Nogueira: If Frank Mir thinks I was making excuses, then let's go do it again

**CannieY** · 05-09-2009, 15:08

"Minotauro" Nogueira: If Frank Mir thinks I was making excuses, then let's go do it again

by John Morgan on Sep 04, 2009 at 7:45 pm ET

UFC heavyweight Frank Mir (12-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) doesn't have much good to say about Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) these days.

Mir has taken exception to the numerous "excuses" – such as a severe staph infection that hospitalized the Brazilian, as well as torn meniscus – laid out by UFC president Dana White, UFC announcer Joe Rogan and "Minotauro" himself as to why the Nogueira that lost to Frank Mir in December 2008 was different than the one that defeated Randy Couture in the main event of this past Saturday's UFC 102 in Portland, Ore.

Nogueira's been listening to Mir's complaints, and now he's ready to reply.

MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com
) today spoke with Ed Soares, Nogueira's manager, and the Brazilian had a message to deliver through his representative.

"Rodrigo just got off the phone with me, and we were talking about it," Soares said. "Rodrigo's been watching a lot of these interviews with Mir saying that Nogueira is just making excuses, and what Nogueira feels is he's not making excuses. If he was making excuses, he would have been saying that immediately after the fight with Mir.

"He wanted to come out and put on a good performance against Mir, and he's not making excuses now. He's giving the reason he performed the way he did back in December."

In an interview with RawVegas.tv, Mir criticized the on-air performance of Rogan during the UFC 102 broadcast for repeatedly referring to Nogueira's injuries prior to the UFC 92 contest.

"I heard that Rogan is making a lot of excuses for certain fighters for why they performed badly," Mir said. "That's always disheartening to me just for the reason being that every fighter has reasons why we don't perform at 100 percent. I think as fans we don't want to hear heroes or warriors ever sitting and complaining that they almost died from staph or anything else. I think that's pretty sad and pathetic."

Nogueira said little after the UFC 92 loss to Mir, and he only addressed the injuries prior to that bout when pressed by reporters at UFC 102's post-fight press conference.

"I had a staph infection," Nogueira said after UFC 102. "I was in the hospital for seven days just like 20 days before the fight. The day I came out of the hospital I tore my meniscus in my left [knee]."

Soares today said those comments were never meant as excuses for the loss.

"There's a big difference between making excuses and giving the reason why," Soares said. "And just to prove that Nogueira is not making excuses, he wants his next fight to be against Mir, and he wants to fight him in December."

Mir is currently rumored to be facing Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 on Dec. 12 in Memphis, Tenn. But as witnessed by the recent scrapping of a previously announced rematch between Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin, the UFC has been known to shuffle matchups when the situation dictates the change.

Soares and Nogueira hope the bad blood building between their camp and Mir can prove to be one of those situations.

"Nogueira didn't want the information about his injuries to come out, and that's proof that he wasn't making excuses," Soares said. "If Mir really thinks he was making excuses, then let's get in there and go in the octagon in December.

"We want it."

Source/bron: MMAjunkie.com

**Jeru** · 05-09-2009, 15:45

Ben nooit zo erg van de rematches, maar zou mooi zijn als Nog hem alsnog even pakt...

**Sendur** · 05-09-2009, 16:43

HOPPA!!!!

It's fucking on now!!

Nu staat er echt heel veel druk op Mir!

Zou hij dit aan kunnen?
Of neemt hij de pussy way out?

**GerritTonijn** · 05-09-2009, 16:55

Mir pakt dit niet man, moet je de geschiedenis van Mir eens zien man...de 'grote' namen waarvan die won hadden altijd wel wat (1e ufc-match, staph etc)

**Tony Galento** · 05-09-2009, 17:09

Originally Posted by Jeru

Ben nooit zo erg van de rematches, maar zou mooi zijn als Nog hem alsnog even pakt...

x2

**tom l** · 05-09-2009, 17:29

Als het de Nog is die we zagen tegen Randy geef ik Mir weinig kans...

**redjuh** · 06-09-2009, 15:21

Originally Posted by thefxr

Rematch, MIR die dus weer klappen krijgt

??? wtf

anyway... in deze shape zie ik het een stuk positiever in dan de vorige x

**Mr 1 Leg** · 06-09-2009, 16:20

ik denk dat mir dit niet gaat redden.in welke shape hij ook is.ik vindt mir geen slechte fighter maar nogueira gaat hem slopen mijn gedacht he.ieder zijn mening natuurlijk.