UFC 105 gets Nog’ed up

The UFC is trying hard to make November 14’s UFC 105 in Manchester, England, worth your while. Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang is the headliner and now there’s talk of making it Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira’s UFC debut.

Minotoro (aka Lil’ Nog) is the younger brother (by seven whole seconds) of heavyweight Minotauro Nogueira, who beat Randy Couture last Saturday. He’s also a former PRIDE light heavyweight, Sengoku and Affliction sensation with a 17-3 record, including a TKO win over current Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and a submission victory (armbar) over UFC middleweight contender Dan Henderson.

Like his brother, Lil’ Nog is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and talented boxer who can absorb a ton of punishment. He was even a bronze medalist in boxing at the 2007 Pan American Games.

While there’s no word on who Lil’ Nog will face, you won’t see him stepping in with light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida at any point. Like Anderson Silva, Nogueira is friends with Machida and would never consider fighting him. Which means UFC president Dana White will be happy when Machida loses the title.