As he prepares for his headlining bout against Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 39 on Friday, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is feeling a bit nostalgic. It’s been more than four years since Nogueira (34-8-1 MMA, 5-4 UFC) fought outside of North or South America, but travelling across the globe to fight Nelson (19-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in Abu Dhabi has reminded him of his days under the now-defunct PRIDE banner in Japan. “I really miss that time,” Nogueira told MMAjunkie. “It was a wonderful time in my life, and I would not change a single thing that took place in the organization.” While Nogueira has had his successes since joining the UFC roster in 2007, the most significant moments of his career came during his stint in PRIDE, where he held the now-defunct Japanese organization’s heavyweight championship for more than a year. Although Nogueira claimed the interim heavyweight belt in the UFC, he – now more than seven years after his final PRIDE appearance – still feels his time in Japan was the greatest of his career.
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UFC Fight Night 39’s Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: PRIDE era the ‘apex’ of my career – MMA Junkie