, Shane Carwin, who was supposed to face off against Lesnar for the title, until the Champ came down with the illness, and Frank Mir. In mid-January 2010, it was announced that Lesnar would in fact return to action, as he had gotten better, and he would face off against the winner of the Carwin vs. Mir bout in his return bout. Dana White, though, did say that if neither Carwin or Mir were capable of fighting Lesnar at the time of the bout, the winner of the Nogueira vs. Velasquez bout would get the shot at Lesnar.
Come February 20, 2010, Velasquez seemed much crisper on his feet, where he punished the legs of Nogueira, who seemed uninterested in checking the blows, and his hands snuck in on a few different occasions. Nogueira stood firm in his ground and tried to trade, but he was always a step behind. As the two heavyweights stood toe-to-toe, both launched powerful hooks. Velasquez's scored first, and Nogueira crumpled to the floor. In a rare sight, Velasquez pounced on a wounded Nogueira, and his follow-up shots left no doubt to the need for a stoppage at the 2:20 mark of the opening frame. The loss was his second in his last three fights.
Nogueira was next scheduled to face off against Frank Mir in a re-match, as the headlining fight of UFC 119 after suffering an injury in training. He was replaced by Mirko Filipovic.
Personal Life
Antonio has one daughter.
Ranks and Titles
- Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion
- WEF Title in 1999
- Rings 16 man tournament 2000
- PRIDE Heavyweight Belt
- Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo (received both in 1999)
