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Shogun Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 3 set for UFC 250
Shogun Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will have their trilogy fight at UFC 250 this May, 15 years after they had their first fight.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was first to announce the fight was official.
https://twitter.com/bokamotoESPN/status/1230587970475806720
“Breaking: Shogun ( @ShogunRua ) vs. Lil Nog ( @Minotauromma ) 3 booked to UFC 250 on May 9 in São Paulo, Brazil, per UFC president Dana White ( @danawhite ). The trilogy will take place 15 years after the original.”
Shogun Rua is coming off a split draw to Paul Craig back at UFC Sao Paulo. Before that, he beat Tyson Pedro by TKO in a fight many thought the Brazilian wouldn’t win, especially after his last performance against Anthony Smith that saw him get knocked out in 89 seconds.
Rua is 26-11-1 as a pro and has been in the UFC since UFC 76 and is also the former UFC light heavyweight champion. He also fought in PRIDE where he and Lil Nog first met.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, meanwhile, is 23-9 and coming off a knockout loss to Ryan Spann at UFC 237. Before that, he beat Sam Alvey by TKO. The Brazilian legend hasn’t had a winning streak of more than two fights since February 2008-May 2010. His last two-fight winning streak was when he defeated Tito Ortiz at UFC 140 then a 14 months later beat Rashad Evans.
The two first met back in 2005 at PRIDE Critical Countdown where it was Rua who won by unanimous decision. The scrap also served as the middleweight Grand Prix opening round. The legends then fought again at UFC 190 where it was Rua who won by unanimous decision again.
This very well could be a retirement fight for both fighters as they get to fight back home in Brazil and against a fellow Brazilian legend.
UFC 250 goes down on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil where a bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Jose Aldo is expected to headline the card.
