I actually think Big Nog should hang it up – he has “peaked”, relative to where he once was he is on a downslope in my estimation and I think it will be hard to re-adjust his game at this point. The future holds alot of hard-to-watch beatings for him going against the new breed of HWs.

He can’t rely on his chin anymore because of accumulated damage and his footwork + head movement simply won’t do against people who not only pack 240+ lbs of power behind their punches but who are getting more technically sound by the minute…

Yes, he could conceivably “out-cardio” Mir who hasn’t fought past 7 minutes since 2006 (and not very often in his career at all) – or even submit him – but the way I think it will go down is Mir landing often and hard – with ‘hard’ probably eliminating the need for ‘often’ – leading to an unpleasant visual of dazed and confused Nog asking his corner what just happened…

until 110. Nog has a great legacy, and he seemed to be a great coach. Maybe he should focus on bring the newer guys along now.

I will preface this by saying that Minotauro is one of my three favorite fighters of all time, along with Randy Couture and Forrest Griffin.

Minotauro is a classic example of a guy who has taken far too much punishment in his career. I can’t believe I didn’t mention him in my article yesterday. The guy is in his VERY early 30’s, yet looks every day of 50. Look at him 6 years ago, when he fought in the heavyweight grand prix. The guy could have been on the cover of GQ. Now his face looks like an old catcher’s mit.

Frank Mir is the perfect foil for Minotauro- they are the same size, have almost the same reach, and come from a similar background. What made me choose Minotauro leading up to their first fight was the fact that he was so durable, and Frank’s………..not. Well, now we’ve seen that’s about equal too. The one thing that is different is that Frank has developed big power in his hands, something Minotauro has never had- he’s always had crisp technique, but he’s never had a lot of power.

Frank is also in a lot better health, and a whole helluva lot quicker. I could pretty much see a rematch going the same way as the first fight, other than Frank not being afraid to pounce on an injured Minotauro this time, and finishing him off in the first round instead of the second.

If Nogueira should fight anyone, it’s Cro Cop in a rematch. They are at a similar place in their careers, and Cro Cop wouldn’t be able to do much on the feet against Nogueria these days, considering he hardly throws kicks anymore. It would become pretty much a boxing match, and Nogueira is the better boxer, with a longer reach, and the threat of takedowns.

It would be even worse. Mir would probably KO Big Nog in the first round this time. I’d rather have him fight older and more seasoned fighters from now on. He’s been proven to put on exciting fights with the guys who don’t have as much finishing power.