Nogueira Apologizes For Upset Loss, Promises To Reclaim Title
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, through UFC.com, on Sunday apologized for his upset loss to Frank Mir but vowed that he’ll return a better fighter and will reclaim the heavyweight title.
“I apologize to all my fans for my fight on Saturday, and I’m very disappointed with what happened, but I promise that I’ll be back stronger and better in 2009,” said Nogueira. “I’ve come back before, and I’m going to get the title back. I’ve got a lot of respect for Frank Mir, he fought a great fight and was the better man that night. I was ready to fight, but he got to me before I was able to get to him.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir used surprisingly superior striking to batter Nogueira in the opening round of their co-headliner, knocking Nogueira to the canvas twice before the round concluded. Early in the second round Mir overwhelmed Nogueira with strikes, finishing off the Brazilian for the first-time in his legendary career to claim the promotion’s interim heavyweight title.
Nogueira’s manager, Ed Soares, reiterated to UFC.com the PRIDE veteran’s intention to reclaim the heavyweight belt.
“Congratulations to Frank Mir on his win, he was great on Saturday night, the best we’ve ever seen him,” said Soares. “As far as Antonio is concerned, now that the fight is over, we’re going to get him patched up, have him take some time off, and bring him back at one hundred percent. This was a rough camp for him, but of course you’d never know it because he’s a true warrior, one of those guys who never complains about anything and who just loves fighting for his fans. He gave his best on Saturday and even though he fell short, the first thing he told me after the fight was that he wants to get that belt back, and our entire team knows that he can do it.”
Loading ...
UMMM IDK IF NOG CAN RECLAIM THE TITLE…HE OBVIOUSLY STRUGGLED WITH MIR..AND IF HE FOUGHT LESNAR THAT WOULD BE TOO DIFFICULT BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME TAKING HIM DOWN….LESNAR IS TOO BIG AND STRONG!!
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE COUTURE VS NOG…I THINK THEY WOULD PRODUCE A GREAT FIGHT….FOR NOW NOG MUST GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND COME BETTER PREPARED…
Nog vs Couture is a must happen fight forsure!
Definitely! Nog v Couture, Dana White and Joe Silva get it done! UFC 100…
Mir fought a very smart fight and not going to the ground with Nog after the 1st knock down. Lesnar has learned that after the Mir fight and getting hasty, so I don’t know what Nog’s chances are of getting the belt back. It’s a pretty steep climb back to the top, but best of luck.
Sorry Nog, respect you, but you’ve looked absolutely brutal in each of your UFC fights. And I swear you’re atleast 40 years old.
Nog has no reason to Apologize he came prepared for a Knife fight with Mir and He never saw the Gun coming in Mir’s strike … Dam I never saw it coming he would of shot me too =}.
i hate to say it but i see nog vs. kongo comin in the near future. which sucks for nog cuz if he couldnt last in there with mir then well, i think we all know what im sayin
No, what are you saying?
I think he’s saying he was too lazy to type out what he was saying.
BTW, that was a joke….forgot the
on the end.
The only way Kongo wins verus Nog is my Decision or a straight KO on the feet cause if Kongo Knocks Nog down and follows him to the ground it’s over Nog submits Kongo, Plus Nog is a smart man his skill is great now he needs to train his body to match his skill, he kind of looked a bit out of shape.
Nog should apologize, it looked like he didn’t even show up. He’s a great fighter, and I’m sure he’ll come back and get some more wins, and I look forward to seeing him fight some more.
I haven’t read a opionion yet, but I’m rewatching Mir v Big Nog and at the end of the first Big Nog walks to the open cage door and almost walks out, sorry if it has been stated peace
Anyone else think that Mir and Evans were both a bit too cocky? I loved how Mir made a point to pay attention to his coaches after the 1st round but he was still getting a tad bit too cocky. Of course, this could have been his strategy since he so very obviously didn’t think he was going to win…so he might as well play head games while he’s ahead.
Either way…Evans was cocky on TUF and has remained so…I cannot in good conscience LIKE him. I do respect his fighting, though.
Nog can come back from this…he’s too good of a guy to just go away. He reminds me of a Brazilian Swartzeneggar. Anyone else agree?
Definitely agree that Nog will come back from this. Mir has always been c ocky, which is why I wanted him to lose.
I also agree…but wanted Mir to win. He’s dumb but I like him. He reminds me of friends I’ve had. Dumb, cocky but will do anything for you, cause you’re friends.
I DONO KNOW IF ANYONE AS TALKED ABOUT THIS ALREADY BUT DID ANYONE ELSE THINK CB TAPPED WHEN HE WAS IN THE GUILLOTINE *SPELLING* SORRY IF THIS AS BEEN TALKED BUT I WAS UPSET NONE OF MY GUYS WON THERE FIGHTS SATURDAY SO I WAS PISSED OFF AT MMA FOR A WHILE LOL HAHA
Yes, that was talked about on another page, as was the fact that no one likes CB. One place was here and then I think maybe the results page it was mentioned as well.
COOL THANKS… I AGREE.
I would like to officially crown…
CB Dolloway QUEEN DOUCHE BAG
Known hereinafter as “Queen of the Douche Bag, Sympathetic Tappers” allowing all fighters the opportunity to win by ref stoppage due to…
PANIC-A-TAP!
Any long-time fight fans know that Nog, simply put, had a bad night. We know what Nog is capable of and it was just poor gameplan. Mir was ready. Like, hungry for the W. Much respect for Mir.
SIDE NOTE: I can’t get into Evans either. Not exciting, arrogant, cocky, and needs a real ass-kicking to be shown that he’s not a top LHW. Machida, Rampage, Wandy, even Liddell and Griffin will beat hi
next time. As Griffin said, everyone needs to lose to get better.
Come to think of it, I can’t stand Penn for the same reason. Cocky.
I am a long time fan and I kind of agree… Mir was hungry and to me he knew his game plan and stuck with it. I have seen Nog fight and I have respect for him but I dont think he is all that.
The mark of the BEST fighters is showing up for any fight. Nog wanted to fight his fight and did not adapt. Thats a HUGE weakness when fighting someone who likes to watch tape.
I think Mir showed up and saw the Nog he expected to see. Nog did not adjust. Game over, insert $.25 to continue….
/soapbox on
I predicted this before and others here called me crazy. I asked “who has Nog fought” and although the list is long (and the question retorical), Im not overly impressed with most of his wins.
Dont take this to mean I think Nog sucks or something. I have respect for him and I do consider him a legend. I just dont think he is UFC title worthy in his current state.
I am not a Brock fan but Im not a hater either. I do however think he will own the title for a while He IS the future of the HW devision unless he gets injured. He is still new to the sport and will probably beat Mir in the next fight. Mir did win the first one with skill but luck was on his side as well. Brock has SHOWN that he can learn and I will reserve judgement for him.
The HW division is thin on talent.
I will go on record that I dont think Fedor is what everyone makes him out to be either. He would fit in well in the UFC but I think Brock could take him. Mir last night would give him a good run. Gonzaga could give him trouble if Gonzaga had a good night. I also like Congo more and more. Valesquez and Dos Santos would need some luck but I think they could make a go at him too. To me, that makes him somewhere around #3 or #4 in my book. Good but not head and shoulders above anyone. Its close in the top 5, aside from Brock who I think will man handle everyone who steps up until another ULTRA HW steps up. Brock is just too big and the other HW’s give up like 40 lbs.
/soapbox off
Let me clarify also…I dont think Congo could take Fedor, YET. Maybe with a ton of luck. My comment about him was somewhat misplaced in that paragraph.
Well like I said Mir would win, it wasnt by sub like I thought, but he got the job done in pretty impressive fashion. Couture would kill him {NOG}
I agree.
I think its a sad statement that Randy can dominate most HW’s. First off, he has Moses’s autograph in his yearbook and second he is a very small HW.
I can only imagine what Randy would be if he grew up in a world where MMA is what it is today instead of how it was back then. I am very excited to see what happens in MMA over the next 30 years.
“Judo chops”? You do realize those are fictional strikes created by Mike Meyers?
Sorry to ruin your joke, I’m not the over the top hyperbole type of joker.
I don’t get it