Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was victorious in his final Pride appearance. | S. Martinez/Sherdog.com
8. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Josh Barnett
Pride “Shockwave 2006” | Dec. 31, 2006
Nogueira did not fight again after losing to Barnett in September 2006. Whether that provided the Brazilian any type of advantage is debatable, but Nogueira was clearly the sharper fighter of the two the second time around. Crisp boxing carried the day for Nogueira, as he moved, slipped punches and landed several key multi-punch counters. When he was not outpointing Barnett with his boxing, Nogueira was able to land solid knees from the clinch.
Barnett had his moments in round one, but the American began to fade over the course of the final two frames. Nogueira was consistent with his counterpunching attack, and the effects on Barnett were evident when he did not have enough juice to finish off his foe with a guillotine choke in the waning moments of the fight. Nogueira captured a unanimous decision in what would turn out to be his last Pride appearance before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Barnett, meanwhile, reeled off an eight-fight winning streak before falling victim to Daniel Cormier in May.
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