Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (photo via UFC / YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Having recently turned 44, and having fought for nearly 20 years, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s confirmed Saturday’s bout will be his last.

The Brazilian fighter is set to face fellow legend, “Shogun” Rua, in the co-headliner of UFC Fight Island 3. It will mark the third time the two have fought, as Rua outscored Nogueira in 2005 and 2015.

While speaking to the media ahead of this Saturday’s bout, Nogueira reported that his retirement is pending (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“My plan is to make a good fight, step-by-step,” Nogueira said. “But I think it’s a good time to step now. I think it’s going to be the last one.”

“(I have) a lot of kids – a lot of work to do outside the cage,” Nogueira said. “In my last three years it was very difficult to train because I had herniated disc. I had to cancel a lot of fights. Every year I fought one time then the second one I would have to cancel. It was difficult for me my last three years.”

Nogueira (23-9) hasn’t competed since May, 2019, when he was KO’d by Ryan Spann. Rua (26-11), meanwhile, is coming off a draw with Paul Craig in November.