‘Lil Nog’ Eyes Top Four Ranking, Title Shot With Upset Of Anthony Johnson
Out of his action since his UFC 156 upset win over former champion Rashad Evans, UFC light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has earned quite the negative reputation as a combatant who frequently pulls out of fights due to injury.
He most recently cited a nagging back injury as a reason to withdraw from his rumored UFC Fight Night 37 headliner against Alexander Gustafsson this year, a fight he previously was forced out of prior to UFC on Fuel TV 2 in early 2012. Add that to the cancellation of his UFC 161 bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and you have quite the set of unpredictable circumstances.
However, all signs currently point to Nogueira actually making it to the Octagon to face surging No. 5 contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in the co-main event of this Saturday’s (July 26, 2014) UFC on FOX 12 from San Jose, California’s SAP Center. “Lil Nog” told Combate (via Bloody Elbow) that he has a tough challenge this weekend, but plans to upset Johnson and use it as a springboard towards a title shot:
“This fight is a big challenge to getting where I want, which is fighting for the belt. It comes in a great moment. It’s do or die for me. This fight probably will put me as one of the top four guys in the ranking.
He’s coming from a good fight and a big win streak, that is why I think people are trusting him. It’s normal. I went through this last time (against Rashad). My goal is to be the surprise again.”
Nogueira seems rather confident in his ability to defeat Johnson, the hulking headhunter who has won seven straight fights, the most recent a dominant decision victory over Phil Davis in the co-main event of April’s UFC 172.
It’s not surprising that many doubt Nogueira’s ability to defeat “Rumble” based on his injury history alone. Add that to Johnson’s recent form, and the odds are stacked against Nogueira.
But he doesn’t care about that, choosing to instead focus on the fact that his injuries have finally healed. “Lil Nog” said his sparing sessions have been on point, and he’s trained extensively in takedown defense in preparation to face “Rumble”:
“I feel that I’m well trained. For now I’m feeling fine. I did a great fight against Rashad. People told me that I did better sparring sessions for this fight with Johnson than last time. I had quite some time to bring the right people to help me to train takedown defense. It’s not time to think about quit fighting. I’ll only think about that when I stop training well.”
Nogueira will have to watch out for Johnson’s wrestling, but it’s his thunderous striking that may dictate the fight’s outcome. “Rumble” took offense to Nogueira saying he had the better boxing skills on the Road to the Octagon: UFC on FOX 12 video, promising to put “Lil Nog” to sleep.
And most wouldn’t be surprised if that were to happen.
What is your prediction for this weekend’s co-main event? Will Johnson “Rumble” on or can Nogueira somehow show us he has one last run left in his old bones?
