The man originally intended to tangle with Frank Mir at UFC 119, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, could only sit and watch last Saturday. He had to pull out of the main event with a pair of injuries. The former Pride FC and UFC champion now hopes to return to action next summer.

Nogueira informed MMAWeekly that he has had ACL surgery and is currently recovering. The Brazilian will also have to undergo hip surgery within the next few weeks. Nogueira’s manager Ed Soares also informed the website that realistically, the fighter will out until spring at the earliest.

In his last fight, hot prospect Cain Velasquez stopped the veteran with punches in less than three minutes. The loss was only the second knockout loss in Nogueira’s career.

Nogueira has long been considered the second-best heavyweight in MMA history. He holds victories over Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Heath Herring, Josh Barnett, Mirko Filipovic and Dan Henderson. He is the only fighter in history to hold heavyweight titles in both Pride FC and the UFC.

“Big Nog” is also one of the leaders of Black House. The training gym has ties to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante and former champion Lyoto Machida.

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