Tuesday, August 25, 2009 | Print Entry
Posted by Jake Rossen/Sherdog.com
Sherdog.com
The big chill: If Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira doesn't deliver Saturday, his career may be put on ice.
FightHype spoke to manager Ed Soares about Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's chances against Randy Couture in Saturday's UFC 102. And while you probably can't expect anything less than total confidence from a caretaker, there's an enthusiasm here that might be hard to manufacture.
"He's probably in the best shape that I've seen him in since managing him," Soares told Percy Crawford. "This is the best I've ever seen Nogueira. … He's probably 8-10 pounds lighter than he was before."
Soares also played up the "legends" angle of the bout -- which is more or less the story in lieu of there being a title on the line -- but the fight also holds significant potential consequences for his athlete. Nogueira can't afford another flatlining performance after getting knocked down by Heath Herring, battered by Tim Sylvia and clubbed by Frank Mir. If he appears as disoriented as he did against Mir, discussions about his remaining time in the sport will probably get very serious.
Meantime, Couture -- fairly or not -- will get in as many fights as he likes from now until his 50th birthday. If not later.
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