Quarterly Rankings
Over the course of his 11-year career, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has fought in some of the most epic battles ever seen in the ring or the Octagon.
The only man to hold titles in both the UFC and Japan's now-defunct Pride organization, Nogueira's list of wins reads like a who's who of the most talented heavyweights ever to compete in the sport. Couture, Henderson, Barnett, Overeem, Coleman, Cro Cop, and Werdum are among the men he has defeated, while amassing 32 career victories. And the iron-chinned jiu-jitsu master has no plans on stopping yet.
Nogueira will face undefeated rising star, Cain Velasquez, this weekend in Sydney to headline UFC 110. He views the young heavyweight rival as a very tough challenge and has nothing but respect for Velasquez's ability.
"He's got top wrestling, good single legs, double legs and good transitions," Nogueira said. "He moves a lot. He got a good shape. I think he uses MMA like wrestling... just go and go and go. Not many fighters can follow him in the heavyweight [division]. He's moving like a light-heavyweight for the heavyweight division. He's not a good submission fighter but he positions himself in a way that he can punch. He controls the opponent and that's what makes him good."
Nogueira believes his experience will give him an edge in the fight, but he's determined to show that he's continuing to improve as well.
"I got a lot more experience than him," Nogueira said. "I got more experience in jiu-jitsu, my boxing is very good too. I'm still in the game. For sure, I'm going to use that in the cage. I've been fighting for 11 years and have a lot of passion for what I do. I've been improving a lot and feel very motivated, and got a very good conditioning coach. I improved everything."
Nogueira has a career record of 32-5-1 with one no contest, and most recently defeated Randy Couture at UFC 102.
Velasquez is a perfect 7-0 in his career, and is coming off a win over Ben Rothwell at UFC 104.
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