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Tuesday, Sep 01, 2015

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Retires, Legend Taking Job With UFC

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

By FCF Staff

One of the most accomplished and popular heavyweights of all time has announced he’s retiring, as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has closed the book on his 15 year plus, fighting career.

On Tuesday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that Nogueira has officially retired from pro MMA, and that the 39 year-old legend has taken a job as the Athlete Relations Ambassador for UFC Brazil.

According to the announcement, Nogueira’s responsibilities will include serving “as a liaison for the organization between athletes, sponsors, media and government bodies, as well as act as a mentor in the development of young athletes.  Additionally, Nogueira will assist in identifying rising talent throughout Brazil as UFC® continues to seek the best athletes for its roster.”

The Brazilian star was quoted saying:

“It’s a great pleasure and an honor for me to further my ties with the UFC. I’ve always had a passion to follow the development of new athletes and that’s what I intend to continue doing. I want to help further the spread of MMA around the world and give my contribution to the emergence and development of young talent. I appreciate all the confidence that Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta have in me, and I believe we will reach big results together. I know that I can, and will, contribute much to the growth of our sport outside of the Octagon.”

Nogueira’s retirement comes not long after he was decisioned by Stefan Struve on August 1st, which was his fourth defeat in five fights. During “Minotauro’s” storied career he won PRIDE’s heavyweight title as well as the UFC’s interim belt.

The BJJ blackbelt scored memorable wins over fellow stars like Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, Mirko “Cro Cop” and Dan Henderson, among many others.

posted by FCF Staff @ 3:41 pm
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