Finally, the sport has come back to a cage near you. This past week ended the ongoing drought of MMA action, with Invicta, ONE Championship, LFA, KSW, and the UFC all running shows. With so much going on, here’s a look at a few stories you might have missed (or we might have, frankly!).

Lil Nog to Box Fellow UFC Alum Leonardo Guimaraes

For many years, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, a.k.a. Lil Nog, or Minotouro, was considered one of the best boxers in the UFC. The former UFC and Pride light heavyweight, who retired off a loss to Shogun Rua in 2020, will now make the ring the next stop in his combat sports career.

Nogueira, who won a gold medal at the South American Games boxing in the super heavyweight category in 2006, will face Leonardo Guimaraes, who went 0-2 in the UFC back in 2016. The bout will be part of what sounds like Brazil’s answer to Triller FC, with the event titled Fight Music Show. It will take place in Balneario Camburiu, Brazil, on January 30, per a report by MMA Fighting.

The card is expected to feature both boxing and MMA action, and will be topped by WBO and WBA champion Acelino Freitas (41-2) taking on Brazilian YouTube creator Whindersson Nunes (0-0). Because, much like Florida, in Brazil, anything goes. To drive that point home, Olympic silver medalist Esquiva Falcao (29-0) will face ex-Big Brother Brazil star Yuri Fernandes (0-0) in an exhibition match-up.

Justine Kish Signs on with Bellator MMA

After seven fights in the UFC octagon, Justine Kish is still best known for an unfortunate incident against Felice Herrig, in which Kish had a bowel movement mid-fight.

Kish managed to take the reaction from fans in stride, and good on her for doing so. But after starting her career 6-0 including two wins under the UFC banner, Kish posted a 1-4 record and found herself bounced from the organization off a pair of losses, the most recent coming in April of 2021.

CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri was first to report the deal. The Bellator women’s flyweight division is currently ruled by Juliana Velasquez, with Liz Carmouche a lock for the next title shot.

Kamaru Usman Loses It on Snapchat

Seems like social media trolls got the better of Kamaru Usman, with the welterweight champ losing his cool as a result. There’s no indication of what, specifically, set “The Nigerian Nightmare” off, but it might be time for a social media break.

Kamaru Usman just violated his Snapchat followers😭💀 pic.twitter.com/WZ0Ki364Hl

— 𝙎𝙡𝙖𝙬𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 (@SlawsomeMMA) January 9, 2022

Usman later verified that yes, the posts were his, not a hack.

Kevin Holland Announces Fight Via OnlyFans Rap

Well… that’s one way to announce a fight.

https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/1480721686949416966

The song is… not great, but better than we could do. And Holland is one of the more entertaining guys in the UFC, personality wise, so it’s neat to see him do this. And do it on OnlyFans, which mainly caters to a female creator/heavily male consumer market (with all the accompanying predatory concerns). At least this proves the site is for more than nudes and lewds.

Holland vs. Oliveira — we’re in. That sounds like a fun fight.

Mark Hunt Says He’s Done With Fighting

In the end, how Mark Hunt’s career came to a close is nothing short of tragic. No return to Japan for one last thriller, no final walk-off KO, no proper send-off by the UFC. Instead, what amounted to a celebrity boxing match — albeit one Hunt says he enjoyed, despite losing — and a seemingly endless, and likely doomed, lawsuit against his old employer.

Mark Hunt deserved better. The guy entertained whenever he fought. Seeing “fans” cry out “he was never that good” or “he doesn’t deserve that kind of money” as Hunt rails against the UFC for failing to protect its fighters from cheaters is all kinds of sad. Mark Hunt’s case centers around the Brock Lesnar fight at UFC 200, but what it boils down to is compensation. Fighters take a huge risk every time they step inside the cage. If the playing field isn’t level, that’s a major problem. And there’s a real question as to whether it’s worth it.

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Hunt both confirmed the end of his combat sports career, and summed the issue he has with the sport up succinctly (h/t MMA Fighting). “I’m the only one here that’s done nothing wrong, so where’s the recourse for this? This can’t be the answer, me just getting screwed and they keep doing this to every other fighter. That’s the problem.”

Yes, the UFC brought in USADA, and good on them for it. They’ll likely never again waive the drug-testing requirement for a fighter like Lesnar coming out of retirement. But that said, what of the fighters who came before? What about the healthcare question? Not to mention, the state of fighter pay in the UFC is abysmal. What’s the starting salary, 12/12 these days? If you fight twice in a year, the best you’re making is $48,000 plus a minimal amount of money from outfitting. After training and other expenses, you might as well take a job at a cell center. You’ll earn as much, and do less damage to your body.

Things aren’t likely to change until the fighters unionize. That may never happen. Anyone discrediting Hunt for his efforts, however, needs to reconsider why they watch the sport in the first place. Because if it’s not for entertaining fighters like Hunt, then why?

DC Doesn’t Foresee Heavyweight Title in Bones’ Future

Disclaimer: Consider the source, people. DC would bet against Jones if Jon was competing in mini-golf against a one-armed man.

In case you missed it, on ESPN’s DC & RC podcast, Daniel Cormier claimed that Jon Jones will not win the UFC’s heavyweight title. Considering Jones has exactly zero heavyweight fights and is seemingly no closer to debuting in the weight class, that didn’t really require a crystal ball. Cormier does believe Jones will fight at heavyweight this year, mind you — just that the time away, and the weight difference, will be too much for him to overcome.

Not So Epic Fighting Championship

Russia is quickly becoming the new Japan in terms of freakshow fights. Epic FC decided to (try) to top them all, allowing an inter-gender bout between two non-fighters at their show on Friday.

https://twitter.com/Matysek88/status/1481937798034829314

There is much nothing you can really say about this. Other than, it’s dumb and wholly unnecessary. Outside interference, a questionable match-up to begin with, and very possibly a rigged ending that saw the female fighter submitted, but allowed to return for a fourth sudden death round. Only to plod forward with little offence and win a decision.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Lil Nog to Box UFC Alum, Kamaru Loses His Cool, Hunt Retires appeared first on Cageside Press.

In any sort of subjective list like this, there are going to be omissions, so feel free to chime in with some of your top picks for unfortunate mishaps in the cage.

This is also not an attempt to glorify injury — the road back from these sort of mishaps is long and arduous to say the least. But it’s all part of the sport in the end, so with no further ado, here’s the ten most gruesome injuries in MMA history.

10. Mark Hominick vs. Jose Aldo

Remember that time a small alien being attempted to hatch itself out of Mark Hominick’s head?

Pepperidge Farms we remember.

Canada’s Hominick had been a contender in the featherweight division since the WEC days. When World Xtreme Cagefighting was absorbed into the UFC, a single win was all it took for Hominick to earn a title shot against Jose Aldo. That win came via TKO over George Roop, and left Hominick sitting on a five-fight win streak that included names like Leonard Garcia and Bryan Caraway.

The showdown with Aldo came in Toronto at UFC 129 in April 2011, at the Rogers Centre, better known as the SkyDome. For five rounds, Hominick went toe-to-toe with one of the all-time greats; not only that, he came close to stealing the victory in the final frame.

Outside of that late surge, however, the lasting image of the fight was of the growth on Hominick’s head.

Mark Hominick developed a hematoma during his fight with Jose Aldo at UFC 129, nine years ago today.

It remains one of the most memorable images in the sport. pic.twitter.com/ENGDGbeYr9

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 30, 2020

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The PRIDE era of MMA will always be special to fans who followed the sport in the mid-2000s. Some of the biggest stars mixed martial arts has ever seen emerged from the Japanese promotion. From Fedor Emelianenko to Rampage Jackson, Wanderlei Sivla to the Nogueira brothers, and of course, Shogun Rua. Two of those, in fact, would throw down one last time at UFC Fight Island 3, fifteen or so years from their first meeting, another five from their second.

Shogun Rua had twice defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (once in PRIDE, once in the UFC). Yet he was battling his fellow Brazilian a third time, in Nogueira’s retirement fight no less. The trilogy bout served as the UFC Fight Island 3 co-main event. And it may very well have been one of the last times MMA fans got to see two PRIDE veterans go head-to-head.

Rua opened up the first round with a leg kick. Another leg kick from Rua, who eventually clinched Nogueira up against the cage. The two separated before Nogueira connected with a big straight left hand. Nogueira chased Rua around the Octagon before the pair met inside the pocket and exchanged big shots. Rua pressed Nogueira against the cage again but they separated quickly. A huge pair of left hands from Nogueira back Rua up. Nogueira with another big left hand and Rua responded with a takedown to end the round.

The second round opened up with a body kick from Rua. Rua blitzed to clinch up with Nogueira against the cage, and delivered some knees to the body before Nogueira circled out. A big inside leg kick connected for Rua, and he followed up with a right hand. Nogueira ate a kick to the body but landed an overhand in return. Nogueira’s left hand was really landing, and a shoulder bump from Nogueira took Rua down. Nogueira was in Rua’s guard, after a bit of ground-and-pound, they got back to the feet. Rua went for the takedown but Nogueira stuffed it nicely. A big right hand connected for Rua, and he followed it up with another. Another kick to the body from Rua before the round came to an end.

It was Rua with a big leg kick that opened up the third and final round. Another exchange inside the pocket, and Nogueira pressed forward, looking for the left-hand shot. A nice body kick and right-hand combination from Rua connected. An overhand left landed for Nogueira, but Rua responded with a pair of hooks inside the pocket. Nogueira connected with a clean 1-2, and Rua punched his way inside to get a takedown against the cage. Half guard top position for Rua and Nogueira was throwing shots from his back as the round came to an end. And the fight, which went to the judges. And it was Shogun, earning a third win in the pair’s career series.

Official Result: Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post UFC Fight Island 3 Results: Shogun Rua Earns Close Decision Over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira appeared first on Cageside Press.

Maybe it is the fact that we have seen this fight twice already with the same outcome; Shogun being up two fights to Lil Nog’s zero. Or maybe it could be the fact that these two relics have reached a certain age that does not seem to excite the fans like they once did, way back in 2005 during the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal.

As soon as this fight was announced, I could not help but be excited and filled to the brim with nostalgia. These two men have given everything to the sport of mixed martial arts and it is odd to see the comments on social media that this fight could potentially be boring. They might be aged veterans, but the fighting spirit is ingrained into their DNA.

For Lil Nog this might be his potential swan song from the sport, as he has indicated in multiple interviews leading up to the fight — and what a way to go out, with a win over an opponent that holds that elusive victory over him. On Fight Island of all places. It would be such a perfect scenario for any legend to ride off into the sunset with a victory in their last fight.

Now, on the flip side you have Shogun Rua, who seemed to have a resurgence in the light heavyweight division right up until Anthony “Lionheart” Smith came along and put a halt to his momentum. Like any gritty veteran, Shogun bounced back with a very impressive KO of a highly touted prospect, Tyson Pedro. Shogun was a +415 Heavy Underdog coming into that fight but that is the beauty of this sport — sometimes those betting numbers mean absolutely nothing. In his next outing against Paul Craig, he went the distance and did enough to secure a split draw from the judges.

Who Knows How This Fight Will Play Out

Who knows how this fight will play out on this pretty stacked fight card — but these two legends will give everything they have. And fans will have a chance to reminisce over MMA’s much-lauded past, even if critics see Antônio Rogério Nogueira and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua in the twilight of their career.

Who has your pick for this co-main event fight?  Let us know in the comments below.

The post UFC: Will Nostalgia Be Enough to Excite Fans for Shogun vs. Lil Nog 3? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Nogueira (23-9), who began his career in 2001 in Japan, will retire following Saturday’s fight against Shogun. A man who has defeated him twice in the past. “Lil Nog” (or “Minotouro” if you prefer) had a host of big wins back in PRIDE — he twice defeated Alistair Overeem, submitted Dan Henderson, and even picked up a win over Gracie-hunter Sakuraba. But he never earned the win over Shogun: not in Japan, not in the UFC a decade later, in the pair’s rematch.

Why ask for Shogun for his retirement fight? Speaking to Cageside Press during the UFC Fight Island 3 virtual media day, Nogueira explained that it’s because “we made the best fight of my career in 2005.”

“He’s very aggressive, he has big knockout power. I think I have that too. It’s gonna be a good fight,” he added. But then, there’s another reason this fight means a lot to him. In their 2015 rematch at UFC 190, Shogun won a unanimous decision. 29-28 scores from all three judges.

“I think in 2015 [the rematch] I did not lose,” Nogueira suggested. “When I won the first round, I think it was more like two points. I think the fight was supposed to be a draw.”

And so for the final fight of his career — one that has seen multiple generations of MMA fighters come and go — he’ll look to finally pick up a win over his fellow Brazilian and PRIDE alum.

Will it really be the last one? MMA retirements are often fickle. Alexander Gustafsson retired a year ago. Saturday night, he fights immediately before Nogueira, whose fight against Shogun is the co-main event.

“I think it’s gonna be the last one. It’s a good time to retire,” said Nogueira. “I’m 44 years old, there’s a new generation.”

To that new generation, Nogueira gave just a little advice: “I’d tell them, be hard, like the old style, like before. Keep training hard. Believe in your dream. Something like that.”

As for the standout memories from his career, there was no one fight, no one moment. Rather, said Nogueira, “I think when I fought in Japan for Pride, like 2005, 2004, 2003, it was a good time. The best shape of my life. When I debuted in the UFC in 2009, 2010, it was a good time. I made good fights. In Japan, and the UFC too.”

Thanks for the memories, Minotouro.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira meets Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 3 (UFC on ESPN 14) this Saturday, July 25. The card airs live on ESPN (TSN in Canada).

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The rubber-match between Antonio “Minotoro” Nogueira and former UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is being targeted for July 25, per UFC President Dana White.  White appeared on a podcast hosted by reality-show personality and MMA superfan Steve-O where he stated that he was looking to match up the pair.  The two met twice before: in Pride in 2005 and in the UFC in 2015.  Rua has won both previous meetings by unanimous decision.

Nogueira is looking to get back in the win column after losing to Ryan Spann in May of last year.  A veteran of the UFC since 2009, Nogueira has alternated wins and losses since 2015, coincidentally from his last meeting with Rua.  Nogueira had previously been scheduled to return to action sooner against Trevor Smith last November but was forced out of the bout due to an injury.  Notably, UFC Hall-of-Famer and Nogueira’s older twin brother Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira has said that he expects his little brother to retire after his next fight.

Rua will be looking to notch his first victory of 2020 after fighting just once in 2019 where he fought Paul Craig to a draw.  While injuries plagued Rua throughout the past decade, it did not stop him from claiming the light heavyweight title back in 2010 and fighting a who’s who of the division since then.  Similar to Nogueira, Rua has also expressed that he feels this may be the end, as he stated prior to the fight with Craig that he would be walking away from competition after completing the final fight of his current UFC contract, the last of which would be the fight with Nogueira.

Shogun vs. Nogueira 3 was originally expected to take place on May 9 in Rio de Janeiro. That date was the original slot for UFC 250, prior to the coronavirus pandemic cancelling the event and the new card taking place in the United States — making it impossible to keep the match-up last month together.  The current fight is expected to take place on Fight Island and the event has been rumored to be headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.

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Rua (26-11-1), properly Mauricio but rarely called anything but Shogun, rose to fame in Japan’s PRIDE organization in the mid-2000s before joining the UFC 2007. Earning himself a title shot in just his fourth UFC bout, he’d come up short against Lyoto Machida — a decision loss many saw as a robbery. Rua won the rematch, however, but his reign would be a short one, as the light heavyweight champ was paired up against Jon Jones next.

We all know how that went. Shockingly, Rua embarked on the first three-fight win streak of his UFC career from 2015 to 2017, and has gone 4-1-1 across his last six fights. His only loss in that span came to title challenger Anthony Smith, while he fought to a draw against Paul Craig in his last outing.

Things have been far less rosy for Nogueira (23-9), twin brother of famed UFC heavyweight (now retired) Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Little Nog is just 2-4 in his last six bouts, and is coming off a knockout defeat at the hands of Ryan Spann. He fought just once in each of the last two years, and not at all in 2017.

Nogueira lost both his previous bouts against Shogun, via unanimous decision at Pride Critical Countdown 2005, and again via unanimous decision at UFC 190 in 2015.

UFC 250 takes place May 9, 2020 at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Brazilian legend Little Nog, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, was back in action at UFC 237 on Saturday night. Taking on the longtime veteran was Ryan Spann, a Contender Series veteran riding a five-fight win streak into the event. Spann had defeated Luis Henrique in his promotional debut, while Nogueira was coming off a win over Sam Alvey from back in September.

Both men came out exchanging in the opening frame of this featured televised prelim at UFC 237. But Spann changed levels and took Nogueira down. Spann quickly got the mount and sunk in an arm-triangle. Nogueira escaped though, and got back to his feet. Both men got right back at it with Nogueira landing well. They continued to trade; Spann though landed two straight rights into a left uppercut, folding Nogueira. The follow-up ground and pound put Nogueira out cold.

SUPERMAN!!@Superman_Spann silences the Rio crowd and puts Lil Nog away in round 1! #UFC237 pic.twitter.com/KjiqceRpD0

— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2019

The victory gives Ryan Spann the biggest win of his career. For Nogueira, meanwhile, the storied Brazilian will once again face questions about whether it’s time to call it a career at age 42.

Ryan Spann def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by knockout (punches), Round 1, 2:07

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Brazilian legend Antonio Rogerio Nogueira isn’t calling it a day just yet. The 42-year old light heavyweight and twin brother of former UFC heavyweight champ ‘Big Nog’ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will return at UFC 237 this May. The card, which takes place in the city of Curitiba in Nogueira’s native Brazil, will see ‘Minotouro’ take on Ryan Spann. Combate was first to report the news.

Nogueira (23-8) is 2-1 in his past three bouts, and will be coming off a win against ‘Smilin” Sam Alvey when he enters the cage at UFC 237. Little Nog, as he’s commonly referred to by MMA fans young and old, holds notable wins over Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans in the UFC, as well as Alistair Overeem (twice!), Dan Henderson, and Sakuraba in Pride.

Nogueira’s resume reads like a who’s who of the light heavyweight division, but he never managed to earn a title shot in the UFC, after hitting a skid in 2010-2011 with losses to Ryan Bader and Phil Davis.

Spann (15-5) is a veteran of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, and is currently on a five fight win streak. He scored his latest victory in his UFC debut at UFC Sao Paulo in September. Apparently, he enjoyed winning in Brazil enough to make the trip a second time.

UFC 237 takes place May 11 at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil.

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UFC Sao Paulo had a main event that many questioned. Originally planned as Glover Teixeira vs. Jimi Manuwa, injuries to both fighters resulted in Thiago Santos taking on Eryk Anders on Saturday night. A pair of middleweights, fighting at light heavyweight, atop the year’s final UFC card in Brazil.

Those worries proved unfounded. The pair battled for three full rounds. Anders had the upper hand in the grappling department. Santos had a clear edge on the feet. And at the end of the third he unleashed a hellish string of elbows as Anders shot for a takedown. Anders was stunned. At the end of the round, he couldn’t stand, couldn’t get to his stool. Having taken the fight just six days prior, he’d burned everything in his gas tank. The fight was over, but what a fight it was.

Not surprisingly, the UFC Sao Paulo main event between Santos and Anders earned the Fight of the Night. Santos will now have a tough choice to make: stick around 205lbs and see if he can recreate the success found by fellow former middleweight Anthony Smith, or drop back down to middleweight, where he remains one of the most physically imposing athletes in the division.

Also winning big on the night, ‘Little Nog,’ a.k.a. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The legendary Brazilian fighter turned back time in knocking out the always game Smilin’ Sam Alvey. That knockout earned him one of the event’s Performance of the Night bonuses. Nogueira had not won since 2016, and had not fought since that same year, a loss at the hands of Ryan Bader, who currently holds light heavyweight gold in Bellator MMA. Nogueira owns victories over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, Tito Ortiz, and Rashad Evans. With the win at UFC Sao Paulo, he’s extended his career another fight or two, assuming his body holds up.

💰 B O N U S E S 💰

FOTN: @TMarretaMMA vs @ErykAnders

POTN: @CharlesDoBronxs & @MinotouroMMA #UFCSP pic.twitter.com/QmOH0yeuMl

— UFC (@ufc) September 23, 2018

The final Performance of the Night bonus went to Charles Oliveira, who passed Royce Gracie for the promotion’s submission record on the night. Oliveira submitted Christos Giagos via rear-naked choke for his 11th UFC submission. At just 28 years old, he has plenty of time to build on that.

All four bonus winning fighters at UFC Fight Night 137 will earn an extra $50,000 for their efforts.

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