RIO DE JANEIRO – Antonio Rogerio Nogueira believes he could have several more years of fighting left in him, but that’s something he will assess depending on the outcome of UFC 237.
Nogueira (23-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) will meet Ryan Spann (15-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a light heavyweight bout on Saturday at Jeunesse Arena. The fight airs on ESPN prior to the pay-per-view main card.
At 42, Nogueira is at the age where questions about retirement will only become more frequent. On paper, it looks like he’s being set up in a torch-passing type of matchup with the 27-year-old Spann. The Brazilian legend said he doesn’t see it that way, though, and is not ready to roll over for anyone.
“Young guys, they want to challenge the old guys. I don’t feel I’m an old guy,” Nogueira told MMA Junkie at UFC 237 media day. “But I think it’s normal. It’s going to be a good challenge for me. I’m 42 years old, I’m going to win (against) a guy 27 years old, I’m going to feel 26.”
Nogueira is coming off a TKO victory over Sam Alvey in September. The eight-month turnaround is rather fast for him given his inactive schedule over the years, and Nogueira said it was a productive training camp.
After finishing his previous opponent, Nogueira enters UFC 237 with confidence he can score another knockout. It won’t be an easy task against powerful and hard-hitting American Spann, though, and Nogueira said he needs to fight intelligently and use his experience to get the win.
“He’s very big, so I have to move a lot with my head, I have to move a lot with my legs,” Nogueira said. “I want to be on the side, because if I’m in front of him it’s going to be a little bit dangerous. He’s very big. I have to move a lot.”
If Nogueira does get the win, he didn’t express any interest in going out on a high on home soil. He said he could fight again this year and possibly even look to compete in 2020, as well.
For more on UFC 237, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
