Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

It’s been well over a year since Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira retired from fighting, but the legendary fighter say he doesn’t have the itch to compete again, not even if a ‘legends’ division was created.

Vitor Belfort has said that his next bout will be his last, unless the UFC created a division for older fighters.  There’s been no indication that the UFC is considering doing so, but Belfort’s proposal has sparked debate throughout the MMA community.

Recently Nogueira was a guest on “The MMA Hour”, and when asked about fighting again, the Brazilian star said this (quote via MMA Fighting):

“No, no. I had a hip injury, my last three fights I wasn’t 100 percent anymore,” Nogueira said when asked if he considering fighting aga. “So (after) my last fight I decided. I talked to Dana (White, UFC president) about working, and he said ‘man, come work for us in the Brazilian office.’ I love to be working for them. We got like an online show in the internet once a week, and we plan on making more shows…”

When asked about Belfort’s calls for a ‘legends’ division, the former PRIDE champ said this:

“Vitor is a great fighter and he fights someone likes 25 years old is gonna be hard for him, but, of course, if they make fights with fighters in their 40s, why not?” Nogueira said. “Fighters on the same level. But not changing rules, you know what I mean? But I’m not fighting anymore, I’m not thinking about it. But for him, it makes sense.”

The 40 year-old Nogueira retired from pro MMA in August, 2015, after he lost via unanimous decision to Stefan Struve.