At one point in November, a source even contacted FiveOuncesOfPain.com to raise questions whether the fight was going to remain on the card. While Mir is a former heavyweight champion, has great jiu-jitsu, and deserves respect as a fighter, the truth of the matter is that he’s not known for having the best work ethic in the gym.

On the other hand, you have Nogueira, one of the most diligent fighters out there when it comes to preparing for a fight. The one thing that I will always remember about Nogueira is this past July when I was in Stockton to cover EliteXC’s “Unfinished Business.”

I had covered the post-fight press conference and then hung around the arena to speak with some people and by the time I got back to my hotel, it was pretty late. There was a bunch of people at the arena that hung around for the “official” after-party and there were also a bunch of people at the hotel bar. While the fighters and industry people were partaking in the famed “MMA lifestyle,” I saw Nogueira and his brother whiz by me in the hotel lobby. Were they running off to go to a party? No. They were in full workout gear and were working on their conditioning… at 1:30 in the morning!!!

I had a chance to ask Nogueira about that several months later and I don’t think he understood why I felt like it was such a big deal. He simply said that his brother had a fight coming up and that it was simply the time they had available to get their conditioning in.

Mir has gotten by all these years on pure talent. I think he’s a better athlete then he’s given credit for and he’s just amazingly good at jiu-jitsu for a man of his size. The problem is, he’ll be meeting his match on the ground in this fight as Nogueira will be able to neutralize his submission game. If the fight goes to the floor – and you know it will at some point – I see it being a stalemate unless the reason for the fight going to the mat was because someone got clocked and fell down.

When it comes to the standup, there is just no comparison. Nogueira doesn’t have great Muay Thai and isn’t the most diverse striker in the world, but his boxing is solid after having spent so much time working with the Cuban national boxing team in the past. Mir might be able to surprise us all in the striking aspect of the fight if he can control the distance and try to hurt Nogueira with some kicks. However, if he comes inside and tries to bang with Nogueira, it will be a major mistake because his hands simply don’t compare.

But it all comes back to preparation. This is a five round fight and Mir is not known for his cardio. Nogueira is going to have more stamina but he’s also shown us countless times that few in the fight game can absorb as much punishment as he can. Let’s say that Mir goes on the offensive and causes damage to Nogueira, I still have the question of whether that will actually work to Nogueira’s advantage? While Nogueira absorbs his beating, Mir will wear himself out and Nogueira will be sitting pretty once he makes his recovery.

I can’t stress enough the importance that this is a five round fight. Mir is going to have a tough time finishing Nogueira and the longer the fight goes on, the more of an advantage that Minotauro will have. I see Nogueira outlasting Mir and TKO’ing a spent opponent somewhere in the fourth round.

However, Nogueira’s arrival in the WEC is one that was heralded by hardcore fans as well as fighters. In fact, former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver felt compelled during an interview conducted over the summer to publicly campaign for a match against the 10-year veteran.

However, the Luta Livre-style fighter’s career in the WEC is over after just one bout. During a recent interview with the Brazilian MMA website Tatame, Nogueira revealed that he has been released by the promotion and is currently a free agent.

Nogueira made his WEC debut on June 1 in Sacramento against top featherweight prospect Jose Aldo. Despite being considered by many pundits to be the favorite, the Brazilian fell to 13-5-2 after being TKO’d by Aldo at 3:22 of round 2.

Even though he lost, Nogueira’s biggest setback didn’t take place until after the fight. Soon after the bout, the California State Athletic Commission announced that it was fining Nogueira $2,500 and supending him for a year after it claimed he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.

Despite not being eligible to compete in the U.S. until May 31 of 2009 at the earliest, Nogueira doesn’t appear interested in serving out his full suspension. During the Tatame interview, the 30-year old indicated that he’s looking to resume his fighting career much sooner and that he and his manager, Alex Davis, are negotiating for a future fight in Japan’s Sengoku promotion.

If Nogueira competes before being reinstated by the commission, CSAC could elect to revoke Nogueira’s license, meaning he would be unable to compete in the state of California well after his one-year suspension had expired.

If the bout happens, Gomi is again matched up with someone perfect for his style. Much like Ludwig, Horodecki is a striking fighter who can’t strike with Gomi.

Bouts like this might well save Sengoku, which most fight fans have found to be very hit and miss (mostly the latter). Regardless of the matchup and outcome, the fight should be entertaining despite being a bit of a mismatch for the young Horodecki.

HT: BE

Gracie is widely considered to be the best pure grappler in the world and did the unthinkable by submitting all eight of his opponents at the 2005 ADCCs, including Fabricio Werdum, Shinya Aoki, and Ronaldo Jacare.

When: Wed. March 5 ’08
Where: Yoyogi National Stadium; Tokyo, Japan

Here’s the results of the WORLD VICTORY ROAD “SENGOKU” event:

• Josh Barnett def. Hidehiko Yoshida via Tapout (Heel Hook) Rd 3.
• Takanori Gomi def. Duane “Bang” Ludwig via TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Cut) Rd 1.
• Kazuo Misaki def. Siyar Bahadurzada via Tapout (Guillotine Choke) Rd 2.
• Kazuyuki Fujita def. Peter Graham via Tapout (North-South Choke) R1.
• Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos def. Makoto Takimoto via Tapout (Heel Hook) Rd 1.
• Ryo Kawamura def. Antonio Braga Neto via Unanimous Decision.
• Nick Thompson def. Fabricio Monteiro via Unanimous Decision.

Props to The Fight Network.

Check out more World Victory Road content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

One of the three bouts announced is a fight between recently signed Pride standout, Takanori Gomi and UFC veteran, Duane Ludwig.

Gomi has not fought since last February where he lost via gogoplata submission to Nick Diaz at Pride 33. That fight however was later ruled to be a no contest after Diaz was found guilty of taking marijuana.

Ludwig was rumored to be fighting on the Strikeforce card in February against Steve Berger but apparently he will pass up that fight so he can be in fighting shape for the World Victory Road event.

The other two bouts apparently set for Sengoku are, UFC and Bodog veteran, Nick Thompson against Fabricio Monteiro and Pancrase standout Ryo Kawamura against Brazillian Antonio Braga Neto.

Read more World Victory Road content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com