Minotauro Nogueira and the Art of Never Giving Up

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Anyone who saw Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira getting slammed into the canvas headfirst by Bob Sapp in their PRIDE Shockwave bout back in 2002 won't forget that vision anytime soon, especially knowing that "Minotauro" shook off the slams and submitted his foe in the second round.

Or what about the beating he took at the hands of a prime Mirko Cro Cop in the first round of their 2003 PRIDE fight, another match where he came back to win by submission in the second frame?

So when you ask Nogueira today why he didn't tap out against Frank Mir at UFC 140 last December when his arm was about to be broken, the answer isn't surprising. He thought he was going to come back and win.

"It was a fast scramble on the ground, we rolled a couple of times and I felt like I would get out of the submission and I knew I would keep trying my best to get out of it," said Nogueira, who wound up losing the bout via technical submission when the arm was indeed broken.

It was only Nogueira's seventh loss in 42 pro fights (two each coming against Mir and former PRIDE champ Fedor Emelianenko), but in terms of injuries, the former PRIDE and interim UFC heavyweight champ was now forced to the sidelines again, just the latest in a series of physical setbacks that have included knee surgeries and hip ailments. He wasn't prepared to hang up the gloves though.

"It's what I love doing," said the 36-year-old. "I like going in to the gym and training every day and having the mindset of expecting a fight. It's the adrenaline that keeps me going."

And as the days of healing turned into days of arduous rehab, Nogueira's eventual prize of walking into the Octagon once more as a healthy man kept him going through the rough times.