Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira Plans to Retire Next Year

ENFORCER Number of posts : 31

Quote :: In an interview with Fighters Only Magazine, 33-year-old Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira revealed his intentions to retire next year. Before that though he plans on making one last run at the UFC Heavyweight Championship, saying "I want to be another warrior to help the guys to take this American hegemony and bring four belts for Brazil, which apparently also reveals his pick for UFC 100's welterweight title fight. Nogueira is coming off of a loss to Frank Mir, a loss which he says made him postpone his retirement.

Since making his MMA debut in 1999, Nogueira has gone 35-5-1 with 1 no contest. In 2001 he became the first PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, defeating Heath Herring in the first of their three match-ups, all of which were won by Nogueira. Noted for his uncanny ability to absorb incredible amounts of damage and still pull off a victory, Nogueira was finished for the first time in his career in December.

The road back to the heavyweight title for "Minotauro" will begin on August 29 in Portland, Oregon, when he takes on soon to be 46-year-old Randy Couture. As for his final fights, Nogueira added, "I'm willing to fight here in Brazil, I was super excited to see Rogério fight and see the affection of the fans, what we saw in [Jungle Fight] is priceless. My dream is to end my career with a fight in Japan and then the last one in Brazil."

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