The fight Rodrigo Nogueira fans have been dreaming about for years may end up happening at the February UFC Japan event. According to a statement made yesterday at Beira-Rio Stadium, where soccer club Internacional play their home games, in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, the fighter best known as “Minotauro” already has former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in his sights, following his dispatch of the young Brendan Schaub in Rio de Janeiro.
“They’ve asked me to fight again in December or at UFC Japan, in February. I should be fighting [also former champion] Frank Mir or Brock Lesnar,” said the Brazilian yesterday, according to Legião MMA blog, backing up what he said at the UFC Rio press conference last Saturday.
Brock Lesnar, like Mino, has also had a long spell away from training, when he took care of a severe case of diverticulitis. This August he stated that he has returned to training.
Turning to soccer, Minotauro voiced his pick for the top star on the Southern Brazilian soccer team: “Leandro Damião is scoring loads of goals. He’s the Minotauro of the soccer pitch.”