UFC: Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua edges ‘Lil Nog’ as two ageing warriors roll back the years in Fight Island trilogy
- Rua settles the long-standing trilogy 3-0 as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira confirms he’s done – ‘it’s time for a new generation’
- Carla Esparza moves another step closer back to strawweight title contention with split decision over Marina Rodriguez
They say you can’t stop time but Brazilians Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira gave it plenty of pause for thought on Sunday, the two ageing warriors of the cage battling themselves to the point of exhaustion at the end of Fight Island 3.
The light heavyweight bout – the third lifetime clash between the pair – ended in a split decision to Rua (27-11-1) but along the way the pair had both rolled back the years, with echoes of their previous, similarly enthralling, clashes in 2005 and again in 2015.
“I’m very happy. I’ve won three times against a legend,” said Rua. “Every fight with Nogueira is a war. This is one more step in my career.”
Both fighters had both landed huge shots in the first – including a big left from Nogueira (23-10) that staggered Rua, for a second. They later crashed to the canvas like two ancient felled oaks, too, and the blows, to body and leg and head, sounded out through the empty Flash Forum.
Come the last and it was still all out there to fight for but the younger Rua – at 38 to Nogueira’s 44 – finished on top, and in some control. It proved enough to separate the pair, with the judges going 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 to Rua.