Rua vs. Lil Nog Trilogy Set For UFC 250
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are set to collide for a third time.
As per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the two Brazilians will compete against each other in a light heavyweight bout on the upcoming UFC 250 card on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“Breaking: Shogun ( @ShogunRua ) vs. Lil Nog ( @Minotauromma ) 3 booked to UFC 250 on May 9 in São Paulo, Brazil, per UFC president Dana White ( @danawhite ). The trilogy will take place 15 years after the original.”
As noted, it takes place 15 years after their first meeting in 2005 at a Pride event. Rua won on that occasion via unanimous decision. The two met again at UFC 190 in 2015 only for Rua to come out on top again after outpointing Lil Nog.
Given that the former light heavyweight champion holds two wins over Nogueira, this booking makes little sense. However, it appears to be more of a fan-friendly fight given that both fighters hail from Brazil and are legends of the sport.
UFC 250 has no headliner as of yet, but it is expected that bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo will defend his title against former featherweight king Jose Aldo in the main event.
