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A rematch between heavyweights Frank Mir (13-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) headlines September's UFC 119 event.
UFC president Dana White today confirmed the fight with MMAFighting.com, and MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) has confirmed the booking with a source close to one of the fighters.
An official announcement of the fight and event is expected as soon as this week.
UFC 119 takes place Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Nogueira vs. Mir II, of course, wasn't the first choice for the UFC 119 headliner. As MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC officials planned to have UFC 116's main-event winner (champ Brock Lesnar and interim champ Shane Carwin) fight top contender Cain Velasquez at UFC 119. However, Lesnar, who earned a second-round submission win, and his wife are expecting the birth of a child in the next few weeks. Additionally, the booking would have required an abbreviated fight camp for the now-undisputed champ, who returned from a yearlong layoff (diverticulitis) for the fight.
Mir, of course, won the first meeting with Nogueira with an impressive second-round knockout at UFC 92 in December 2008. Only after the fight did we learn that Nogueira was slowed by staph-infection recovery and a knee injury. Still, Nogueira praised his opponent's performance and said he was surprised by Mir's noticeably improved striking skills.
Mir is just 1-2 since that big win, which marked Nogueira's first stoppage loss, with knockout losses to Lesnar and Carwin and a submission win over Cheick Kongo. The Carwin loss, which came at UFC 111 in March with an interim title on the line, marks his most recent outing.
Nogueira, meanwhile, also is coming off a loss. In February, he was stunned by a first-round knockout at the hands of Velasquez. The former PRIDE star set up the No. 1 contender's bout after earning a decision victory over Randy Couture this past August.
UFC president Dana White today confirmed the fight with MMAFighting.com, and MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) has confirmed the booking with a source close to one of the fighters.
An official announcement of the fight and event is expected as soon as this week.
UFC 119 takes place Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Nogueira vs. Mir II, of course, wasn't the first choice for the UFC 119 headliner. As MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC officials planned to have UFC 116's main-event winner (champ Brock Lesnar and interim champ Shane Carwin) fight top contender Cain Velasquez at UFC 119. However, Lesnar, who earned a second-round submission win, and his wife are expecting the birth of a child in the next few weeks. Additionally, the booking would have required an abbreviated fight camp for the now-undisputed champ, who returned from a yearlong layoff (diverticulitis) for the fight.
Mir, of course, won the first meeting with Nogueira with an impressive second-round knockout at UFC 92 in December 2008. Only after the fight did we learn that Nogueira was slowed by staph-infection recovery and a knee injury. Still, Nogueira praised his opponent's performance and said he was surprised by Mir's noticeably improved striking skills.
Mir is just 1-2 since that big win, which marked Nogueira's first stoppage loss, with knockout losses to Lesnar and Carwin and a submission win over Cheick Kongo. The Carwin loss, which came at UFC 111 in March with an interim title on the line, marks his most recent outing.
Nogueira, meanwhile, also is coming off a loss. In February, he was stunned by a first-round knockout at the hands of Velasquez. The former PRIDE star set up the No. 1 contender's bout after earning a decision victory over Randy Couture this past August.
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