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MMARising.com Interview With Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Interview by Robert Sargent

Immediately following his victory over Todd Gouwenberg at HCF "Destiny," MMARising.com caught up with Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira to get his thoughts on the fight, HCF and his future in mixed martial arts.

This interview took place with Rogerio and his manager minutes after the conclusion of his fight in Calgary at HCF "Destiny," before his twin brother Rodrigo's win tonight.


Rob: I'm here with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, fresh off of his win over Todd Gouwenberg tonight. To start off, I'd just like to get your thoughts on tonight's fight; what you think went well and what was most challenging.

Rogerio: I felt that he had very good wrestling, and he's strong. Very strong. I tried to submit him, but he pressed out and had a good escape to stand up again. He tried to put me in the clinch, but, at the end of the round, I felt that I had much better hands than him. I scored with elbows, and one elbow cut him. I saw the blood, and I saw the opportunity to maybe stack punches - jab, jab, jab. He tried to put me down, but I got a good clinch for Muay Thai and started to land some knees.



Rob: The knees seemed to be working very well for you at the end. You also seemed to be getting the better of the striking exchanges throughout. He was maybe outwrestling you early on, at the start of the fight, and then you seemed to be winning the grappling battles later.

Rogerio: Yeah. I saw the opportunity, when he tried to put me down, to get a grip behind the neck and land knees to make it much easier for me to get the knockout.



Rob: Do you feel that your recent training in boxing for the Pan American Games helped you a lot in this fight?

Rogerio: Yeah, for sure. I felt that my distance was much better than him, you know? His jab was unable to hit me hard.



Rob: Yeah, he didn't seem to be able to hit you with his jab, but you kept him at a distance with yours.

Rogerio: I walked [moved while striking] much better than him, I feel. I just relaxed. When God gave me the opportunity, I went for the knockout.



Rob: Now, you have two more fights with Hardcore Championship Fighting, correct? Do you know where or when you will next be competing?

Rogerio: Yeah, two more fights. I'm not sure yet [where the next fight will be]. I wait for them [HCF management] to decide, but they told me that they are very excited to have me fight.



Rob: That's great. I think that everyone was excited to see you compete.

Rogerio: I want to come back here [Calgary, Alberta] to fight. I really like it here.



Rob: Everything besides getting used to the cold [minus 30's Celsius] has been good, then?

Rogerio: Yeah, very good, but I want to come two weeks early next time to get used to fighting here in the thinner air.



Rob: It definitely takes some getting used to. Now, finally, I'd just like to get your thoughts on your brother Rodrigo fighting for the Heavyweight title in the UFC. Do you see yourself competing in Hardcore Championship Fighting for a long time, or would you like to compete in the UFC someday with your brother?

Rogerio: I don't know. I felt a good opportunity here and I really like this place. I saw that this event is very organised, and people [in HCF] are so serious here. They're always going to put on a good show, and I think they're going to continue to improve. I'm going to grow [as a fighter] with them.



Rob: And do you feel that you grew as a fighter with your fight tonight? You got back to your winning ways.

Rogerio: Yes, I do. I had a very good experience today, and I really want to help the company [HCF] to grow.



Rob: Well, that was a very good way to end the night, with a great fight. The way you ended it with those brutal knees, the crowd was really into it.

Rogerio: [Laughs] Thank you very much.

 


Rogerio, his manager and his teammates at the event had to travel back to their hotel, but I met up with Rogerio once again at the airport a few hours later. He stated then that he would be at UFC 81 tonight - and was, and briefly appeared on-camera - and predicted that his brother would win. That prediction proved to be a very good one.


MMARising.com sincerely thanks Antonio Rogerio Nogueira for taking the time for this interview, and wishes him and his brother the best in all of their future endeavours. Congratulations to both on their hard-fought victories this weekend.

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