Rodrigo Nogueira Headed to Surgery

Pride is a bitter pill to swallow. It’s a pill that former Pride and UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira refused to swallow at UFC 140 in Toronto on Saturday night.

Frank Mir, nearly finished by “Big Nog,” survived to turn the tide, locking on a Kimura shoulder lock. Nogueira tried to roll with it, but Mir wound up on top, blocking any escape. Nogueira refused to submit, instead suffering the pain of his arm visibly breaking.

The immediate outcome was a trip to the hospital; the long-term ramifications have yet to be determined.

One thing is certain; Nogueira needs surgery to help repair the damage he chose to endure.

UFC president Dana White confirmed Nogueira’s medical situation in a post-press-conference scrum with reporters. He said he received a text from Nogueira’s camp.

“The text was, Nogueira needs surgery. We want to do the surgery in L.A. Can he fly with me to Las Vegas?” he revealed.

“(It’s his) shoulder and elbow. We don’t know what’s wrong with both, but it’s shoulder and elbow.”

Nogueira has been a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt for a long, long time. He’s fully aware of the situation he put himself in by refusing to submit to Mir’s Kimura and now suffers the loss, the injury, and a heavy dose of criticism.

“That’s why you tap,” said White, adding, “he knows that.”

The UFC later tweeted a photo of Nogueira’s x-ray, clearly showing a break of his humerus.

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