After picking up his first win since an August 2009 decision victory over Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is already looking forward to his next fight. On the heels of a first-round knockout of Brendan Schaub at UFC 134, Nogueira is hoping for a blockbuster fight with Frank Mir or Brock Lesnar.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Nogueira expressed his interest in competing at the UFC's return to Japan, which is rumored to take place in February 2011. According to a report from MMA Weekly, the UFC's first fight on Japanese soil in more than 11 years will be held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Nogueira's win over Schaub came in the UFC's long-anticipated return to the former interim UFC champion's home country of Brazil. In a career that has spanned 12 years and 40 fights, the emotional appearance was Nogueira's first in front of his compatriots.
Before injuries kept him out of action for more than one year, Nogueira had been scheduled for a rematch with Mir at UFC 119. However, Nogueira was replaced by Mirko Filipovic after undergoing knee surgery.
In a rematch of a fight that he lost in December 2008, the 35-year-old heavyweight legend could finally be set to cross paths with Mir again. A win over Mir could put the Brazilian one step closer to a title shot that seemed impossible only a few days ago.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com and LowKick.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
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