Antonio Rogerio Nogueira says he will hang up his gloves after his third bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Nogueira and Rua are set to collide once more on July 25. The light heavyweight clash will be a part of a UFC Fight Night card on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. “Shogun” has two unanimous decision victories over Nogueira, one in PRIDE FC and the other under the UFC banner.
Nogueira Plans To Retire After Shogun Trilogy
Speaking to MMAFighting, Nogueira revealed that he plans to retire after his third bout with Rua.
“I think the time has arrived,” Nogueira said. “It’s a lot of work, several projects, the head doesn’t stop. I’ll do my things, but I’m sure I’ll adapt to not fighting anymore. It’s going to be hard [laughs], maybe I’ll have to do more yoga and meditation to get me focused on doing other things instead of thinking about fights. And I’ll be a coach, I have my team, I’ll be able to train them, so it’s okay. Maybe finding new champions will satisfy this desire or winning.”
Nogueira also admitted that he thinks it’ll be tough to walk away from the sport he loves. With that said, he is honored to end his career by sharing the Octagon one more time with “Shogun.” The last time Nogueira and Rua did battle back in Aug. 2015, they earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
When reflecting on his career, Nogueira said he was always close to the top of the heap but couldn’t win the big one. Still, he has no complaints as he feels he made his mark.
When Nogueira enters the Octagon to meet “Shogun” a third time, it’ll be his 33rd pro MMA bout. After being knocked out by Ryan Spann back in May, Nogueira hopes to end his career by finally topping Rua. It would be his first victory since Sept. 2018.
