Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira trailer for UFC 119
NickTheFace makes some fantastic trailers and promos for fights, and this one is no different. It gets you pumped up for this upcoming bout in September between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. These two duked it out already one time and Mir came out on top via KO in what was the first time Nogueira was stopped in MMA. It was revealed that staph infection may have been the culprit to a poor performance on Nogueira’s part, but at the same time that took away from Mir, who was on fire that night against his Brazilian opponent. Nonetheless, it’s time to find out who the better fighter is and we assume they’ll be in pristine health come UFC 119, or at least as good as you can get when you train like a spartan for MMA competition. It’s the norm to come in with some bumps and bruises and have some nagging problems entering a fight, but relatively speaking let’s hope they’re both good to go and as close to 100% as possible.
It’s not an easy fight to call as both of these guys have great ability in every area of the game. Nogueira has been known to be a slow starter, but picks up the pace later in the bout, while Mir is a quick starter and gets things done real fast in the cage. Nogueira is able to absorb a tremendous amount of punishment, and has been known to surivive some epic beatdowns in the sport, which could potentially give him an edge if both fighters have to dig real deep and fight hard into round 3.
Tough one to call. Flip a coin and go from there if you’re looking to pick a winner in this one. The first one was not an easy one to predict, but most sided with the Brazilian. This time out it’s much harder as Mir looked fantastic in defeating Nog in the first battle. They’re both coming off big losses, and they both need this victory bad to stay relevant among the top heavyweight contenders in the division. At this point in the stacked division, it’s almost pivotal not just to win, but to win big and in devastating fashion. If it’s a knockout, wild submission, or anything fast and vicious in the first round, all the better for the victor.
Look forward to this heavyweight clash between two former UFC heavyweight champions. The fans of Indianapolis, Indiana will be treated to a very intriguing heavyweight tilt at UFC 119.
Video: Frank Mir talks rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 119 in Indianapolis
Two heavyweight powerhouses who met at UFC 92 will renew their rivalry at UFC 119 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on Sept 25th. That’s the date when Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira duke it out in a rematch to see who moves their way back up the exciting UFC heavyweight division, and who falls by the wayside from the top tier. It’s a key fight for both opponents. Nogueira is looking to come back from a loss to Cain Velasquez, and more pivotal and directly related to this bout, wants revenge for his knockout loss at the hands of Frank Mir in the first round when the two first met up.
For Frank Mir, it’s time for redemption. While he received much praise for his KO win over the then unfinishable “Big Nog”, those accolades where quickly put to the side and chants of Nogueira not performing to his potential due to a staph infection where chirped about amongst the MMA community. Unfortunately there is a asterisk of the staph infection brought up in conversation numerous times when people discuss this bout. This is a point of disgust for Mr. Mir, but he’s going to have a chance to prove that that first bout was nothing but a fluke win, or due to an illness in the body of his Brazilian opponent.
And another big factor driving Mir’s motivation is settling his personal score with Brock Lesnar. While getting back to the title is definitely an aim of the American MMA fighter, it sometimes seems from the way Mir speaks that driving his fists to the skull of Lesnar is more of what he obsesses about, and the UFC gold would just a cherry on top. It’s not the loss that so much has been a sticking point to Mir, but the instant trash talk and manner in which Lesnar got into Mir’s face after scoring the knockout. Mir’s a man on a mission–one that involves securing some peace of mind for himself by inflicting much violence and stopping Brock Lesnar. But a necessary step another thing on the to-do list for Mir is to once again Nogueira. He’ll get his chance to do so in September in Indiana, and here are some factors to take into consideration when these two former UFC heavyweight champs go at it at UFC 119.
STRIKING
Frank Mir has shown moments of brilliance in his striking game. He scored some excellent strikes against Nogueira in their first fight and also landed a beautiful punch that dropped Cheick Kongo when Mir squared off with the French fighter. That punch was the precursor to Mir choking out the gigantic heavyweight competitor. Prior to Mir and Nogueira fighting, I would have said that Nogueira had the better striking, but after the way Mir attacked and picked apart Nogueira in that fight and dropped him several times in the contest before the KO, I have to lean towards Mir being a more effective striker at the moment. Nogueira was certainly on fire and looked great on the feet against Randy Couture, but against Cain Velasquez, Nogueira was beaten to the punch in the exchanges and outstriked on route to a KO victory by Velasquez. The way the standup went with Nogueira and Velasquez was similar to the Nog-Mir 1 battle. Mir in the first bout was landing first in all exchanges and being very aggressive from the get-go. Nog can be a slow starter, but based on the last fight I have to give a striking edge to Mir.
WRESTLING
Both these fighters can take the other down and land on top position. Whether it be via double leg or single leg, or utilizing a trip takedown from the clinch, Nog can take down Mir and vice versa. This may be a strategy that Nogueira employs in this bout as last time out he was being lit up on the feet. Or it might be a chance for Nog to prove he is a better striker, should he choose to go down that road of redemption. But wrestling wise they’re pretty even and can both defend and score a takedown at different periods of this fight.
GRAPPLING
Should this fight hit the ground it’d be a treat to watch. Two of the best BJJ players at heavyweight in the world of MMA going at it on the ground could make for some compelling action. When these two are at their best they provide some very beautiful and intricate technique done flawlessly. Mir is a very quick technician and can even make the biggest drunkards in the UFC audience halt their insta-booing once the fight hits the mat with his cat like Jiu-Jitsu reflexes transitioning from sub to sub. But as good as these two are on the ground offensively, they are just as strong from a defensive point of view and could neutralize one another. You might see some ground and pound being peppered from the top opponent but as far as actually scoring a submission on the other fighter, it’s not likely. Mir has shown some unbelievable creativity and quickness in making less talented grapplers submit in the cage, but with Nogueira it’ll be hard to pull off some of the ground wizardry he has put together in the Octagon. It’s going to be somewhat of a stalemate in terms of tapping each other on the ground.
WHO WINS?
I think the revenge factor for Nogueira will help him out in this fight. He’s motivated to come back from poor outing versus Mir and also a tough loss to Cain Velasquez. I think Nogueira will pull off this fight by fighting hard and finishing strong in rounds 2 and 3. He can be a slow starter but as the fight goes on I think Nogueira will be able to use some of his wrestling and ground and pound and generally be a tougher fighter in the latter stages of the bout. He has been known to be an ironhorse and incredible tough and I think that intestinal fortitude will help him gain and edge as this battle progressively becomes more grueling. Mir is a fast starter, Nog is not. Mir could take the first stanza, but rounds 2 and 3 are Nogueira’s.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins via decision, 29-28 on all 3 scorecards.
Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2 set for UFC 119 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Conseco Fieldhouse
Two heavyweight powerhouses who met at UFC 92 will renew their rivalry at UFC 119 in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 25th. That’s the date when Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira duke it out in a rematch to see who moves their way back up the exciting UFC heavyweight division, and who falls by the wayside from the top tier. It’s a key fight for both opponents. Nogueira is looking to come back from a loss to Cain Velasquez, and more pivotal and directly related to this bout, wants revenge for his knockout loss at the hands of Frank Mir in the first round when the two first met up.
For Frank Mir, it’s time for redemption. While he received much praise for his KO win over the then unfinishable “Big Nog”, those accolades where quickly put to the side and chants of Nogueira not performing to his potential due to a staph infection where chirped about amongst the MMA community. Unfortunately there is a asterisk of the staph infection brought up in conversation numerous times when people discuss this bout. This is a point of disgust for Mr. Mir, but he’s going to have a chance to prove that that first bout was nothing but a fluke win, or due to an illness in the body of his Brazilian opponent.
And another big factor driving Mir’s motivation is settling his personal score with Brock Lesnar. While getting back to the title is definitely an aim of the American MMA fighter, it sometimes seems from the way Mir speaks that driving his fists to the skull of Lesnar is more of what he obsesses about, and the UFC gold would just a cherry on top. It’s not the loss that so much has been a sticking point to Mir, but the instant trash talk and manner in which Lesnar got into Mir’s face after scoring the knockout. Mir’s a man on a mission–one that involves securing some peace of mind for himself by inflicting much violence and stopping Brock Lesnar. But a necessary step another thing on the to-do list for Mir is to once again Nogueira. He’ll get his chance to do so in September in Indiana, and here are some factors to take into consideration when these two former UFC heavyweight champs go at it at UFC 119.
STRIKING
Frank Mir has shown moments of brilliance in his striking game. He scored some excellent strikes against Nogueira in their first fight and also landed a beautiful punch that dropped Cheick Kongo when Mir squared off with the French fighter. That punch was the precursor to Mir choking out the gigantic heavyweight competitor. Prior to Mir and Nogueira fighting, I would have said that Nogueira had the better striking, but after the way Mir attacked and picked apart Nogueira in that fight and dropped him several times in the contest before the KO, I have to lean towards Mir being a more effective striker at the moment. Nogueira was certainly on fire and looked great on the feet against Randy Couture, but against Cain Velasquez, Nogueira was beaten to the punch in the exchanges and outstriked on route to a KO victory by Velasquez. The way the standup went with Nogueira and Velasquez was similar to the Nog-Mir 1 battle. Mir in the first bout was landing first in all exchanges and being very aggressive from the get-go. Nog can be a slow starter, but based on the last fight I have to give a striking edge to Mir.
WRESTLING
Both these fighters can take the other down and land on top position. Whether it be via double leg or single leg, or utilizing a trip takedown from the clinch, Nog can take down Mir and vice versa. This may be a strategy that Nogueira employs in this bout as last time out he was being lit up on the feet. Or it might be a chance for Nog to prove he is a better striker, should he choose to go down that road of redemption. But wrestling wise they’re pretty even and can both defend and score a takedown at different periods of this fight.
GRAPPLING
Should this fight hit the ground it’d be a treat to watch. Two of the best BJJ players at heavyweight in the world of MMA going at it on the ground could make for some compelling action. When these two are at their best they provide some very beautiful and intricate technique done flawlessly. Mir is a very quick technician and can even make the biggest drunkards in the UFC audience halt their insta-booing once the fight hits the mat with his cat like Jiu-Jitsu reflexes transitioning from sub to sub. But as good as these two are on the ground offensively, they are just as strong from a defensive point of view and could neutralize one another. You might see some ground and pound being peppered from the top opponent but as far as actually scoring a submission on the other fighter, it’s not likely. Mir has shown some unbelievable creativity and quickness in making less talented grapplers submit in the cage, but with Nogueira it’ll be hard to pull off some of the ground wizardry he has put together in the Octagon. It’s going to be somewhat of a stalemate in terms of tapping each other on the ground.
WHO WINS?
I think the revenge factor for Nogueira will help him out in this fight. He’s motivated to come back from poor outing versus Mir and also a tough loss to Cain Velasquez. I think Nogueira will pull off this fight by fighting hard and finishing strong in rounds 2 and 3. He can be a slow starter but as the fight goes on I think Nogueira will be able to use some of his wrestling and ground and pound and generally be a tougher fighter in the latter stages of the bout. He has been known to be an ironhorse and incredible tough and I think that intestinal fortitude will help him gain and edge as this battle progressively becomes more grueling. Mir is a fast starter, Nog is not. Mir could take the first stanza, but rounds 2 and 3 are Nogueira’s.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins via decision, 29-28 on all 3 scorecards.
———————————
FIRST BOUT BETWEEN FRANK MIR AND ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA IN DECEMBER 2008
POST FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER THE FIGHT
Predictions for Nogueira vs Couture at UFC 102
“Wish I had a better sense of where Couture is emotionally/domestically as well as physically. Obviously two titanic MMA figures at the back end of their careers. Interesting match up. Couture—who will benefit from the Pacific Northwest crowd—is the better wrestler, but do you take Big Nog to the ground and risk submission? I say Couture by decision in a fight, low on fireworks, big on tactics.”
Jon Wertheim, author of “Blood in the Cage”
__
“Apparently Nog had just got over a staph infection for the Mir fight and wasn’t properly conditioned and trained–which may have contributed to why he was so slow. Really, classic fight although Randy’s style is better for this one. Randy.”
Sam Sheridan, author of “A Fighter’s Heart”
__
Geeze that’s tough. Gotta go with “The Natural” though.
MMAchump.com
__
” Both myself and my co-host The JDH, while we are big fans of Randy (I mean, hey, who doesn’t love the guy, you know?), but we feel that Nogueira is just going to be too much for him to handle. Back when the UFC had their Final 4 tournament with Lesnar/Couture and Mir/Nogueira, I felt that Nogueira would be the fighter left standing. While I was wrong there, it shows you how I feel about Nogueira’s ability.”
Chris Fries
The Lights Out Show
__
“Other than some submission losses early in his career, Couture has proven himself to be more than capable on the ground. He’s not a submission ace or anything, but he keeps himself in solid position whenever the fight goes to the mat. I think the only way Nogueira wins is by decision. The problem is Nogueira often goes to his back on purpose. This will work against him. Couture will be more than happy to be on top, land some strikes, and win each round. I’m also dubious of any fighter who is coming back from multiple injuries. It just seems like Nogueira doesn’t have many options in this fight. Couture wins by unanimous decision then spends the next year on the sidelines because he refuses to sign an extension.”
Rear Naked News
Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 101
MMAWeekly reports Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will fight at UFC 101 in August.
I’d go with Randy Couture in this one. He has the superior wrestling and can take Nog to the mat. He’s savvy enough on the ground to avoid subs, even though Nog is a high level BJJ blackbelt. On the feet they’ll hit each other hard, but not hard enough to KO the other.
Couture by decision.
UFC 92 breakdown: Frank Mir vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Frank Mir was pretty humble when I got to talk to him a couple weeks back. He basically said that based on in ring experience Nogueira has the edge in wrestling and boxing over him. And mir also said that he isn’t as good a Jiu Jitsu player as Nog because the Brazilian has had a blackbelt longer than Mir.
That didn’t sound too confident, so I asked him where he gets his confidence from to win the fight and he basically said from his training. He knows what he’s capable of doing and has the potential to be the better striker and fighter in the cage, but he just has to transfer that into the Octagon December 27th.
That’s the toughest part, because Mir has had problems in the past with cardio and he doesn’t expect finish Nogueira. So if it goes into the championship rounds 4 and 5, can Mir last with Nogueira 25 minutes into a fight? We’ll see.
I gotta go with Nogueira in this one though. I think they kind of negate each other in the BJJ and wrestling, but Nog will have a boxing edge and an edge in durability. Nogueira taken some of the biggest poundings in the sport, was powerbombed by Bob Sapp, beat down for 10 minutes by Cro Cop, battered by Tim Sylvia for 2 plus rounds and still was able to beat all 3 of those guys. He can take a beating like no other and still win. And based on previous fights, his endurance will outlast Mir’s.