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24/11/09 - Little Nog: "I looked like a professional boxer"
Nobody could accuse Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of false modesty following his Knockout of the Night win over Luiz Cane at UFC 106 on Saturday night. Speaking with Fighters Only last night he said, “I felt very good, I was good in the cage. I felt very fast and I thought that I looked like a professional boxer.”
A PRIDE FC veteran, Nogueira is more used to fighting in a ring than in a cage. How did he find the move to a new fighting environment?
“Its different but I have been training in the cage for a long time because of Rodrigo (‘Big Nog’). Since he came to the UFC he always trains in the cage and I always help him [train] for his fights. Now I have a little experience in the cage too,” he mused. “But the rules are different because you have to use elbows. But for my game I think it is better - I like to box.”
Regarding his fight with Cane, Nogueira is the first to admit he wasn’t expecting to go home with the KO of the Night bonus - in fact, he planned to take the fight to the floor from the beginning.
“I looked to take it to the ground because I know I am much more experienced than him, I trust in my jiu jitsu skills. I trained a lot of boxing for this fight because he has good boxing too - but man, you saw what happened in the fight!” he laughed.
Nogueira’s next outing has not yet been determined but after such an auspicious debut the UFC are likely to have him mixing it with the top boys of the 205lb division sooner rather than later. There is also the possibility of a much-anticipated rematch with Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, but Rua is apparently set to fight Lyoto Machida again first.
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