UFC 190's 'Big Nog' still pining for third Frank Mir fight, not thinking about retirement

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira said his most recent fight, a brutal knockout loss 15 months ago to Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 39, made him “rethink his career.”

But it wasn’t in the way you might expect, or maybe even hope, if you’ve followed the Brazilian veteran’s MMA odyssey, now in its 16th year.

Nogueira (34-9-1 MMA, 5-5 UFC), who on Saturday fights relative youngster Stefan Struve (25-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at UFC 190, will forever be known as one of the toughest vets in MMA history, and he isn’t going out on anyone else’s terms.

The former PRIDE champ and twin brother of UFC light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira told MMAjunkie he didn’t consider taking a step back from fighting after the Nelson los, nor did he consider stepping away for good from the cage.

Instead, he came back more motivated to fight.

“I made some mistakes, especially in training,” said Nogueira, 39, who meets Struve on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 190 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. “The defeat was good. It made me … change what was needed so I could come back even better. You can be sure I’ll be much better this time.”

Retirement questions have dogged Nogueira for the past several years as more and more young heavyweights have emerged and made their mark in the sport. The submission specialist hails from an earlier time in MMA, when training regimens were less sophisticated and many fighters were less than well-rounded. In some losses, he’s looked like time passed him by.

And while Nogueira has seemingly beaten back Father Time with several wins over younger fighters such as Brendan Schaub, he’s suffered serious injures and been forced to spend long periods on the sidelines after multiple surgeries. His most recent fight looked like it could, or perhaps should, be a career-ender, but he blames the result on bad preparation and an injury.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson

“I had just returned to training,” he said. “I was inactive towards the end of 2014, recovering from a knee injury. I tore the ligaments in my right knee on the week I fought Nelson.”

Going into the fight with Struve, Nogueira isn’t talking about the wear-and-tear of a decade-and-a-half career or his plans for life after fighting. He’s talking about how he’s going to win, and that’s to be expected from a competitor of his caliber.

“(Struve) has many qualities, including his length and very good jiu-jitsu,” Nogueira said. “My strategy is to close the distance using my boxing, or take him down. I know I can submit him or knock him out.”

If successful on Saturday night, Nogueira thinks a third meeting with longtime veteran Frank Mir, who’s now experiencing a late career surge, is still a good idea.

Nogueira twice lost to Mir, suffering a TKO loss in the first bout and a grisly broken arm in the second. Still, those results are not enough to drive him away from the matchup, which he’s repeatedly called for to no avail.

“I would like to face him, yes,” Nogueira said. “This is fight that sells itself. Both Mir and I have a good name in the UFC. Who wouldn’t want to see a new clash between us? But I don’t have my heart set on that fight only. I want to still have great fights, regardless of who the opponent might be.”

The Struve fight could bring Nogueira another highlight in a long list of achievements on his resume. It could also be the wakeup call he didn’t get against Nelson. It’s his interpretation of what happens that’s hard to predict.

For the latest on UFC 190, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.