UFC Fight Night 100 Preview
There are stars throughout the UFC roster and some stand out far above others in terms of their star power.
Not every star is big everywhere though and in Brazil there may not be a bigger name than Nogueira.
The Nogueira brothers are two of the biggest stars in Brazil as their names are synonymous with the sport throughout the country.
They own and operate Team Nogueira in Brazil that trains the next generation of Brazilian stars.
The Nogueira’s are legends in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and throughout the MMA world especially in Brazil but their time is coming to an end.
The older of the two brothers already retired from the sport while the younger brother will continue to fight as he headlines UFC Fight Night 100.
Antonio Rogério Nogueira is at a strange point in his career as he has reached the moments that many do when they have been around for a while.
That moment is when it seems like there is really nothing left to prove or to do in the game but also a point where they can still fight.
It has happened to the legends of the sport who grew up through the MMA and knew very little else other than fighting and training.
When they got to a certain point in their career they began taking fights despite the fact that they had fallen off of their usual skills.
In many sports, it’s not as big of a deal to being to lose a step but when that happens in MMA it can lead to serious injury.
That is why the UFC encouraged fighters like Randy Couture and Chuck Lidell to retire before they really wanted to but when they really needed to.
The older Nogueira experienced the same issues as he began to lose fights and lose them badly showing that he couldn’t compete with the younger fighters making their way up.
The younger Nogueira might be at that point but he continues to take fights with many keeping a close eye on his performance.
He hasn’t entirely laid down in his recent fights winning his last fight by knocking out Patrick Cummins.
Before that fight, though, the younger Nogueira dropped two in a row after being knocked out by Anthony Johnson and dropping a decision to Mauricio Rua.
That is when the questions began as his two straight losses had many thinking that the 40-year-old was coming to the end of his career.
After his latest win, he is trying to prove that his time is still not over and that he can still compete with the best in the division.
He may not be heading to a title anytime soon but he will be looking to put on a great show in front of the Brazilian crowd.
He will try to do it against a younger Ryan Bader who has won six of his last seven fights and is still in that title hunt.
Unlike Nogueira, Bader has a chance at making a run at the light heavyweight title with his only loss in the last seven fights coming against top contender Anthony Johnson.
Nogueira is not necessarily the fight that is going to get him to that title shot but it is a fight that will add a name to his win list.
It isn’t every fight that you get a chance to go into hostile territory and fight a legend in the sport.
If Bader can get the win he can add that name to the men that he beat and it is sure to get him at least partially back in the hunt for a title shot.
There is little question that Nogueira will try to get the fight to the ground and use his great BJJ to take control of the fight.
Bader will look to stuff that using his wrestling background to keep the fight standing and using his boxing and heavy hands to win this fight.
Whoever can get their way in this fight will be on their way to a win and either on their way closer to the title or closer to proving that they are still ready to compete.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian fans will be loud as they cheer on a legend in the game hoping to see vintage Nogueira when the UFC returns to Sao Paulo.
The Sport Addiction 