Next UFC Hall of Fame inductee to be Big Nog
Dana White: “I’m really excited to announce Minotauro Nogueira as the first inductee of the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class. Big Nog is a mixed martial arts legend and, as an icon of the sport.”
It was announced before UFC 198 that the great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would be the next inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July.
I’m really excited to announce Minotauro Nogueira as the first inductee of the 2016 UFC Hall of Fame class, said UFC president Dana White. Big Nog is a mixed martial arts legend and, as an icon of the sport, we couldn’t think of a more fitting platform to make this announcement then at the record-breaking stadium event in Brazil. Nogueira is a true pioneer and we look forward to celebrating his career with all the fight fans in July at the UFC Fan Expo.
The fighter will be inducted as part of the Pioneer Era win, for fighters who turned pro before November 17, 2000, the date when the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were introduced.
Nogueira was the first PRIDE FC heavyweight champion, in 2001, and fought 21 times for the league. Notable career wins include former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman, former UFC heavyweight champion FabricioWerdum, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, former UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia, former PRIDE middleweight and welterweight champion Dan Henderson, and former Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion.?MirkoCro Cop Filipovic.
Minotauro debuted in the UFC in 2007, and had 11 fights, including a win over
Nogueira made his highly-anticipated Octagon debut in July 2007 and had 11 bouts in the UFC, including a win over Sylvia to take the interim UFC heavyweight title. Big Nog retired after a loss to Stefan Struve in August of last year.