Nogueira vs. Velasquez: Legendary Fighter Faces Rising Star in UFC 110 — A Tiny Mistake By Velasquez Could Mean Submission Victory By Nogueira » 30ninjas

Nogueira vs. Velasquez: Legendary Fighter Faces Rising Star in UFC 110 — A Tiny Mistake By Velasquez Could Mean Submission Victory By Nogueira

Share on Facebook posted 02-15-10 by John George

A legendary mixed martial arts veteran will face an undefeated rising star during the main bout of the Ultimate Fighting Championship 110 event, to be broadcast Feb. 20 on pay per view from Sydney, Australia. Read results and see video here.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (32-5-1) a former heavyweight champion of both the UFC and Pride, will face Cain Velasquez (7-0-0), who has finished six of his seven opponents.

Nogueira, also sometimes referred to as “Big Nog” to distinguish him from his slightly smaller twin brother who is also a top-notch fighter, is true fighting royalty. His career, in which he has faced some of the toughest heavyweight competition in the world, stretches back a full decade.

Born in Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil, Nogueira, 33, started training in judo when he was only 4. He took up boxing at age 14 and began training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at 18. One of his formative experiences as a child was getting run over and crushed by a truck. He was in a coma for four days and spent 11 months in a hospital, coming out missing a chunk of his liver and one of his ribs.

Commentators have speculated that surviving this horrendous accident has helped make him the exceptionally successful fighter he is today. Over and over again, Nogueira has shown a really special kind of dogged determination that has allowed him to absorb tremendous punishment and come back to snatch victory from the brink of absolute defeat.

In his illustrious career, Nogueira has defeated a number of former UFC heavyweight champions and top contenders, including Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman, Ricco Rodriguez, Heath Herring, Fabricio Werdum, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Dan Henderson, Bob Sapp and Jeremy Horn, among others. It is not hyperbole in any way to say that he has faced and beaten many of the best in the world.

Of his five losses, two have come at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko, who is widely considered the top heavyweight MMA fighter in the world. His most recent loss was to Frank Mir, who was hungry for redemption after his own loss to Brock Lesnar. During that fight, Mir showed outstanding boxing skills that Nogueira seemed unable to counter. The Brazilian had been ill before that fight, and he was clearly not at his best that night.

Nogueira was a coach opposite Mir on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and it was there that he really endeared himself to me. I had always respected his skills in the past, but I hadn’t gotten a sense for the man’s nobility and graciousness. During the show, he showed himself to be a paragon of respect and seriousness. While many of the contestants showed themselves to be nincompoops and childish buffoons, Big Nog set the example as a dedicated martial artist.

Velasquez isn’t a bad guy either. The 27-year-old fighter has an impressive wrestling pedigree, having earned NCAA Division I All-American honors for two years at Arizona State University and also having become a junior college national champion at Iowa Central Community College.

Velasquez is a Mexican-American born in Salinas, Calif., and currently fighting out of San Jose. He seems to be a decent, humble guy from his interviews, and he is impressive in the ring.

In his last fight, which took place in October 2009, Velasquez dominated Ben Rothwell, a former International Fight League heavyweight champion who is at least 25 pounds heavier than Velasquez. Velasquez’s takedowns and ferocious ground-and-pound were too much for Rothwell, who lost by technical knockout at just under a minute into the second round.

Of Velasquez’s other six wins, only his victories over feared French striker Cheick Kongo and hard-hitting Indiana wrestler Jake O’Brien were against notable opponents. Kongo is a great kickboxer, but he’s got absolutely zero ground skills, so it’s kind of surprising that he managed to last three rounds against Velasquez. O’Brien got knocked out by Velasquez two minutes into the third round.

Nogueira will be the toughest , most experienced opponent Velasquez has had to face. This is a definite step up in competition for him, and it remains to be seen how he will handle it. A decisive victory over Nogueira will really put Velasquez closer to the front of the UFC heavyweight pack.

As for Nogueira, his experience could help him overcome the power in Velasquez’s fists and stymie his takedowns. The Brazilian is one of the best big jiu jitsu men in the world, and the tiniest mistake by Velasquez could lead to a submission victory by Nogueira.

I think Velasquez may have the edge in stand-up striking, and I hope Nogueira will think better than to stand and trade with the Californian. If Big Nog can close the distance and clinch, he can put himself in a good position to dictate the fight and win. Even if Velasquez does get a takedown, Nogueira can hope to do well on the ground, even against a top-notch wrestler like Velasquez.

The trick will be to keep Velasquez from finishing the fight early. Cain is very explosive and very powerful, and he could do enough damage early to trigger a referee stoppage and not give Nogueira a chance to call in his amazing come-from-behind powers.

I’ll be rooting for Big Nog, but I’m not very sure he’ll win. This fight could come out either way. I think the longer it goes, the more of a chance Nogueira has. I think if Cain is to win, he’ll need a first or second round knockout. If it goes into the third round, I see Big Nog winning by submission. I don’t think this will go to a decision.

Read All UFC and MMA Posts Here

3 responses to Nogueira vs. Velasquez: Legendary Fighter Faces Rising Star in UFC 110 — A Tiny Mistake By Velasquez Could Mean Submission Victory By Nogueira