10 Questions for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira had a brilliant UFC debut in November, stopping Luis Arthur Cane in the first round.

Sherdog.com’s Marcelo Alonso caught up with the Brazilian light heavyweight shortly after his win. Topics include Nogueira’s 2005 battle against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in Pride and how a rematch would go, UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and Randy Couture.


Sherdog: What do you think about winning by KO in your UFC debut?
Nogueira: It was amazing. Not only did I debut with a knockout, but I won the prize of best knockout of the night against one of the toughest guys in that division. Cane is such a tough guy, but I trained a lot for his game and my boxing was really sharp.

Sherdog: Did you study his game?
Nogueira: I knew he is a great striker, so I trained my boxing a lot. I received a lot of criticism from Internet fans saying that I was just focusing on my boxing. But I knew “Banha” was coming to exchange, so I was ready for that. But I have to tell you I expected that the fight would go through the third round.

Sherdog: How do you assess your rival Lyoto, “Shogun” and Randy Couture?
Nogueira: Actually I don’t see Lyoto as a rival; we are much more like friends. We trained together a couple of times, and Lyoto is an amazing person and friend. His style is really something special, not only because karate but because he adapted karate to MMA. Actually there is no easy opponent in that division. Wherever you look there is a tough opponent. Randy is an amazing wrestler and a legend of the UFC. He has already defeated the toughest UFC fighters and demands all respect. About Shogun, he is one of the most aggressive fighters in that division, and we could see that he improved a lot in that fight against Lyoto.

Sherdog: Is there a fight where you choked, that you would like to do over?
Nogueira: I would like to have a fight with Shogun again.

Sherdog: You and Shogun had one of the biggest fights in the history of Pride, in which he took the decision. What do you think you should have done extra to have won that fight?
Nogueira: It's tough to say, man. Shogun is a great fighter, a great champion, and he was in the best stage of his career until today. He has his merits. At the end of the fight, I tried to take his back. If I had finished the fight there at his back, I would have been able to change the story of the fight.

Sherdog: How would that fight go today in the UFC?
Nogueira: I think I improved a lot of my skills. I competed a lot in boxing and also developed my ground, but for sure Shogun also improved. So the only thing I can say is that it would be another amazing fight but in the cage.

Sherdog: How's your life these days and what are you planning for your future? When will your baby be born?
Nogueira: Now we are sharing our training between Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles. I’m training with my brother and Anderson in LA now, but I must return to Rio in the second week of December because my wife is going to give birth on the first of February. It’s going to be a baby girl, Valentina. I’m really anxious for that.

Sherdog: What's the difference between Rodrigo “Minotauro” as a brother and as a training partner?
Nogueira: As a brother he's like a big dad, and as a training partner he's very rigorous.

Sherdog: What was it like to represent Brazil in the 2007 Pan American Games and even take a medal?
Nogueira: It was an honor because you dedicate yourself to an objective, and to be able to reach a goal, like an Olympic medal, is an honor for me. … It's very gratifying to be able to reach a goal like that.

Sherdog: Who do you consider the number one heavyweight? Why?
Nogueira: Rodrigo, because of the history he's had during many years. He fought with the best. He won, putting on the most beautiful fights.