Props:Sherdog.com
Quoteworthy:
“Facing a top guy like Randy is just like facing Fedor, Cro Cop. Definitely he is a legend of our sport, and we will make a great fight. I will fight in the same weight that I fought in Pride. I will lose about 10 pounds. Lighter, I can move faster, have more gas and can work my game better, have quicker jiu-jitsu … In this fight against Mir, I had a serious staphylococcus infection on my elbow 10 days before the fight and stayed almost five days in the hospital taking antibiotics. Definitely I was not in good condition, but I don’t want to take anything from Mir … I lost the UFC belt being far from my best, and now I want to return in my best shape and get this title back. Brazil already has two UFC belts, and I want to recover Brazilian dominance in MMA by bringing the third belt to Brazil.”
Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira talks about the changes he’s made after losing his title to Frank Mir at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008” back in December. The Brazilian was finished for the first time ever in his illustrious career via technical knockout in the second round. It was a feat that Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop and even “The Beast” Bob Sapp have been unable to accomplish. Now healthy, Nogueira is set to face another former champion and legend of the sport, Randy Couture, at UFC 102 on August 28. With his health issues seemingly resolved, can he climb back to the top of the division heap or have his brutal days in PRIDE taken their toll on his body and career?
