MMA legend Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will box a former UFC colleague, Leonardo Guimaraes, at the upcoming Fight Music Show card on Jan. 30.
News of the booking was first reported by MMA Fighting.
The Balneario Camburiu, BR event will be headlined by a matchup between YouTube star Whindersson Nunes and former WBO champion Acelino Freitas. It’s unclear if Nogueira is signed with FMS for multiple fights after the scheduled bout with Guimaraes.
Nogueira retired from the UFC in July 2020 following a razor-thin split-decision defeat to longtime rival Mauricio Rua on Fight Island. Before that, he had traded wins and losses against the likes of Anthony Johnson and Sam Alvey.
This isn’t the first time Nogueira has competed in the boxing ring. In the mid-2000s, he won super-heavyweight world titles at the Brazilian and South American Championships. He would later win the bronze medal at the 2007 Pan-American Games.
FMS will air on pay-per-view and is expected to be attended by 2,200 fans, with the limited crowd size due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FMS is also allegedly in talks to sign another former UFC standout, Wanderlei Silva, to a multi-fight contract.
Nogueira is widely regarded as one of the greatest legends in MMA history. During his run in Pride, he earned wins over the likes of Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, and Kazushi Sakuraba just as the sport began to garner worldwide attention.
Nogueira clearly still has the fire to compete and will look to put on an impressive performance in his return to the boxing ring.
Will you watch Minotauro’s boxing return?
