10 Things MMA Fans Should Know About The Nogueira Brothers
The Nogueira Brothers are two legendary Brazilian MMA fighters that have been popular for decades at this point. Both brothers have their own host of incredible achievements throughout their career in UFC, boxing, and all kinds of submission grappling. Despite their excellence, both suffered unique kinds of setbacks in their storied careers.
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Fans often argue about which of the two brothers is superior both in competition and when you look at their unique career paths. While it is fair to point out that Rodrigo had more success in championship competitions, both brothers have earned their fair share of accolades over the years.
10 Rogerio Was An Incredible Amateur Boxer
Many people know that Rogerio is a fighter with a lot of heart each and every time he steps inside of a cage. That heart seems to have carried over to his venture into the world of boxing as he managed to pick up quite a bit of success over the years.
Rogerio actually won three separate boxing championships in the super heavyweight division. He was a two-time Brazilian Champion and a one-time South American Champion during his time in boxing. Those impressive wins came in 2006 and 2007.
9 Rodrigo Holds A Special Accolade For Competition In Various Promotions
There are plenty of legendary fighters with some unique accolades to their name, but Rodrigo is only one of three men to hold a certain accolade. He has held titles for both Pride and the UFC, something that only two other men have done.
There were plenty of other men who could have joined the illustrious company, but as UFC acquired Pride, it became impossible for anyone else to obtain that distinct accomplishment. It shouldn’t be that surprising as Rodrigo is often considered a legend of Pride.
8 Rogerio Had A Surprisingly Dominant Debut For Pride
When a fighter debuts for a promotion it not only sets the expectations for fans of the promotion, but it can also set the momentum a fighter may be able to gather. Luckily for Rogerio, he ended his debut fight in no time at all.
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It’s possible that Rogerio was considered a bit of an underdog going into their bout despite his previous wins, but he managed to end his fight against Yusuke Imamura just thirty-five seconds into the first round of their bout with a brutal guillotine choke.
7 Rodrigo Has Won Multiple Gold Medals For His BJJ Skills
One look at Rodrigo’s skill on the mat is more than enough for it to become clear that he is one of the best to roll. While his skill is clear, many may not know that he’s actually decorated in competition for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
He has competed at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships, and Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships and managed to earn various bronze, silver, and gold medals across three years of intense competition. Each competition featured different belts as well ranging from blue to black.
6 Rogerio Suffered One Of The Biggest Upsets In MMA History
Every MMA fan knows that any fight can end at any moment regardless of who is favored to win a fight and regardless of how heavily they’re favored. Sometimes legends can suffer upset losses and Rogerio was no different.
In a bout against a relatively unknown fighter known as Sokoudjou, Rogerio was caught by a significant combination that would knock him out cold. The somewhat simple combination of a high kick and a left hook managed to catch Rogerio in such a way that left the entire world stunned.
5 Rodrigo Lost An Infamous Decision That Is Still Debated To This Day
Rodrigo lost a relatively high-profile tournament bout to Josh Barnett in a decision that caused quite the stir. To this day, there are many people that won’t accept that Barnett was declared the winner as the bout seems clear to them, believing that Rodrigo earned the win.
The controversy just goes to show how excellent both fighters and the fight itself were. Both fighter’s fanbases believe that their chosen hero won the fight, but the judges ultimately declared Barnett the winner. To the delight of many, Rodrigo would get his revenge down the line.
4 Rogerio Had Some Bad Luck With Planned Fights In The UFC
Setting up a fight in a company like the UFC can’t be easy. It’s incredibly easy for a fighter to wind up injured while training for a bout, or even while outside of a training camp living their normal lives. Woes like that befell Rogerio quite often.
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Across his UFC career, Rogerio pulled out of roughly six fights due to personal injuries of his back, knee, and shoulder. Those were just his pullouts, though. Even more bouts were changed due to injured opponents over the years as well leading to nearly ten bouts that were changed or canceled.
3 Rodrigo Climbed To The Top Of Pride In A Short Amount Of Time
It can take fighters their entire career to climb to the top of any promotions ranks, Rodrigo managed to do that in only a few events. He debuted for Pride at Pride 15 and became Pride World Heavyweight Champion only a short tie later at Pride 17.
After two first-round submission victories, Rodrigo found himself in a tough bout against Heath Herring for the inaugural Pride World Heavyweight Championship. Their bout would ultimately go to the judge's decision, but his incredible rise to the top took less than half a year.
2 Fans Were Robbed Of A Rogerio Vs. Gustafsson Bout Multiple Times
A bout between Rogerio and Alexander Gustafsson could have been incredible, but it seems like it was always going to end in cancellation. The two were destined to step into a cage together on multiple occasions, but due to various injuries, the bout would never happen.
For their first two bouts, Rogerio pulled out due to various injuries, though Rogerio has claimed he never even accepted the second attempt at a bout between the two. The third attempt to get the pair into a cage was changed after Gustafsson suffered an arm injury. It’s heartbreaking as the pair likely would have put on a clinic.
1 Rodrigo Once Fought A Man Who Had Over 100 Pounds On Him
The early days of modern MMA were something akin to the wild wild west. It often felt like anything could go in any given promotion, something that led to some strange match-ups. One of the most bizarre was when Rodrigo fought an opponent much heavier than himself.
Rodrigo was scheduled to face off against Bob Sapp in a monster match that saw some brutal competition. Rodrigo took some heavy shots and slams, but once Sapp’s gas tank started running empty Rodrigo was able to narrowly pull out a submission victory against his much heavier opponent.
