Over the course of 46 professional fights spanning 16 years of competition at the highest levels of MMA, the recently retired PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira learned a thing or two about pain and injury.
At a recent round-table discussion during the Rio Sports and Health conference, as reported by Sherdog's Marcelo Alonso, Nogueira opened up about how extensive his injury history really was:
I have done a total of 22 surgeries; I’m all broken. I started my surgery career early, at 11 years old when I was hit by the truck. However, the last five years were more difficult. I had eight surgeries. I have 16 metal screws in my right arm, from the elbow to the shoulder, and they are extremely painful at the beginning of a training camp and also when the temperature changes. I also had a surgery on my left arm and two on my hips. Those four surgeries were pivotal in my decision to retire.
By the end of his career, Nogueira was held together by the orthopedic equivalent of spit and baling wire. Eight surgeries in the last five years of his career entailed a tremendous amount of physical therapy and rehabilitation, even leaving aside the lasting effects of major surgeries on essential joints. Some of the initial injuries were incredibly gruesome, especially the broken arm he suffered against Frank Mir.
What's more, Nogueira's physician, Dr. Marcio Tannure, revealed at the same conference that Nogueira tore a knee ligament several days prior to his fight with Roy Nelson. The former champion went ahead and fought anyway.
One might ask why Nogueira's doctor didn't make more of an effort to stop a severely injured client—"[H]e entered the Octagon barely able to walk," according to Tannure—from competing in a dangerous combat sport, particularly when an obviously-hampered Nogueira found himself face-up on the canvas from a thunderous Nelson overhand that evening.
Nogueira's final fight saw him soundly outpointed by Stefan Struve, and it was clearly time for the much-diminished fighter to call it a career. Aside from the orthopedic injuries, persistent rumors dating back to 2007 have claimed that Nogueira is mostly blind in one eye.
The former champion had nothing left to prove. His undeniable heart endeared him to generations of fans, and he remains a beloved figure in Brazilian MMA. His recent revelations, however, stand as stark reminders of the physical toll that MMA takes on its longtime practitioners.
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