UFC light heavyweight veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira says he will retire from MMA after his trilogy fight against Shogun Rua on July 25 on Fight Island.
Nogueira takes on his long-time rival Shogun at the fourth and final Fight Island event in Abu Dhabi this summer. The bout marks the third meeting between these two legends of the game after their previous encounters in PRIDE in 2005 and in the Octagon in 2015. Shogun won decisions in both of their previous bouts, and Nogueira will look to break that streak this summer as he looks to end his incredible career on a high note.
Speaking to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com, “Lil Nog” confirmed that the fight with Shogun will be the last walk he makes to the cage. The Brazilian says he will stay in the cage, but in a coaching capacity rather than in a fighting role.
“I think the time has arrived. It’s a lot of work, several projects, the head doesn’t stop. I’ll do my things, but I’m sure I’ll adapt to not fighting anymore. It’s going to be hard, maybe I’ll have to do more yoga and meditation to get me focused on doing other things instead of thinking about fights. And I’ll be a coach, I have my team, I’ll be able to train them, so it’s okay. Maybe finding new champions will satisfy this desire or winning,” Nogueira said.
Nogueira, the twin brother of fellow UFC legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, currently has a 23-9 record in mixed martial arts dating back to his professional debut in 2001. For nearly 20 years Nogueira has been one of the top fighters in the game, having been a staple of PRIDE Fighting Championships between 2002 and 2007 and having been a star for the UFC since 2009.
Some of the most notable wins in Nogueira’s career include over legends such as Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem twice, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, and Kazushi Sakuraba. Nogueira racked up an impressive 8-2 record while fighting in PRIDE, and a 6-6 overall record in the Octagon.
We here at BJPenn.com wish “Lil Nog” all the best in his retirement from MMA.
What do you think about the career that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira had?