Antonio Rogerio Nogueira may not have held a major title in MMA, but he has certainly produced plenty of memorable moments throughout his career.
Most of Nogueira’s early career finishes came courtesy of his third-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu. But upon entering the UFC in 2009, “Minotauro” was able to show off his striking skills, too.
He earned a “Knockout of the Night” bonus in his UFC debut, when he stopped Luiz Cane in the first round. Though Nogueira has alternated wins and losses throughout his UFC tenure, he showed that he still has some fight left in him when he stopped Sam Alvey in the second round in September 2018.
Nogueira (23-9 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) holds wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem (twice), Dan Henderson, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans and Kazushi Sakuraba in a resume packed with big-name wins.
One of Nogueira’s most memorable battles in the octagon was his rematch against Mauricio Rua (26-11-1 MMA, 6-6 UFC), where he fell short once again in a “Fight of the Night” effort.
He might be 0-2 against Rua in two tightly-contested battles, but Nogueira will get an opportunity to cap off his career by closing one of the most important chapters in his career when the two square off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 14, which takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
Ahead of fight night, check out Nogueira’s top finishes in the video above (via UFC). Fights include:
- UFC 106 vs. Luiz Cane (KO via punch, Round 1)
- “PRIDE FC: Total Elimination 2005” vs. Dan Henderson (Submission via armbar, Round 1)
- Ultimate Fight Night 137 vs. Sam Alvey (TKO via punches, Round 2)
- UFC 140 vs. Tito Ortiz (TKO via elbows and body punches, Round 1)
- UFC 198 vs. Patrick Cummins (TKO via punches, Round 1)
