Revered for his amazing capacity to recover from serious damage, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira spent the final years of his career trying to avoid the subject with the media.
Few could deny that Nogueira’s passion for the sport dwarfed all the injuries he suffered, and he resisted for years repeated calls for him to retire. Until Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White nudged him into retirement following a loss to Stefan Struve at UFC 190 on Aug. 1, “Minotauro” had managed to avoid questions regarding the end of his career and the subject of exactly how many surgeries he has undergone.