For the first-time ever, Indianapolis will get a taste of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and former interim UFC heavyweight champion and mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will mix it up for an encore performance on Saturday, September 25 at UFC 119: Mir vs. Nogueira 2, live from the Conseco Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana. Also featured on the card, Nogueira's twin brother and light heavyweight force Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will take on two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler turned undefeated fighter Ryan Bader. Then it's a rematch of The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback finale as former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra takes on one of Indianapolis' own in Chris "Lights Out" Lytle.
"Ever since Frank Mir beat Nogueira for the heavyweight title in 2008, Minotauro has asked me for this rematch because he wants to prove that the first fight was a fluke," said UFC President Dana White. "On September 25th, he gets his wish, and I don't think there's any fighter more motivated than he is to even the score. As for Frank Mir, he wants to get back in the title picture, and if I know him, he was the first man to knock Nogueira out at UFC 92, and now he'll want to be the first man to make him tap out."
Before his impressive knockout win over Nogueira at UFC 92 in December 2008, Frank Mir won two straight fights via submission over UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and Antoni Hardonk. The former UFC heavyweight champion looked to be on track for another title shot after he put Cheick Kongo to sleep at UFC 107, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fell short against Shane Carwin in March. Now the 31-year-old faces a familiar foe and he is hoping that lightning strikes twice as he gets back in the title race.
After a historic run in PRIDE, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira entered the Octagon for the first time in 2007 and earned two straight victories, including a submission win over Tim Sylvia that made him the first and only man to ever hold both the PRIDE and UFC world heavyweight titles. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt most recently dropped a fight to No. 1 heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez, but with a classic unanimous decision win against UFC Hall-Of-Famer Randy Couture at UFC 102, the 34-year-old can never be counted out.
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