UFC 73 marked the debut of one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, a forefather of modern MMA. His long awaited debut for the biggest MMA organization on the planet was far from what most expected and an anticlimax to many UFC fans who were exposed for the first time to Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira.
From the moment he was sitting cage side besides UFC President Dana White at Ultimate Fight Night 9 to when he finally stepped into the octagon as a fighter for the first time on Saturday night, Nogueira was carrying great expectations, from spectacular performances he had for Pride Fighting Championships in Japan for the past half decade. These performances made Nogueira famous for his world class Brazilian Jui-Jitsui, as well as his
technically sound boxing skills. He won the hearts of many fans and developed a dedicated following during his time as a Pride fighter for his incredible ability to take punishment and to pull out victories in the brink of defeat. His most notable performances include victories over Mirko "CroCop", Bob Sapp, Sergei Kharitonov, Semmy Schilt, Dan Henderson and Mark Coleman. He has never been stopped during a fight and has avenged two split decision losses in dominating fashion. He has only had two other losses in his 35 fight career(with one no contest), both being two unanimous decision loses to current Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko. It could be argued if it wasn't for Emelianenko, Nogueira would be arguably the best heavyweight ever.
Saturday night he faced a very familiar foe in Heath Herring. The two had fought two times prior in Japan. Their first encounter, in November of 2001, would crown the first ever Pride Heavyweight Champion. Nogueira would walk away that night with a new belt around his waist after earning a unanimous decision victory over Herring in an exciting but one sided battle. They would meet again in June of 2004. This time Nogueira would exhibit his incredible Brazilian Jui-Jitsui skills by forcing a tap out early in the second round via Anaconda Choke.
UFC 73 would signify the third time the two fighters would lock horns. The fact that the fight itself would be taking place surprised many because of Minotauro's two previous convincing victories over Herring. Nogueira started as a heavy favorite, for obvious reasons. The first round started off as many expected, Nogueira seemed to be in cruise control. He was getting the better of the stand up with his crisp boxing skills. Herring was back stepping most of the first until near the end of the round when he unleashed a high kick that Minotauro ducked right into. The huge upset victory was mere inches away from Herring now, all he had to do was drop some punches down on a dazed Nogueira who was lying flat on the canvas. Herring tried some ground and pound but Nogueira begins to regain some composer and eventually starts to control Herring slightly who is now in his guard. Herring then decides to make a still dazed Nogueira stand. Not long left in the round and Herring doesn't mount much of a offense on his hurt opponent.
In the begining of the second it was clear Nogueira still hadn't found his feet, but still Herring doesn't attack for the finish. During the round Minotauro gets his composer and confidence back and for the rest of the round he takes control again, scoring two take downs and mounting Herring for a brief moment. The third is much the same with Nogueira landing shots in the stand up and scoring take downs at will. Nogueira eventually gets the unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28.
It's hard to make a fair evaluation of Nogueira's debut. He definitely didn't live up to the hype that was surrounding him, with many expecting Herring not to last a round, but he got the task done and showed the heart and determination that has made him a fan favourite in Japan. Are battle scars of previous wars finally catching up with 31 year old Nogueira? Was he just nerves on debut? Or was it just one of those nights? It is hard to say right now but Nogueira will have a chance to answer all these questions and more with a possible rematch with Mirko CroCop around the corner and potential meetings with the likes of Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski and Gabriel Gonzaga in the future.
Whether or not he will reach the pinnacle of success he tasted during his time at Pride in Japan in the UFC is uncertain. But what is certain is that "Minotauro" Nogueira is a real threat to all heavyweights and his place in MMA history is just about secured.
No comments:
Post a Comment