"I've been thinking about fighting in the USA for a long time, and now, I'll actually fight there," Nogueira told Sherdog.com. "I started my career in the USA, and now I'm back in a very different situation since my first fight at WEF."
After signing his name on a UFC contract, Nogueira said he enjoyed the reaction from a receptive American crowd.
"I'm welcomed by the fans, and this is the best thing to me," he stated. "The fans recognized me even though I've been fighting a lot on the other side of the world and was crowned champion in two different organizations (PRIDE and RINGS). The UFC will market my name and I hope to be more famous before my debut in the Octagon, and write my name in UFC history."
Nogueira isn't sure when his debut will happen, nor does he know the name of his opponent. But he warns future opponents that he is already training for his UFC debut.
This change in "Minotauro's" career will not be easy, as it's been almost eight years since he last fought in a cage. Add to that the fact that the UFC uses the Unified Rules, which offers several obvious differences from the rules used by PRIDE during his time with the Japanese organization, and you can see what sort of adjustment he'll need to make.
I know there are a lot differences and I'll have to adapt my game," he explained. "But I always looked for the submissions, and I believe that my adaptation will be good. Maybe because of the fact the fight is in the Octagon my opponent will be able to avoid my takedowns. But I can handle it, and we will see how things are going to work. About the rules, here in UFC elbows are allowed, but when the opponent uses it, he opens more spaces and this will make things easier for me."
Though Nogueira is looking forward to fighting in his new home, the Brazilian heavyweight took some time to reflect on his time with PRIDE, as promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment.
"I'm sad," he said. "I was part of the organization's history along with Brazilian Top Team. We have a rivalry against Chute Boxe and it helped the organization grow. But PRIDE still exists and this partnership with UFC will help keep PRIDE FC on top."
The American audience, said Nogueira, can expect an amazing performance and then they will be able to watch one of the most talented heavyweights in the world.
"My expectations about making my first fight in the Octagon are big," said Minotauro. "I'm anxious to show the same submission game I showed in Japan. I want to prove that I'll be successful in the UFC and my first step will be my debut fight. Now I have to train and wait for the great day."
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