Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

UFC 102 Fighter Salaries and Bonuses

The Oregon State Athletic Commission has released the official list of fighter salaries for UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira which took place on Saturday, August 29 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.

Following the event, UFC officials handed out $60,000 bonuses for Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night. The recipients of the awards were as follows:

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Tap Selections: UFC 102

Here are our predictions (after the jump, winners in bold) for UFC 102.

The event will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between former UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture and former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Also on the card will be a light heavyweight attraction featuring Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva.

Feel free to leave your predictions as well in our comments section.

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Rock the Vote: Couture or Nogueira?

We’re a little more than 24 hours away from one of the most anticipated fights in the history of the sport. Despite both fighters continuing to distance themselves from their respective career primes, legendary heavyweights Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will finally clash in the main event of UFC 102 this Saturday night.

It’s a dream matchup that has been discussed for years and years now. Will the dirty boxing and powerful wrestling of Couture be able to match up against Nogueira’s famous ground game and unreal durability? What do you think?

Randy Couture’s UFC 102 Video Blog: Day One

Here is the first instalment of former UFC heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture’s video blog for UFC 102, which will follow Couture in the days leading up to his bout with former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

UFC 102: Joe Rogan Breaks Down Couture vs. Nogueira Heavyweight Showdown

In the above video courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and UFC.com, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan gives his take on next weekend’s anticipated heavyweight showdown between MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

UFC 102: Couture Talks Training for Nogueira

In the above video courtesy of the UFC, former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture discusses his training for the striking portion of his fight against former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight title holder and fellow MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which takes place next weekend at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon.

Round 5 Releases Series 3 Model Photos

Round 5, an uber-popular company currently putting out collectible MMA figurines, has released a series of photos promoting their third series of figures, which are currently slated for public release in May. UFC champions Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as referee “Big” John McCarthy will be featured in the latest series. Additional photos are after the jump.

 

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Evening News and Notes: Couture Agrees to Fight Nogueira; Kelly to Lightweight & More

Here are your news and notes for the evening of February 26, 2009.

Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture has reportedly agreed to fight former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at a planned bout that would tentatively take place at UFC 101 in August. The event could take place in Portland, Oregon. The UFC is currently awaiting a response from Nogueira’s camp.

Georges St. Pierre’s camp has filed a formal response to the allegations B.J. Penn and his trainers made following their fight at UFC 94 on January 31. The complete letter sent to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which was sent yesterday afternoon, can be found here. In the statement, St. Pierre and his camp said that they “did not do anything to jeopardize either Georges’ reputation or the integrity of the sport and have done nothing to violate NSAC rules or to otherwise impugn the outcome of UFC 94”.

British fighter Paul Kelly has apparently made the decision to drop down to the lightweight division following his unanimous decision victory over Troy Mandaloniz at UFC 95 last weekend. “I’m definitely dropping to 155-pounds now,” Kelly told UFC.com. “It makes sense. I was eating a big breakfast on the morning of the weigh-in last Friday. While everyone else is dying to make weight, I’m sitting there with a big bowl of muesli and a glass of orange juice. I’ll just have to cut 10-pounds and that’s it. It’s no big deal.”

Mir, McCarthy Tapped for Next Series of Round 5 Figures

ARLOVSKI, McCARTHY, MIR, NOGUEIRA TO BE FEATURED IN NEXT SERIES OF ROUND 5 MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGURINES

MARKHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA - Mixed martial arts stars Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski, “Big” John McCarthy, Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira will be featured in Round 5’s Series 3 of mixed martial arts collectible figures, it was announced today by Round 5 C.E.O. Barron Lau and President Damon Lau. Series 3 figures are projected to be available at retail outlets throughout North America and online at Round5MMA.com beginning in April.

The Series 3 figurines follow successful launches of the first two series in April 2008 and November 2008, respectively, which featured eight MMA fan favorites. Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tito Ortiz comprised Series 1 while Rich Franklin, Sean Sherk, Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva were released in Series 2.

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Griffin Shelved After Suffering Broken Hand at UFC 92

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a broken left hand during his title loss to fellow “Ultimate Fighter” reality show winner Rashad Evans at UFC 92 this past weekend.

According to the official list of medical suspensions released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission late last night, Griffin could be suspended until June 27 unless he is cleared early by an orthopedic doctor. At the least, Griffin will be suspended until February 12 with no contact permitted until January 28 for precautionary reasons.

Joining Griffin in terms of injuries suffered at the event was Cage Rage veteran Mustapha Al-Turk, who suffered a broken nose in his brutal loss to Cheick Kongo as well as Dan Evensen (left knee injury), Reese Andy (broken orbital bone), and Brad Blackburn (broken nose, left arm numbness) The aforementioned fighters will also be serving the same suspension timeline as Griffin.

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