Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (born June 2, 1976) 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, where he is a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.

He rose to prominence in the Japanese Pride Fighting Championship promotion, where he was the first Pride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a Pride FC heavyweight grand prix finalist. He is the first and only heavyweight to have held Championship titles in both the Pride Fighting Championship promotion and the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion.

Early life

Born in the town of Vitória da Conquista, Brazil, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira started training in judo at the age of 4, boxing at 14 and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when he was 18. He was run over by a truck when he was 11, and fell into a coma for 4 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" Filipović, 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 defeated Enson Inoue, and then fought for Antonio Inoki's UFO organisation, scoring his first MMA KO victory 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 kickboxer 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 via armbar, who had previously beaten him in Rings by decision.

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 Filipović 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 25 April 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 Filipović 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.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Nogueira has stated that his best moments of his historic career were against Bob Sapp and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, both matches he won under Pride.

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 Filipović 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. Nogueira was nicknamed "The Bull" because of his outstanding conditioning and world class jaw.

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. 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 championships in both the UFC and Pride.

Nogueira's entrance music for UFC matches is The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".

Nogueira and former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir were the coaches for the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, 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.

Two days after the fight Dana White revealed in an interview that “Nogueira had just gotten over a Staph infection” . Nogueira himself verified this fact several months later in his own interview, stating that he had a Staph infection “20 days before the fight, [requiring] 5 days in the hospital.” When asked if this infection affected his fight, Nogueira answered: “For sure.” In addition to this significant illness, his knee was injured during training for which he had surgery in February 2009. Despite these legitimate handicaps, Nogueira offered strong praise for Frank Mir’s performance, with particular credit given to Mir’s ability to maintain “very good distance.”

Victory over Couture and Defeat by Velasquez

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 in Portland, OR. 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.

Nogueira was expected to face undefeated Cain Velasquez on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108, but again Nogueira caught another severe staph infection cancelling the bout that was supposed to reveal the #1 contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The bout took place on February 21, 2010 at UFC 110. During the bout Minotauro was out-boxed on the feet, with Cain landing a right hook that dropped him early in the first round. Velasquez followed up with five clean shots on the ground, prompting Herb Dean to stop the contest earning a KO victory for Velasquez.Nogueira lost 2 out of his last 3 fights and both losses by TKO and KO

Personal

Nogueira was hit by a truck as a boy, this caused the giant scar on his back. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira has a twin brother named Antônio Rogério Nogueira who is also currently fighting in the UFC.

Antonio has one daughter.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

40 matches 32 wins 6 losses

By knockout 2 2

By submission 20 0

By decision 10 4

Draws 1

No contests 1

Loss 32–6–1 (1) Cain Velasquez KO (Punches) UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez 21 February 2010 1 2:20 Sydney, Australia

Win 32–5–1 (1) Randy Couture Decision (unanimous) UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira 29 August 2009 3 5:00 Portland, Oregon Fight of the Night

Loss 31–5–1 (1) Frank Mir TKO (Punches) UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 27 December 2008 2 1:57 Las Vegas, NV Lost Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; First time stopped in career

Win 31–4–1 (1) Tim Sylvia Submission (Guillotine Choke) UFC 81: Breaking Point 2 February 2008 3 1:28 Las Vegas, NV Won Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship; Fight of the Night

Win 30–4–1 (1) Heath Herring Decision (unanimous) UFC 73: Stacked 7 July 2007 3 5:00 Sacramento, CA UFC Debut

Win 29–4–1 (1) Josh Barnett Decision (unanimous) Pride Shockwave 2006 31 December 2006 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan

Loss 28–4–1 (1) Josh Barnett Decision (split) Pride Final Conflict Absolute 10 September 2006 2 5:00 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Semifinal

Win 28–3–1 (1) Fabricio Werdum Decision (unanimous) Pride Critical Countdown Absolute 1 July 2006 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal

Win 27–3–1 (1) Zuluzinho Submission (armbar) Pride Total Elimination Absolute 5 May 2006 1 2:17 Osaka, Japan PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Opening Round

Win 26–3–1 (1) Kiyoshi Tamura Submission (armbar) Pride 31 Dreamers 26 February 2006 1 2:24 Saitama, Japan

Win 25–3–1 (1) Paweł Nastula TKO (strikes) Pride Critical Countdown 2005 26 June 2005 1 8:38 Saitama, Japan First and only TKO in career

Loss 24–3–1 (1) Fedor Emelianenko Decision (unanimous) Pride Shockwave 2004 31 December 2004 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Lost 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final; For Unified Pride Heavyweight Championship

NC 24–2–1 (1) Fedor Emelianenko No contest – accidental headbutt Pride Final Conflict 2004 15 August 2004 1 3:52 Saitama, Japan 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final; rematch at Pride Shockwave 2004

Win 24–2–1 Sergei Kharitonov Decision (unanimous) Pride Final Conflict 2004 15 August 2004 2 5:00 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal

Win 23–2–1 Heath Herring Submission (anaconda choke) Pride Critical Countdown 2004 20 June 2004 2 0:30 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal

Win 22–2–1 Hirotaka Yokoi Submission (anaconda choke) Pride Total Elimination 2004 25 April 2004 2 1:25 Saitama, Japan PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round

Win 21–2–1 Mirko Filipović Submission (armbar) Pride Final Conflict 2003 9 November 2003 2 1:45 Tokyo, Japan Won Interim Pride Heavyweight Championship

Win 20–2–1 Ricco Rodriguez Decision (unanimous) Pride Total Elimination 2003 10 August 2003 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan PRIDE Interim Heavyweight Championship Tournament Opening Round

Loss 19–2–1 Fedor Emelianenko Decision (unanimous) Pride 25 Body Blow 16 March 2003 3 5:00 Yokohama, Japan Lost Pride Heavyweight Championship

Win 19–1–1 Dan Henderson Submission (armbar) Pride 24 Cold Fury 3 23 December 2002 3 1:49 Fukuoka, Japan

Win 18–1–1 Semmy Schilt Submission (triangle choke) Pride 23 Championship Chaos 2 24 November 2002 1 6:36 Tokyo, Japan

Win 17–1–1 Bob Sapp Submission (armbar) Pride Shockwave 28 August 2002 2 4:03 Tokyo, Japan

Win 16–1–1 Sanae Kikuta KO (punch) UFO-Legend 8 August 2002 2 0:29 Tokyo, Japan First and only knock-out in career

Win 15–1–1 Enson Inoue Technical Submission (triangle choke) Pride 19 Bad Blood 24 February 2002 1 6:17 Saitama, Japan

Win 14–1–1 Heath Herring Decision (unanimous) Pride 17 Championship Chaos 3 November 2001 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Won First Pride Heavyweight Championship

Win 13–1–1 Mark Coleman Submission (triangle with armbar) Pride 16 Beasts From The East 24 September 2001 1 6:10 Osaka, Japan

Win 12–1–1 Gary Goodridge Submission (triangle choke) Pride 15 Raging Rumble 29 July 2001 1 2:37 Saitama, Japan

Win 11–1–1 Valentijn Overeem Submission (arm triangle choke) Rings – King of Kings 2000 Final 24 February 2001 1 1:20 Tokyo, Japan Won King of Kings 2000 Tournament

Win 10–1–1 Hiromitsu Kanehara Submission (rear naked choke) Rings – King of Kings 2000 Final 24 February 2001 2 0:20 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament Semifinal

Win 9–1–1 Volk Han Decision (unanimous) Rings – King of Kings 2000 Final 24 February 2001 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament Quarterfinal

Win 8–1–1 Kiyoshi Tamura Submission (armbar) Rings – King of Kings 2000 Block A 9 October 2000 2 2:29 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament 2nd Round

Win 7–1–1 Achmed Labasanov Submission (armbar) Rings – King of Kings 2000 Block A 9 October 2000 1 1:38 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 2000 Tournament 1st Round

Draw 6–1–1 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Draw Rings – Millennium Combine 3 23 August 2000 2 5:00 Osaka, Japan

Loss 6–1 Dan Henderson Decision (split) Rings – King of Kings 1999 Final 26 February 2000 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 1999 Tournament Semifinal

Win 6–0 Andrei Kopylov Decision (majority) Rings – King of Kings 1999 Final 26 February 2000 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 1999 Tournament Quarterfinal

Win 5–0 Jeremy Horn Decision (unanimous) WEF 8 – Goin' Platinum 15 January 2000 3 8:00 Rome, Georgia Won WEF Heavyweight Superfight Championship

Win 4–0 Iouri Kotchkine Technical Submission (armbar) Rings – King of Kings 1999 Block A 28 October 1999 1 0:40 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 1999 Tournament 2nd Round

Win 3–0 Valentijn Overeem Technical Submission (keylock) Rings – King of Kings 1999 Block A 28 October 1999 1 1:51 Tokyo, Japan King of Kings 1999 Tournament 1st Round

Win 2–0 Nate Schroeder Submission (armbar) WEF 7 – Stomp in the Swamp 9 October 1999 1 1:52 Kenner, LA

Win 1–0 David Dodd Submission (kimura) WEF 6 – World Extreme Fighting 6 12 June 1999 1 N/A DeLand, Florida