Big Nog to get The Talk
Dana White: “He’s respected by everybody, and he and I actually talked tonight. I’m done. I don’t want to see him fight anymore. He doesn’t disagree.”
The very worst thing in boxing is prize fighters who don’t retire, continuing to compete with obvious brain damage. It is a hard thing, to tell a man he can no longer pursue a beloved and likely only livelihood. In boxing, no one does it.
UFC president Dana White gives older fighters The Talk. He gave close friend Chuck Liddell The Talk. He gave BJ Penn The Talk. He gave Forrest Griffin The Talk.
At UFC 134 in 2011, White said he would have given The Talk to Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, if he had lost to Brendan Schaub. Big Nog won, and fought on.
“When you look at a guy throughout his career, Chuck Liddell went through the same thing,” said White at the time. “You could hit Chuck Liddell with a baseball bat when he was younger in his career and the guy never got rocked or hurt. And Nogueira was that same way. If you looked back throughout his career how many wars this guy has been in, the Crocop fight, all the wars this guy has been in, how much punishment he used to take, now he gets hit and he gets hurt a lot easier… If he lost, he and I would have been having a discussion.”
Saturday night Nogueira walked into 15 minutes of punches and kicks from Stefan Struve. The fans were not happy or excited; they were sad.
It was Big Nog’s third loss in row. He has suffered eight knockdowns in eleven fights, the 2nd most of anyone in UFC history.
Now Nogueira is going to be offered a job.
I love ‘Big Nog,’ and I think everybody loves ‘Big Nog,’ said White to Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. He’s such a good guy. He’s respected by everybody, and he and I actually talked tonight. I’m done. I don’t want to see him fight anymore. He doesn’t disagree.
He and I are going to get together, and we’re going to talk. I’m probably going to give him the Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and Forrest Griffin deal. I’m going to bring him in and make him an employee.
He is a warhorse. The guy has been in – just the battles in PRIDE that he’s been in, let alone the fights that he’s fought in the UFC. He is one of the most respected fighters in the world by other fighters, let alone by fans, and I like him very much too.
Hallelujah.