Still a Star? Nogueira talks about Cain Velasquez, His Future, and Fedor
By Gary Herman
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira looked terrible against Frank Mir
However, eight months after the Mir debacle, Nogueira looked like one of the
top mixed martial artists on the planet in dominating Randy Couture.
Nogueira won a clear-cut unanimous decision against the UFC legend.
So which “Big Nog” can we expect to see in the future?
The answer will be revealed very shortly at UFC 110 on Saturday, February
20. Nogueira is set to step into the cage against an undefeated fighter many
observers feel is a huge part of the heavyweight future, Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez, the two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University,
has ripped off seven straight victories to start his career. Of the seven
wins, only one man (Cheick Kongo) even made it to the scorecards. The other
six fighters all fell by TKO.
But none of the men Velasquez defeated have anything close to the career
accolades of Nogueira. Besides Kongo, Velasquez’s biggest win was against
former IFL star Ben Rothwell.
On the other hand, Nogueira is the only man to hold heavyweight
championships in both Pride FC and the UFC. He’s beaten proven MMA stars
like Mirko Cro Cop, Josh Barnett, and Dan Henderson.
The match-up between Nogueira and Velasquez will be a true test of where
each fighter stands today and for the future.
“I’m very excited for the fight,” Nogueira said about the upcoming match-up.
“Wherever it goes, I’ll be ready.”
Nogueira is widely known for being one of the best submissions fighters in
the history of the sport. With Velasquez being a top-level wrestler,
Nogueira could find himself on his back early on.
“If he takes me down, we’re going for submissions,” Nogueira said. “My
jiu-jitsu will be 100 percent.”
The Brazilian star understands that takedowns are a big part of Velasquez’s
skill set. To prepare, Nogueira has enlisted the help of two All-American
wrestlers-Strikeforce light heavyweight Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and UFC
middleweight Mark Munoz.
“King Mo is one the best wrestlers in America,” Nogueira said. “We do a lot
of single leg and double leg defense. I have a very good camp here.”
Should Nogueira defeat Velasquez, he’ll likely be in line for another shot
at the heavyweight title. With the Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin winner slated
to face Brock Lesnar sometime this summer, Nogueira would likely have to
wait until fall of 2010 to receive the chance.
Nogueira is highly interested in fighting for the title, but he has not
forgotten about his poor performance against Mir. Mir laid a two round
beating on the former champion in December 2008. Nogueira also does not like
Mir’s constant trash-talking.
“If I fight against Mir, it will be different. I’ll be in better shape and
no injuries,” Nogueira said, alluding to the rumor that he had a staph
infection just prior to the fight.
“I don’t like how Mir talks. I come from jiu-jitsu. I come from martial
arts. I train hard, and I respect my opponent. I will never say anything bad
about my opponent. My opponent works hard so that’s my way. I don’t think he
shows respect.”
Another man in the heavyweight title picture is Nogueira’s teammate Junior
Dos Santos.
As a top prospect in the UFC, Dos Santos is even more accomplished than
Velasquez. He has won 10 of 11 fights, and he defeated MMA stars Mirko Cro
Cop, Gilbert Yvel, and Fabricio Werdum along the way.
“Never,” Nogueira said, when asked if he would ever fight Dos Santos. “To
me, that would be like fighting my brother (current UFC fighter Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira). No money would be worth it to fight one of my best
friends.”
While Nogueira battles at heavyweight, his identical twin brother campaigns
in the light heavyweight division. Nogueira gives a simple explanation as to
why.
“I don’t want to be competitive with my brother,” Nogueira said. “I was
always a little bigger than him-maybe 12 pounds. He can make 205.”
Prior to joining the UFC, Nogueira had a very successful stint in Pride FC
over in Japan. However, one man Nogueira could not defeat in three attempts
was consensus top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Over the past few years,
Emelianenko was heavily rumored to be joining the UFC, but no deal ever came
to fruition.
“That’s his choice,” Nogueira said about Emelianenko’s decision to sign with
Strikeforce. “He doesn’t want to come and join the UFC show? Some other guy
will. The UFC has the best heavyweights. If he comes to the UFC, he’s going
to face the best guys.”
Nogueira and Emelianenko last fought almost five years ago when Nogueira was
28. Now 33 and a veteran of 38 fights, Nogueira has dismissed any talk of
retirement.
“I think I could fight until 37,” Nogueira said. “I’m in really good shape.
I’ll fight until my body tells me I can’t.”
The upcoming fight will go a long way in showing Nogueira exactly where his
body is. Is he the fighter that was dominated by Mir? Or is he the warrior
that took apart Couture?
Nogueira will certainly find out the answers against Velasquez at UFC 110.
In predicting the fight, Nogueira stopped short of declaring victory, but he
did promise a memorable match-up.
“I feel good,” he said. “I’m going to do the best show possible.”
Fedor Emelianenko highlight reel by Machinemen
Written By: PROMMANOW
There have been many a Fedor Emelianenko highlight reels made over the years, however, this one has to rank up there as one of the best. Showing clips from childhood until his most recent fight against Brett Rogers, the video covers the whole gamut. Hey, it’s a lazy Sunday video day here at ProMMA.info… Enjoy!
New Team Fedor Pics
Written By: TheGARV
Our good friend Igor from Russia has some new Team Fedor pics. Igor is close to Fedor’s camp and always delivers the goods. Thanks, Igor!!
Bobby Lashley: Undercard now, Fedor later
Written By: Jesse Holland (MMAmania.com)
Props: Sun-Sentinel.com
Quoteworthy:
“When the fight comes with Fedor, which is going to be two, maybe three fights away, I will be definitely ready for him. It’s hard for me because when Brock (Lesnar) came in [to the UFC] Brock fought for the title after his second fight and everybody was [upset] about that. So I take a step back and say, ‘I’m going to take a different route.’ And I take my time and I have fights and everybody is like, ‘Why doesn’t Bobby fight Fedor?’ You can’t win for losing. There’s nothing I can do so I figure I’m going to do it the right way, and the way I know is the right way, and work my way up. I guarantee you I’m going to give the fans what they want. I’m going to be on this guy like he’s never seen before. So I’ll definitely put on a great show.”
Recent Strikeforce heavyweight acquisition Bobby Lashley has no problem starting out slow and working his way up through the division — even if it means debuting on the undercard of their “Miami” event on Jan. 30 from the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. “The Dominator,” who also moonlights as a “face” for TNA Wrestling, entered the world of cage fighting back in Dec. 2008 as a co-headliner for South Florida’s Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA) and has been perfect (4-0) ever since. But is he ready to swim with the sharks down in San Jose? We’ll find out on Jan. 30.
Regarding UFC/Fedor Talks: Strike That, Reverse It
Written By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
M-1 rep Jerry Millen insists Dana must be high on fizzy lifting drinks for his statement to the media about the UFC still prowling for Fedor Emelianenko.
“I think Dana, in a fantasy dream he had, he signed Fedor. That’s probably the ‘more recent than you think.’ He’s dreaming. He wants Fedor. His heavyweight division is a mess.”
Dead Horse Alert: Dana Still Trying to Secure Fedor
Written By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
Reports have surfaced that Dana White is still pursuing a UFC fight for Fedor Emelianenko through M-1 Global.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to M-1. I want to get this [expletive] done. I want him, and I want Fedor. I want to do it. And I never say never. They can call me right now, and we can start talking and figure this thing out.”
Shields Expected for Henderson’s First Strikeforce Opponent
By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
Rumors have surfaced that newly signed Strikeforce fighter Dan Henderson will jump immediately into the frying pan by facing middleweight champion Jake Shields right off the bat.
The match-up is allegedly being targeted for April of next year. If this sounds like a bold move on behalf of Henderson and Strikeforce, this may only be step one of three lofty goals that Hendo has set for himself with the promotion: the MMA vet has stated that he would like to fight the existing champions starting at middleweight (Shields), then light-heavyweight (Gegard Mousasi), and finally, heavyweight (Fedor Emelianenko).
Fedor Featured in Korean Snickers Commercial
By: Dallas Winston (TheGarv.com)
“The Last Emperor” is featured in this Snickers commercial from Korea, complete with a robotic staredown and an arm wrestling match.
Jeff Monson eyes Fedor – first must get past Travis Fulton on Saturday
By: Press Release
Jeff Monson (31-9, 2 KO’s, 20 Submissions) vs. Travis Fulton (191-45-11, 61 KO’s, 124 Submissions) – MMA Heavyweight Fight
Live on www.NESportsTV.com December 12, 2009 7:30PM ET / 4:30 PM PT (Tentative)
$9.95 USD (International Conversion Rates Apply)
Podcast interview with Jeff Monson can be listened to on the Monson vs. Fulton events page on NESportsTV.com
Birmingham, AL – Former UFC Heavyweight title challenger Jeff Monson (31-9, 2 KO’s, 20 Submissions) is eyeing a return to the big leagues and a potential fight with top ranked MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianko.
Continue reading →
New B.J. Penn RVCA video
By: ProMMA.info
BJ Penn x Frost Tee from RVCA on Vimeo.
Check out this new B.J. Penn video from RVCA that takes a look at the UFC champion and his new shirt with artwork by Phil Frost. RVCA is making giant waves within MMA and the sports world in general. It’s great to see a company crossing over between skateboarding, MMA, and surfing. Aside from the B.J. Penn shirt, they have official Fedor Emelianenko and Vitor Belfort cornerman shirts that kick ass as well.
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