MMR: Nogueira’s 10 Best Nights
Top 5 moments
Mike Sloan Feb 4, 2008
5) Sept. 24, 2001: Pride 16, vs. Mark Coleman (Pictures)
Mark "The Hammer" Coleman was clearly the best heavyweight on the planet at the time, as he had not only won six straight fights, he was also fresh off an unbelievable triumph in the inaugural Pride Grand Prix. Coleman bombarded Nogueira early, however, the wrestler's surreal strength and immeasurable ground-and-pound tactics were no match for the slick Brazilian. Nogueira slapped on one of the prettiest armbar-triangle submissions the world had ever seen. This was the fight that put Nogueira on the map.
4) Nov. 3, 2001: Pride 17, vs. Heath Herring (Pictures)
It was the first, and greatest, meeting between Nogueira and Herring, and to say Nogueira's seven-fight winning streak was in jeopardy would have been an enormous understatement. Herring delivered powerful kicks and punches, scored takedowns and defended every submission in Nogueira's arsenal. Still, Minotauro was too slick, too determined and most importantly, too tough to lose. Towards the end of the first Pride heavyweight title fight, Nogueira took over to wrap up a unanimous decision in one of the highlights of the year.
3) Feb. 2, 2008: UFC 81, vs. Tim Sylvia (Pictures)
Nogueira entered the Octagon as an underdog, having looked sluggish in recent bouts. Sylvia was destined to become a three-time UFC champion, and not many people gave Nogueira a chance to become the only person thus far to capture both a Pride and a UFC heavyweight title. Sylvia blasted him early and often and had Nogueira knocking on defeat's door. As the Brazilian staggered and stumbled around the cage, it was a matter of time before "The Maine-iac" landed one last right hand to become the only man to knock out the legend.
However, as he's done so many times throughout his illustrious career, Nogueira miraculously recovered to seize control of the fight. Though Sylvia hurt "Minotauro" late in the second with another right hand, Nogueira had taken control of the striking by then with his swift left jabs. Battered and bloodied, Nogueira scored a crucial takedown early in the third and eventually secure a perfect guillotine to end the fight. It was one of the finest performances of courage and determination the sport has seen, and Nogueira made history in the process.
Sheer size, power, and strength. Everything about Sapp at the time was fierce and frightening. Though he only had two professional MMA bouts under his belt, "The Beast" was a force to be reckoned with. For almost 14 minutes against Nogueira, he looked every bit the part.
Soaring on a torrid 10-fight winning streak, Nogueira was thrown around the ring, battered with ferocious punches (both legal and illegal) and couldn't fend off the aggressive attacks from the scariest man he had ever faced. Sapp, a ripped 350-pound National Football League washout who was as wide as he was tall, drove Minotauro head first into the canvas during a terrifying slam that looked like it might have killed the superstar.
Nogueira was in deep trouble, and even into the second round Sapp was unrelenting. Finally, after another takedown from the bestial former football player, Nogueira latched on a desperate armbar and submitted the enormous monster. Never before had Nogueira found himself in such peril as a professional fighter, only to pull off an unthinkable come-from-behind win. It defined his trademark.
1) Nov. 9, 2003: Pride Final Conflict, vs. Mirko Filipovic (Pictures)
Nogueira had recently lost his belt to Fedor and was coming off a controversial decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures). He was desperate to win and wanted nothing more than to avenge his loss to the Russian. Standing in his way was brilliantly deadly striker and former K-1 superstar Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Minotauro tried to strike with the Croatian, but he was vastly overpowered and had no choice but to take the fight to the ground.
The only problem was Filipovic's sprawls were perfect. For roughly 11 minutes, Nogueira could not bring the fight to the canvas no matter how he tried: shots, trips, sweeps, whizzers. "Cro Cop" was determined to keep the fight in his favor and he did so with relative ease.
To make matters worse, precision striking from Filipovic was doing a horrific number on Nogueira's face, legs and body. Cro Cop bombarded his foe with lethal leg kicks and scorching kicks to the midsection. And whenever the fighters got close enough, his fists tattooed Minotauro's face. Nothing, it seemed, would deter Cro Cop from victory and a fight against Fedor, in what would have possibly been the most anticipated fight in MMA history at that point.
Though Cro Cop was dominating Nogueira with his perfect sprawls and surgical precision striking, Antonio Rodrigo was still competitive. He wasn't wearing down physically or mentally. His lungs were still robust. And though he was trailing helplessly on the cards, momentum shifted in his favor about a minute into the second round.
Nogueira, showing his tactical chops, altered the game plan to set up a takedown after punching his way in. Cro Cop tried to scramble back to his feet, but it was too late: Nogueira had already grabbed onto his right arm, popped his legs through and torqued his hips. The textbook armbar was complete, and Cro Cop had to tap out. It was without question Nogueira's finest moment: A feat of poise, courage, skill, determination and mental toughness that is rarely duplicated, if at all. His win over Cro Cop defined him as one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
Misc. Debris
Frank Mir (Pictures)'s win over Brock Lesnar (Pictures) didn't do a lot for me personally, but I must admit that Lesnar is a frightening man inside the Octagon. Once he learns to defend submissions and as long as he stays motivated to become a champion in MMA, he will be as difficult to beat as anybody in the sport. Forget his size for a second. His combination of strength, speed and, most importantly, athleticism is second to none. Every heavyweight on the planet had better pray that he never learns how to defend submissions, or else there'll be hell to pay. …
Hardly anybody got a chance to watch Friday's Bodog Fight show from here in Vegas since it wasn't televised. It was a card filled to the brim with, save from Nick Thompson (Pictures), a bunch of newbies to the fight game and maybe a few never-will-bes as well. Cards like this are either complete disasters or surprisingly entertaining due to great fights. Luckily for Bodog, the event fell into the latter category, as each fight was good. …
Gina Carano (Pictures) has been ripping it up on "The American Gladiators." She's swatted women off the joust podiums and actually was penalized for kicking a dangling contender on the top of the head to send her plummeting into the water. She also scored a few textbook double-leg takedowns in the powerball competition. My only gripe is that she has not enjoyed a lot of TV time.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
Mark "The Hammer" Coleman was clearly the best heavyweight on the planet at the time, as he had not only won six straight fights, he was also fresh off an unbelievable triumph in the inaugural Pride Grand Prix. Coleman bombarded Nogueira early, however, the wrestler's surreal strength and immeasurable ground-and-pound tactics were no match for the slick Brazilian. Nogueira slapped on one of the prettiest armbar-triangle submissions the world had ever seen. This was the fight that put Nogueira on the map.
4) Nov. 3, 2001: Pride 17, vs. Heath Herring (Pictures)
It was the first, and greatest, meeting between Nogueira and Herring, and to say Nogueira's seven-fight winning streak was in jeopardy would have been an enormous understatement. Herring delivered powerful kicks and punches, scored takedowns and defended every submission in Nogueira's arsenal. Still, Minotauro was too slick, too determined and most importantly, too tough to lose. Towards the end of the first Pride heavyweight title fight, Nogueira took over to wrap up a unanimous decision in one of the highlights of the year.
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Nogueira entered the Octagon as an underdog, having looked sluggish in recent bouts. Sylvia was destined to become a three-time UFC champion, and not many people gave Nogueira a chance to become the only person thus far to capture both a Pride and a UFC heavyweight title. Sylvia blasted him early and often and had Nogueira knocking on defeat's door. As the Brazilian staggered and stumbled around the cage, it was a matter of time before "The Maine-iac" landed one last right hand to become the only man to knock out the legend.
However, as he's done so many times throughout his illustrious career, Nogueira miraculously recovered to seize control of the fight. Though Sylvia hurt "Minotauro" late in the second with another right hand, Nogueira had taken control of the striking by then with his swift left jabs. Battered and bloodied, Nogueira scored a crucial takedown early in the third and eventually secure a perfect guillotine to end the fight. It was one of the finest performances of courage and determination the sport has seen, and Nogueira made history in the process.
2) Aug. 28, 2002: Pride Shockwave, vs.
Bob Sapp (Pictures)
Sheer size, power, and strength. Everything about Sapp at the time was fierce and frightening. Though he only had two professional MMA bouts under his belt, "The Beast" was a force to be reckoned with. For almost 14 minutes against Nogueira, he looked every bit the part.
Soaring on a torrid 10-fight winning streak, Nogueira was thrown around the ring, battered with ferocious punches (both legal and illegal) and couldn't fend off the aggressive attacks from the scariest man he had ever faced. Sapp, a ripped 350-pound National Football League washout who was as wide as he was tall, drove Minotauro head first into the canvas during a terrifying slam that looked like it might have killed the superstar.
Nogueira was in deep trouble, and even into the second round Sapp was unrelenting. Finally, after another takedown from the bestial former football player, Nogueira latched on a desperate armbar and submitted the enormous monster. Never before had Nogueira found himself in such peril as a professional fighter, only to pull off an unthinkable come-from-behind win. It defined his trademark.
1) Nov. 9, 2003: Pride Final Conflict, vs. Mirko Filipovic (Pictures)
Nogueira had recently lost his belt to Fedor and was coming off a controversial decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures). He was desperate to win and wanted nothing more than to avenge his loss to the Russian. Standing in his way was brilliantly deadly striker and former K-1 superstar Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Minotauro tried to strike with the Croatian, but he was vastly overpowered and had no choice but to take the fight to the ground.
The only problem was Filipovic's sprawls were perfect. For roughly 11 minutes, Nogueira could not bring the fight to the canvas no matter how he tried: shots, trips, sweeps, whizzers. "Cro Cop" was determined to keep the fight in his favor and he did so with relative ease.
To make matters worse, precision striking from Filipovic was doing a horrific number on Nogueira's face, legs and body. Cro Cop bombarded his foe with lethal leg kicks and scorching kicks to the midsection. And whenever the fighters got close enough, his fists tattooed Minotauro's face. Nothing, it seemed, would deter Cro Cop from victory and a fight against Fedor, in what would have possibly been the most anticipated fight in MMA history at that point.
Though Cro Cop was dominating Nogueira with his perfect sprawls and surgical precision striking, Antonio Rodrigo was still competitive. He wasn't wearing down physically or mentally. His lungs were still robust. And though he was trailing helplessly on the cards, momentum shifted in his favor about a minute into the second round.
Nogueira, showing his tactical chops, altered the game plan to set up a takedown after punching his way in. Cro Cop tried to scramble back to his feet, but it was too late: Nogueira had already grabbed onto his right arm, popped his legs through and torqued his hips. The textbook armbar was complete, and Cro Cop had to tap out. It was without question Nogueira's finest moment: A feat of poise, courage, skill, determination and mental toughness that is rarely duplicated, if at all. His win over Cro Cop defined him as one of the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
Misc. Debris
Frank Mir (Pictures)'s win over Brock Lesnar (Pictures) didn't do a lot for me personally, but I must admit that Lesnar is a frightening man inside the Octagon. Once he learns to defend submissions and as long as he stays motivated to become a champion in MMA, he will be as difficult to beat as anybody in the sport. Forget his size for a second. His combination of strength, speed and, most importantly, athleticism is second to none. Every heavyweight on the planet had better pray that he never learns how to defend submissions, or else there'll be hell to pay. …
Hardly anybody got a chance to watch Friday's Bodog Fight show from here in Vegas since it wasn't televised. It was a card filled to the brim with, save from Nick Thompson (Pictures), a bunch of newbies to the fight game and maybe a few never-will-bes as well. Cards like this are either complete disasters or surprisingly entertaining due to great fights. Luckily for Bodog, the event fell into the latter category, as each fight was good. …
Gina Carano (Pictures) has been ripping it up on "The American Gladiators." She's swatted women off the joust podiums and actually was penalized for kicking a dangling contender on the top of the head to send her plummeting into the water. She also scored a few textbook double-leg takedowns in the powerball competition. My only gripe is that she has not enjoyed a lot of TV time.
Hit me up at www.myspace.com/sherdogsloan
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