UFC
UFC NEWS: Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the works for March of 2011
Nov 12, 2010 - 8:53:36 AM UFC NEWS: Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the works for March of 2011

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

A light heavyweight bout between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is in the works for March of 2011, possibly for UFC 128 in the United Arab Emirates.

UFC President Dana White confirmed to MMAJunkie.com that the bout was being put together, and the possibility of the bout was originally reported by Tatame.com.

The bout means Ortiz still has a job in the UFC, despite a record of 0-4-1 since 2006. His most recent loss came to Matt Hamill by decision at UFC 121 last month, but Ortiz hasn't won a fight since consecutive wins over Ken Shamrock in the fall of 2006.

Nogueira looks to rebound from a loss to Ryan Bader at UFC 119 in September. The decision loss was a setback for Nogueira, as it snapped a seven fight win streak that included his first two fights in the Octagon.

UFC 128 is expected to be the UFC's return to the Middle East for the second straight year, as they ran UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi in April. But a city and venue has not yet been finalized.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: I'm really surprised by this matchup. With Nogueira still in the top 10 of the light heavyweight division, I would have thought they'd give this fight to Matt Hamill, but now there isn't a top ten fighter available for Hamill to fight. This has to be the last chance for Ortiz to get a win in the UFC, as his salary is really, really high for the record he's had and his diminished draw. But if he loses this one, as will probably be the expected outcome, I can't imagine we'll see him fight in the UFC again.

[Tito Ortiz art by Travis Beaven (c) MMATorch.com]