The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 137: Santos vs. Anders

#3 Best: Nogueira turns back the clock

Rogerio Nogueira rolled back the years to stop Sam Alvey

The signs were looking ominous for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira coming into this show. His twin brother Rodrigo retired back in 2015, but despite not fighting since 2016 Rogerio clearly felt like he had more to offer and so at the age of 42, stepped into the Octagon last night looking every bit of that age – sporting a gut rather than the svelte abs he once had.

Opponent Sam Alvey looked like a dangerous one too – a heavy counterpuncher with the power to turn out the lights on a foe as deteriorated as Nogueira. But instead ‘Lil Nog’ somehow rolled back the years and it was Alvey who ended the night wondering what the hell had happened.

Simply put, despite his athletic prime clearly being years ago, Nogueira’s still got his sharp boxing instincts. And that was enough for him to deal with the almost criminally sloppy Alvey, as the Brazilian caught ‘Smilin Sam’ time after time with quicker, crisper punches. The final shot – a left hand to the temble – discombobulated Alvey and despite his protests, it was an excellent referee stoppage.

This clearly doesn’t mean Nogueira is a contender at 205lbs – in fact he probably ought to retire on the high – but massive credit to him for pulling out this win. And as a fan of the Nogueira brothers for well over a decade, it brought a massive smile to my face.