| Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Nogueira in 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1976-06-02)2 June 1976 (age 49) Vitória da Conquista,Bahia, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Minotauro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 78 in (198 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Brazilian Top Team (1999–2006) Black House (2006–2015) Team Nogueira Internacional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | 5th degree black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo De la Riva[1] Black belt inJudo[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1999–2015 (MMA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Mixed martial arts fighter, contracted to theUltimate Fighting Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relatives | Antônio Rogério Nogueira, brother | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable students | Anderson Silva,José Aldo,Junior dos Santos,Patricky Freire,Patricio Freire,Lyoto Machida | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:[ɐ̃ˈtoni.uʁoˈdɾiɡunoˈɡejɾɐ,ɐ̃ˈtonju-]; born 2 June 1976), better known asMinotauro orBig Nog,[3] is a Brazilian retiredmixed martial artist. He competed in theheavyweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a formerInterim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is the twin brother of UFC fighterAntônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira rose to prominence in Japanese promotionsFighting Network RINGS where he won the 2000 RINGS King of Kings tournament, and later withPride Fighting Championships, where he was the firstPride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a2004 PRIDE FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist. He is one of only three men to have held championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (the others beingMaurício Rua andMark Coleman).
Born in the town ofVitória da Conquista, Brazil, Nogueira started training injudo at the age of 4, boxing at 14 and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 18. At age 10, he was accidentally run over by a truck and fell into a four-day coma, losing a rib and part of his liver, and was hospitalized for eleven months. As a result of the accident, he has a large scar, including a noticeable indentation, on his lower back.[4]
Nogueira made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in the World Extreme Fighting promotion, which often held events in southern parts of the United States. He won his first two fights by submission and then won the WEF Heavyweight Superfight Championship in his 5th pro fight against veteranJeremy Horn. A few years after his MMA debut, Nogueira started training with theBrazilian Top Team.
Nogueira debuted inFighting Network Rings by taking part in the King of Kings 1999 tournament. He quickly submittedValentijn Overeem andYuriy Kochkine before clashing with middle-agedsambo championAndrei Kopylov. Nogueira avoided akimura lock attempt through the first round and controlled Kopylov for some minutes, before switching to stand-up in the second round and landing punches for the split decision win. In the next match, however, Nogueira was eliminated by American wrestling championDan Henderson in a controversial fight, as it was believed that the Brazilian had controlled the match much more than Henderson.
Nogueira's next fight was against Japanese starTsuyoshi "TK" Kohsaka. The bout was back and forth, with Nogueira repeatedly gaining dominant position and striking with short punches, only for his opponent to consistently reverse him, blocking the Brazilian's takedowns and striking as well when possible. After three rounds, the match was ruled a draw.
At King of Kings 2000, Nogueira was invited back to Rings. He submitted Achmed Labasanov before facing another Japanese name in the form ofKiyoshi Tamura. Nogueira was able to take him down and threaten him with submissions, but the Japanese fighter kept defending them and coming back at openings. Finally, the second round saw Nogueira win using an armbar.
His third match in the tournament was against another sambo champion,Volk Han, who was almost twice Nogueira's age. Han proved difficult to submit, but Nogueira controlled most of the match. After aflyingkimura attempt by the Russian, Nogueira countered with anomoplata/ankle hold combination, until the match went to the judges' decision. The unanimous decision was given to the Brazilian, who advanced to the next round to faceHiromitsu Kanehara. Noguiera won the fight by submission. His final opponent in the tournament was Valentijn Overeem. Nogueira made Overeem tap out quickly and won the King of Kings tournament.
Following the end ofAkira Maeda's Rings federation, Nogueira was signed byPride Fighting Championships. He debuted in July 2001 atPride 15, quickly submittingGary Goodridge by triangle choke. AtPride 16, he submitted UFC and Pride Grand Prix champion Mark Coleman by triangle armbar.[citation needed]
Nogueira was crowned as the inauguralPride World Heavyweight Champion after defeatingHeath Herring by decision atPRIDE 17. The fast-paced bout, which saw Nogueira's superiority at both grappling and striking, was considered by some the best heavyweight MMA fight of all time.[5]
Nogueira next defeatedEnson Inoue via technical submission due to a triangle choke and then fought forAntonio Inoki's UFO organization, scoring his first MMAKO victory againstSanae Kikuta.[citation needed]
Nogueira then represented Pride at a co-promotion withK-1,Pride Shockwave. He was initially offered a kickboxing bout against K-1 fighterMark Hunt, but he proposed instead to fight two separate matches under mixed martial arts and kickboxing rules respectively, which Hunt refused.[5] Nogueira then to fight another K-1 super heavyweight, formerAmerican football playerBob Sapp, who outweighed Nogueira by 127 pounds. Due to this, Nogueira asked for special rules that bannedknee strikes to a grounded opponent.[6]
The fight soon became a brutal exhibition of technical skill against raw strength, as mere seconds into the match, Sapp would stop Nogueira's first takedown attempt with a soundpiledriver which almost ended the fight. The same outcome repeated itself several times, with Nogueira taking severalpowerbombs and heavy punches every time his huge antagonist managed to power out of his submission attempts. At the end, however, Sapp's stamina started to falter, allowing a very worn out Nogueira to mount him and finally submit him with an armbar.[6]
After defeating Sapp, Dutch kickboxing champion and former King ofPancraseSemmy Schilt was his next opponent. Nogueira scored another victory by triangle choke. He then avenged his only loss against Dan Henderson, when he armbarred him in the 3rd round after Henderson displayed great submission defense for the first two rounds.
Nogueira's first Pride title defense was against Russian sambo champion andVolk Han apprenticeFedor Emelianenko atPride 25. Nogueira suffered his second career loss, a judges' decision after Emelianenko dominated the fight with his characteristicground-and-pound through theguard. In his next fight, Nogueira won a decision against former UFC heavyweight championRicco Rodriguez. Though Rodriguez scored takedowns and maintained top position, Pride's fight-scoring was determined primarily by "effort to finish the fight by KO or submission," and Nogueira's multiple near-submission attempts won him the decision victory.[7]
In November 2003, with heavyweight champion Emelianenko unable to fight due to injuries, Pride elected to crown an interim champion, so top contenders Nogueira andMirko Cro Cop were matched up. Cro Cop dominated the first round with his superior striking and a left high kick which knocked Nogueira down in the very end of the round, but in the second round, Nogueira secured a takedown and rolled into an armbar to submit Cro Cop.
On 25 April 2004, atPride Total Elimination 2004, the first round of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix was held. Nogueira faced the unbeaten professional wrestler and former judokaHirotaka Yokoi, whom he submitted with the debut of hisanaconda choke. He then repeated the move against Heath Herring in the next round to advance to the semi-finals where he defeatedSergei Kharitonov to again face Fedor Emelianenko in the finals. The fight was markedly different from their first, with Nogueira able to avoid the damage he suffered from ground-and-pound in their first meeting. However, the bout was stopped when Emelianenko suffered a cut after an accidental head-butt and could not continue, resulting in a no-contest. Another rematch was required to determine the tournament champion and was scheduled forPride Shockwave 2004 on 31 December 2004. In the rematch as in the first bout, Nogueira suffered another unanimous decision loss to Emelianenko after being dominated in the standing positions and being controlled on the ground.
AtPride Critical Countdown 2005, Nogueira defeated Polish Olympic judokaPawel Nastula by strikes, and following this, atPride 31 he beat professional wrestler and fighterKiyoshi Tamura by armbar for the second time.
He then entered the 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, progressing to the semi-final by defeating fellow BraziliansZuluzinho andFabrício Werdum. In the semi-final, he faced the Americancatch wrestler Josh Barnett and lost a controversial split decision in which many people thought Nogueira had won the fight, as both had landed damaging blows and submission attempts without managing to secure a victory. Barnett went on to faceMirko Cro Cop in the finals, Losing to Cro Cro after submitting to punches and kicks to the face. Nogueira avenged the loss to Barnett with a dominant unanimous decision win in their rematch atPride Shockwave 2006.
In an interview withSherdog.com, Nogueira stated that the best moments of his career were againstBob Sapp andMirko Cro Cop, both matches he won fighting in Pride.[8]
AtUFC Fight Night 9 which took place on 5 April 2007, Nogueira was in attendance and was sitting cage side with UFC presidentDana White. It was subsequently announced atUFC 69, by White, that Nogueira had joined the UFC. He was promoted initially as simply "Minotauro" Nogueira, much like the UFC's promotion ofMirko Filipović as Mirko "Cro Cop" andQuinton Jackson as "Rampage" Jackson. In June 2007, he officially left Brazilian Top Team and joinedBlack House.
His debut in the Octagon was a third fight with Heath Herring atUFC 73, promoted under various combinations of his name and nickname, but was officially introduced to the audience under his full name and nickname. Nogueira once again defeated Herring, via unanimous decision. During the first round, Herring landed a head kick that sent Nogueira to the canvas, in which unofficial judgeEddie Bravo thought the fight could have been stopped. Herring let Nogueira get back to his feet, and Nogueira was then able to recover and come back with a dominant decision victory.
It was announced during theUFC 79 broadcast and subsequent press conference that Nogueira would be fighting former long timeUFC Heavyweight ChampionTim Sylvia atUFC 81 for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Nogueira defeated Sylvia in the third round with a guillotine choke to become the InterimUFC Heavyweight Champion. During the fight Sylvia knocked Nogueira down with punches. After pulling Sylvia into his half guard in the third round, Nogueira quickly secured asweep and attempted an armbar which he missed but immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke as Sylvia tried to regain his feet thus mounting a come from behind victory. Nogueira's coach,Amaury Bitetti, said that Nogueira had trained for the guillotine well beforehand.[9]
Nogueira and former UFC Heavyweight ChampionFrank Mir were the coaches for the eighth season ofThe Ultimate Fighter (TUF), which premiered on 17 September 2008, onSpike TV.[10] Both winners ofThe Ultimate Fighter, season 8, light heavyweightRyan Bader and lightweightEfrain Escudero, were members of Team Nogueira. After the season concluded, coaches Nogueira and Mir met atUFC 92 for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.[11] Mir won a one-sided fight in the second round via TKO due to punches, showing much improved striking by knocking Nogueira down twice in the first round.[12]Herb Dean stopped the match at 1:54 of the second round.[12] The loss marked the first time Nogueira had been stopped in his career.[13]
Two days after the fight, Dana White revealed in an interview that "Nogueira had just gotten over a Staph infection."[14] Nogueira himself verified this fact several months later in his own interview, stating that he had a Staph infection "20 days before the fight, [requiring] 5 days in the hospital." When asked if this infection affected his fight, he answered: "For sure." In addition to this significant illness, his knee was injured during training for which he had surgery in February 2009. Despite these legitimate handicaps, Nogueira offered strong praise for Frank Mir's performance, with particular credit given to Mir's ability to maintain "very good distance."[15]
The UFC next wanted to schedule Nogueira to faceUFC Hall of Famer and formerUFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight ChampionRandy Couture atUFC 97, but Couture had to turn down the fight due to elbow surgery in January 2009.[16] Couture later agreed to fight Nogueira atUFC 102 inPortland, Oregon.[17] Nogueira defeated Couture via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28). Nogueira showed much improved sharpness on his feet, and displayed his excellent chin by walking through many of Couture's strikes while still throwing punches, eventually gaining the better of the exchanges as he scored two knockdowns of Couture in the fight. Although taken down twice, Nogueira swept from guard on both occasions (after some time on his back) to gain the full mount over Couture. On the floor, Nogueira threatened with two submissions, first with a D'Arce choke and later with an arm-triangle choke.
Nogueira was expected to face undefeated prospectCain Velasquez on 2 January 2010, atUFC 108, but again, Nogueira caught another severe staph infection cancelling the bout. The bout instead took place on 21 February 2010, atUFC 110 inSydney, Australia.[18] During the bout, Nogueira was out-boxed as Velasquez landed an uppercut-right hook combo that dropped Nogueira early in the first round. Velasquez followed up with five clean shots on the ground, prompting refereeHerb Dean to stop the contest, in which Velasquez earned a KO victory.[19] At the time, Nogueira had been knocked out in two of his last three fights.
Nogueira was to faceFrank Mir on 25 September 2010, atUFC 119 in a rematch from the championship bout at UFC 92.[20] Nogueira pulled out of this fight in order to undergo needed surgery on both of his hips as well as his knee and was replaced byMirko Cro Cop. He stated on 15 May 2011, that he would fight at the UFC's return toRio de Janeiro in Brazil.[21][22] Nogueira defeatedThe Ultimate Fighter alumnusBrendan Schaub by knockout due to punches in the first round on 27 August 2011, atUFC 134 in his home-city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was his first fight in over 16 months (and was billed as his "return fight") and earned him his firstKnockout of the Night bonus.[23] He celebrated his victory by sitting on top of the octagon fence and displaying a Brazilian national flag withSport Club Internacional's emblem added to the center of the flag.
Nogueira facedFrank Mir in a rematch on 10 December 2011, atUFC 140. After close early exchanges and a lot of work against the cage, the two separated, and Nogueira rocked Mir with a hard overhand right, jab combo. After Mir fell to the ground, Nogueira continued with ground and pound before attempting a guillotine choke. Mir was able to get out of this and during a scramble, ended inside control and locked up akimura. Nogueira managed to roll Mir, only to be reversed himself. Mir stepped his right leg over the face of Nogueira and cranked the kimura, causing Nogueira's righthumerus to break, thus ending the fight at 3:38 of round 1.[24]
Nogueira was expected to faceCheick Kongo on 21 July 2012, atUFC 149.[25] However, Nogueira pulled out of the bout, citing that his arm injury had not healed enough to resume the proper training and was replaced byShawn Jordan.[26] Nogueira foughtDave Herman on 13 October 2012, atUFC 153.[27] He won the bout when he submitted Herman in the second round with an armbar. The finish earned him his firstSubmission of the Night honors.
Nogueira coached oppositeFabrício Werdum on the second season ofThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. The two met in a rematch at the conclusion of the season, on 8 June 2013, atUFC on Fuel TV 10. This fight was a rematch of their first fight in PRIDE in which Nogueria won by unanimous decision back in 2006.[28][29] After a back-and-forth first round, Nogueira lost via submission to an armbar in the second round.
Nogueira facedRoy Nelson on 11 April 2014, in the main event atUFC Fight Night 39.[30] After dropping Nogueira several times with punches in the first round, Nelson finished the fight via knockout with an overhand right.[31][32]
On 17 June 2014, Nogueira underwent successful surgery to repair a partialACL tear of his right knee.[33] On 9 February 2015, it was announced Nogueira would replaceAnderson Silva as a head coach onThe Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4, after Silva was removed following his failed drug test.[34]
In March 2015, Nogueira revealed in an interview with Combate that he had undergone stem cell therapy on his elbows, hips and knees. Nogueira said,
They have a clinic in Kansas where they work with stem cells. What they do is they remove some cells from fat out of your back and then inject them in your joints. I did it on my elbows, my hips and knees. It stimulates cartilage growth. It's pretty cutting edge technique. I'm responding really well so far. It's been helping a lot with my pain. I'm still doing physiotherapy, which is responsible for curing my hips, but I'm now doing this to make it even stronger. I had a break between my last fight andThe Ultimate Fighter shootings, so I decided to go for it.
Nogueira also confessed a desire to fightFrank Mir for a third time saying,
In two weeks I'll be cleared to train freely again. First, I will get my body strong enough so I can train and be 100% ready to fight. I intend to fight at UFC 190 in August. I wanted to come back at the TUF finale card, but I'm afraid there won't be enough time. I'll definitely be ready in August. The UFC told me they would put me in a card in August. They didn't say which one, but I'm sure it'll be the one in Rio. I still don't have an opponent. They said there were three different guys I could be fighting, but I can't comment on that. I don't have any preferences really. I just want to come back and fight, but I would like to face Frank Mir again before the end of the year.[35]
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In turn, the promotion balked at setting up a third bout with Mir. Instead, Nogueira next facedStefan Struve atUFC 190 on 1 August 2015.[36] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[37] After the fight, UFC presidentDana White said he would no longer offer Nogueira fights, effectively ending hisUFC career. White also indicated that he would instead offer Nogueira aposition within the company.[38] In turn, Nogueira confirmed his intention to retire.[39]
Nogueira was universally known as a grappler, drawing strength from his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills.[40] However, he also had a well-rounded set of MMA abilities, relying on outstandingboxing and a competent takedown game.[41][42] He was especially famous for his affinity to fighting from the bottom, utilizing an offensiveopen guard with masterful skill. His trademark moves were submissions likearmbars,triangle chokes and variations of both, along with more exotic techniques.[41] His ground game was considered "on a completely different level" from the rest of the sport during his time as an MMA competitor.[41] Nogueira was also known for his solidchin and extreme ability to take punishment, which was showcased in his fights againstBob Sapp,Fedor Emilianenko andMirko Cro Cop.[41]
From 2004 to 2005, Nogueira acted inYomiuri TV'ssitcom television seriesAfrica no Tsume, playing the character "Nogueira." He cameoed inThe Expendables along with his twin brother.
In 2023, Nogueira began working as a member of the commentary team forUFC Fight Pass Brazil.[43]
Nogueira has one daughter.[44] On 23 August 2011, Nogueira established a partnership with Brazilian football clubInternacional to represent the club's brand in the UFC. In an interview forSporTV, Nogueira said, "I'll do my best to represent Internacional in the best possible way. Now I am 100% Internacional."[45]
| 46 matches | 34 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 3 |
| By submission | 21 | 2 |
| By decision | 10 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 34–10–1 (1) | Stefan Struve | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 190 | 1 August 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 34–9–1 (1) | Roy Nelson | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson | 11 April 2014 | 1 | 3:37 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 34–8–1 (1) | Fabrício Werdum | Submission (armbar) | UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum | 8 June 2013 | 2 | 2:41 | Fortaleza, Brazil | |
| Win | 34–7–1 (1) | Dave Herman | Submission (armbar) | UFC 153 | 13 October 2012 | 2 | 4:31 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Submission of the Night. |
| Loss | 33–7–1 (1) | Frank Mir | Technical Submission (kimura) | UFC 140 | 10 December 2011 | 1 | 3:38 | Toronto,Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 33–6–1 (1) | Brendan Schaub | KO (punches) | UFC 134 | 27 August 2011 | 1 | 3:09 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Knockout of the Night. |
| Loss | 32–6–1 (1) | Cain Velasquez | KO (punches) | UFC 110 | 21 February 2010 | 1 | 2:20 | Sydney, Australia | UFC Heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Win | 32–5–1 (1) | Randy Couture | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 102 | 29 August 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year (2009). |
| Loss | 31–5–1 (1) | Frank Mir | TKO (punches) | UFC 92 | 27 December 2008 | 2 | 1:54 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lost the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 31–4–1 (1) | Tim Sylvia | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 81 | 2 February 2008 | 3 | 1:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Won the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 30–4–1 (1) | Heath Herring | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 73 | 7 July 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | |
| Win | 29–4–1 (1) | Josh Barnett | Decision (unanimous) | Pride FC - Shockwave 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 28–4–1 (1) | Josh Barnett | Decision (split) | Pride FC - Final Conflict Absolute | 10 September 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Semifinals. |
| Win | 28–3–1 (1) | Fabrício Werdum | Decision (unanimous) | Pride FC - Critical Countdown Absolute | 1 July 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Quarterfinals. |
| Win | 27–3–1 (1) | Wagner Martins | Submission (armbar) | Pride FC - Total Elimination Absolute | 5 May 2006 | 1 | 2:17 | Osaka, Japan | 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Opening Round. |
| Win | 26–3–1 (1) | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission (armbar) | Pride 31 - Dreamers | 26 February 2006 | 1 | 2:24 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 25–3–1 (1) | Pawel Nastula | TKO (punches) | Pride Critical Countdown 2005 | 26 June 2005 | 1 | 8:38 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 24–3–1 (1) | Fedor Emelianenko | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | 31 December 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | For thePride Heavyweight Championship. 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. |
| NC | 24–2–1 (1) | Fedor Emelianenko | NC (accidental clash of heads) | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | 15 August 2004 | 1 | 3:52 | Saitama, Japan | For thePride Heavyweight Championship. 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Final. |
| Win | 24–2–1 | Sergei Kharitonov | Decision (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinals. | |||
| Win | 23–2–1 | Heath Herring | Submission (anaconda choke) | Pride Critical Countdown 2004 | 20 June 2004 | 2 | 0:30 | Saitama, Japan | 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals. |
| Win | 22–2–1 | Hirotaka Yokoi | Submission (anaconda choke) | Pride Total Elimination 2004 | 25 April 2004 | 2 | 1:25 | Saitama, Japan | 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round. |
| Win | 21–2–1 | Mirko Cro Cop | Submission (armbar) | Pride Final Conflict 2003 | 9 November 2003 | 2 | 1:45 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the interimPride Heavyweight Championship. Fight of the Year (2003). |
| Win | 20–2–1 | Ricco Rodriguez | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Total Elimination 2003 | 10 August 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 19–2–1 | Fedor Emelianenko | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 25 | 16 March 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | Lost thePride Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 19–1–1 | Dan Henderson | Submission (armbar) | Pride 24 | 23 December 2002 | 3 | 1:49 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| Win | 18–1–1 | Semmy Schilt | Submission (triangle choke) | Pride 23 | 24 November 2002 | 1 | 6:36 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 17–1–1 | Bob Sapp | Submission (armbar) | Pride Shockwave | 28 August 2002 | 2 | 4:03 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 16–1–1 | Sanae Kikuta | KO (punch) | UFO-Legend | 8 August 2002 | 2 | 0:29 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 15–1–1 | Enson Inoue | Technical Submission (triangle choke) | Pride 19 | 24 February 2002 | 1 | 6:17 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 14–1–1 | Heath Herring | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 17 | 3 November 2001 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the inauguralPride Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–1–1 | Mark Coleman | Submission (triangle armbar) | Pride 16 | 24 September 2001 | 1 | 6:10 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Win | 12–1–1 | Gary Goodridge | Submission (triangle choke) | Pride 15 | 29 July 2001 | 1 | 2:37 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 11–1–1 | Valentijn Overeem | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Final | 24 February 2001 | 1 | 1:20 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the 2000 King of Kings Tournament. |
| Win | 10–1–1 | Hiromitsu Kanehara | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 0:20 | 2000 King of Kings Tournament Semifinals. | |||
| Win | 9–1–1 | Volk Han | Decision (unanimous) | 2 | 5:00 | 2000 King of Kings Tournament Quarterfinals. | |||
| Win | 8–1–1 | Kiyoshi Tamura | Submission (armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block A | 9 October 2000 | 2 | 2:29 | Tokyo, Japan | 2000 King of Kings Tournament 2nd round. |
| Win | 7–1–1 | Achmed Labasanov | Submission (armbar) | 1 | 1:38 | 2000 King of Kings Tournament 1st round. | |||
| Draw | 6–1–1 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | Draw | Rings: Millennium Combine 3 | 23 August 2000 | 2 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Dan Henderson | Decision (split) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Final | 26 February 2000 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | 1999 King of Kings Tournament Semifinals. |
| Win | 6–0 | Andrei Kopylov | Decision (split) | 2 | 5:00 | 1999 King of Kings Tournament Quarterfinals. | |||
| Win | 5–0 | Jeremy Horn | Decision (unanimous) | WEF 8: Goin' Platinum | 15 January 2000 | 3 | 8:00 | Rome, Georgia, United States | Won the WEF Heavyweight Superfight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Yuriy Kochkine | Technical Submission (armbar) | Rings: King of Kings 1999 Block A | 28 October 1999 | 1 | 0:40 | Tokyo, Japan | 1999 King of Kings Tournament 2nd round. |
| Win | 3–0 | Valentijn Overeem | Technical Submission (americana) | 1 | 1:51 | 1999 King of Kings Tournament 1st round. | |||
| Win | 2–0 | Nate Schroeder | Submission (armbar) | WEF 7: Stomp in the Swamp | 9 October 1999 | 1 | 1:52 | Kenner, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | David Dodd | Submission (kimura) | World Extreme Fighting 5 | 12 June 1999 | 1 | 3:12 | DeLand, Florida, United States |
| No. | Event | Fight | Date | Venue | City | PPV Buys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 81 | Nogueira vs. Sylvia | 2 February 2008 | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 650,000[54] |
| 2. | UFC 102 | Couture vs. Nogueira | 29 August 2009 | Rose Garden Arena | Portland, Oregon, United States | 435,000[55] |
| 3. | UFC 110 | Nogueira vs. Velasquez | 21 February 2010 | Acer Arena | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 215,000[56] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Andrei Arlovski | 2ndUFC Interim Heavyweight Champion 2 February 2008 – 27 December 2008 | Succeeded by |
| New championship | 1stPride FC Interim Heavyweight Champion 9 November 2003 – 31 December 2004 | Lost unification bout againstFedor Emelianenko |
| New championship | 1stPride FC Heavyweight Champion 3 November 2001 – 16 March 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 2ndRINGS King of Kings Tournament winner February 24, 2001 | |
| Pioneer Wing | |
|---|---|
| Modern-Era Wing | |
| Contributors | |
| Fights | |
| Community Award | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
