Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a.k.a Minotauro
Country of origin:
Brazil
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 230
Birth date: 1976-06-02
Record: 31-4-1
Profile:
Born in the town of Vitoria da Conquista in Brazil, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was born in 1976 in Brazil. He as a twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira who is often referred to as "Lil' Nog". Rodrigo can be distinguished by his large scar on his back, the result of a childhood accident when he was ten years old. A truck struck Nogueira and put him in a coma for four days.
Nogueira had practiced judo at an early age, and began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his mid-teens, around the same time as he began learning boxing. At the age of twenty-three he was awarded his black belt in BJJ, the same year he began his professional mixed martial arts career.
Nogueira has fought in Pride Fighting Championships since 2001 and tends to submit his opponents using Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques and as such is often a favorite of grappling fans. His match against Bob Sapp is popular, as Sapp outweighed Nogueira by more than 100 pounds, yet Nogueira withstood the punishment and was able to win by armbar against the giant.
"Minotauro" was a coach on the eighth season of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television show about aspiring UFC fighters. His rival on the show was Frank Mir.
Fights on MMAPredictions.com:
- Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in UFC 92: The Ultimate
- Tim Sylvia lost to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in UFC 81
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira beat Heath Herring in UFC 73: Stacked
