These days, UFC on FUEL cards are like that son in the family who shows up to Thanksgiving dinner bragging about the “big shot writing job” he got for a “legitimate mixed martial arts publication,” which is to say that no one ever really notices them or pays them any mind until they are forced to deal with them face-to-face. For instance, did any of you realize that UFC on FUEL 10 goes down this Saturday and features not only the finals of TUF: Brazil 2 but a rematch between coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum? Neither did I, and being aware of upcoming MMA events is, like, half of what my big shot writing job entails.
Anyway, in an effort to stir up some last-minute interest for the event, the fine folks over at FUEL TV have made the first meeting between Big Nog and “Vai Cavalo” available for viewing. The fight originally went down at Pride: Critical Countdown Absolute Fun Time Bang-Bang! (part of that title might be stolen from the Japanese laundromat across the street from me) and constituted the quarterfinals of the 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix. In a hard fought battle between two of the sport’s best grapplers, Nogueira emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision.
However, Werdum’s career resurgence in the UFC has convinced oddsmakers that Big Nog will enjoy no such victory when the two clash this weekend. Will Nogueira prove us all wrong once again? Tune in this Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST to find out.
–J. Jones
These days, UFC on FUEL cards are like that son in the family who shows up to Thanksgiving dinner bragging about the “big shot writing job” he got for a “legitimate mixed martial arts publication,” which is to say that no one ever really notices them or pays them any mind until they are forced to deal with them face-to-face. For instance, did any of you realize that UFC on FUEL 10 goes down this Saturday and features not only the finals of TUF: Brazil 2 but a rematch between coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum? Neither did I, and being aware of upcoming MMA events is, like, half of what my big shot writing job entails.
Anyway, in an effort to stir up some last-minute interest for the event, the fine folks over at FUEL TV have made the first meeting between Big Nog and “Vai Cavalo” available for viewing. The fight originally went down at Pride: Critical Countdown Absolute Fun Time Bang-Bang! (part of that title might be stolen from the Japanese laundromat across the street from me) and constituted the quarterfinals of the 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix. In a hard fought battle between two of the sport’s best grapplers, Nogueira emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision.
However, Werdum’s career resurgence in the UFC has convinced oddsmakers that Big Nog will enjoy no such victory when the two clash this weekend. Will Nogueira prove us all wrong once again? Tune in this Saturday starting at 8 p.m. EST to find out.
–J. Jones