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With Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira afflicted with an undisclosed injury, Fighters Only Magazine reports that Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic will replace the Brazilian to fight Frank Mir next month at UFC 119.

UFC 119 will take place on September 25, 2010 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Filipovic is coming off a win in June against Pat Barry, while Mir returns after a defeat at the hands of Shane Carwin in March. Mir will have to change up his gameplan significantly as Filipovic is a vastly different fighter compared to the Brazilian heavyweight he was to prepare for in Nogueira. Both fighters are well-rounded, but this duel may boil down to a striker versus grappler contest at the core of the battle from a gameplan basis. It’ll be more intricate and complex than that, but Mir will most likely try and get this to the ground, while Filipovic land strikes to try and bang out a KO win over the former UFC champion in Mir.

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

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.

KENNY FLORIAN

Aside from being one of the top 155ers in the game right now, Kenny Florian is a excellent color commentator and has done a great job when he has filled in for the UFC’s Joe Rogan. Florian has tremendous knowledge about being a fighter and competing against elite competition around the world. He has a degree in communications so has a great manner of getting his point across, but aside from that he has tremendous passion for the game and brings a high level of enthusiasm and energy to the broadcast. After he decides to hang up his 4 ounce gloves he can make a very smooth transition into broadcasting in the MMA world. He already is a part of ESPN’s MMA Live and does a great job breaking down fights and analyzing aspects of the sport, in addition to interviewing some of the top dogs in the mixed martial arts world.

BAS RUTTEN

“El Guapo” Bas Rutten is one of the most beloved personalities in the mixed martial arts game. He was a fan favorite while he was a fighter, but his jovial attitude, hilarious sense of humor and free spirit has been infectious in the MMA community. It’s hard not to smile and have a great time while watching Bas Rutten on TV or even just hearing his commentary. He has a very strong knowledge of the game, is a former UFC champion, has trained fighters, commentated for years, done seminars, coached, cornered, and basically seen everything the game has to offer from around the world from the inception of the sport. He brings a very strong passion and spirit to the MMA commentating world, loves the camera, enjoys making people laugh and being an entertainer.
A great combination of being entertaining and knowledgeable about every aspect of the game.

JOE ROGAN

A mainstay in UFC broadcasts, Joe Rogan is one of the passionate MMA fans out there. A former Tae Kwon Do state champion in America, Rogan abandoned TKD to enter into the domain of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He loves MMA, grappling and everything to do with combat sports. He has no care for any other sport than MMA, and has a tremendous amount of respect for fights, and at the same time has a hilarious sense of humor and knows how to belt out some classic lines, as he is a very successful standup comic with legions of fans across the globe. One common thread about some of the top broadcasters in the game is their passion for the game, and Rogan is not different. He loves the sport and started doing commentary for free as a favor to Dana White. Now he’s relishing in a lot more financial success and is in the very fortunate position of being able to do something he loves to do, get rewarded for it and enjoy an amazing ride of traveling the globe from Abu Dhabi to England to Australia to Ireland to Canada and everywhere else to watch the UFC live and commentate on it.

FRANK MIR

A former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir knows what it takes to get to the to of the MMA world. His knowledge of the sport is so vast, and the way he explains everything to do with the sport is so deep, intelligent and gives a very unique perspective. Every time you hear Mir talk about fighting you get the sense that he is almost a fighting philosopher and he has an incredible ability to articulate those thoughts better than anybody else I’ve seen. Being that he is a very successful fighter his opinion counts a lot and makes everything he says all the more important. Mir can easily become an MMA color commentator when he hangs them up.

PAT MILETICH

A legend in the Tri-Cities area, Pat Miletich is a former multiple time defending UFC champ, before it was cool to watch the UFC and before many people even know the term MMA. Miletich made it to the top of the MMA mountain and has helped so many others as well. From Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jeremy Horn, Robbie Lawler, over the course of years Miletich planted the seeds and help these fighters blossom into champions in the UFC and other organizations. He’s a very knowledgeable fighter, knows what makes fighters tick, and understands all dimensions of the game. Running one of the top gyms in the nation at one point, Miletich has seen it all when it comes to MMA and is a good communicator when it comes to getting his points across about what’s going on inside the cage. It’s good to see Miletich getting some coverage in the mixed martial arts broadcasting world, he is one of the fighters who was a champion unfortunately before the sport blew up. Just like Frank Shamrock was king before MMA was a phenomenon, Miletich’s success was reached just prior to the sport taking off into the stratosphere it’s in currently in.

Frank Mir is really good at explaining technique and the thought process and mechanics behind fighting. That’s one of the reasons he has been such a talented color commentator for the UFC and WEC when he has taking on the broadcasting duties. He’s articulate and a fighter so that makes for a really good MMA commentator.

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.

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.

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FIRST BOUT BETWEEN FRANK MIR AND ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA IN DECEMBER 2008

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