Nogueira

By Michael Hatamoto

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has withdrawn from an expected UFC 149 matchup against kick boxer Cheick Kongo, still suffering from a broken humerus suffered at the hands of Frank Mir last December.

Big Nog had surgery to help correct the injury, but recovery is taking longer than expected, according to Sherdog.  It’s a shame Nogueira won’t be back in the cage, because Kongo is the perfect type of fighter he’d be able to collect a win against – avoid the heavy kickboxing, secure a takedown, and try to get a quick submission win.

Nogueira has sustained an insane amount of damage throughout his career, and I’m not sure how much more his body can take.  In his past five fights, Big Nog has lost to Frank Mir (twice) via submission and TKO, lost to Cain Velasquez via knockout, and beat Randy Couture and Brendan Schaub.

Prior to his UFC fighting career, Big Nog fought the most elite fighters in PRIDE, where he also suffered an intense amount of physical abuse.

The elder Nogueira brother likely needs to take additional time to ensure his injury heels fully, and will return to the cage sometime in late summer/early Fall.