Forrest Griffin News
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February 15, 2010
Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Gets Date Change, UFC 114 Likely
A fight between light heavyweight contenders Forrest Griffin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, originally targeted for UFC 113, has been moved to UFC 114 on May 29. UFC 114 will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The event has not been officially announced by the UFC but is expected to be headlined by the grudge match between Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the two coaches of this past season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show. The two were scheduled to face off at UFC 107 in December, in Jackson's home town, but Jackson pulled out to do the upcoming "A-Team" movie.
A report from MMAJunkie confirmed the change citing sources close to Forrest Griffin. A fight card with two high profile light heavyweight matchups should produce a challenger to the winner of the Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Lyoto Machida battle that will happen just a few weeks prior at UFC 113.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) has just one fight inside the Octagon but is currently riding a six fight winning streak. He has not lost a fight in three years since being knocked out by Thierry Sokodjou at Pride 33, in February 2007. Nogueira fought for the now defunct Affliction organization as well as Japan's Sengoku, since Pride closed its doors. He has victories over Vladimir Matyushenko and Edwin Dewees, in addition to his UFC win over Luis Cane.
Rogerio, known to mixed martial arts fans as "Lil Nog," is the twin brother of heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and is the smaller of the two fighters, fighting at a weight class below his sibling. In his career, eleven of his eighteen victories have come by way of knockout or submission.
Working his way back up the ladder, Forrest Griffin (17-6) rebounded after a two fight losing streak with a win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 in November. Prior to his win over Ortiz, Griffin was TKO'd by Rashad Evans in an unsuccessful title defense, and was then embarrassed by Anderson Silva in an early first round knockout at "UFC 101: Declaration." In his career, Griffin has notable victories over Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson. A win over Nogueira would put him back in the mix as a potential title contender.
The rumored fight card for UFC 114 is as follows:- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
- Forrest Griffin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
- Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
- Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
- Efrain Escudero vs. Evan Dunham
Source: MMA Spot
