MINOTAURO NOGUEIRA

ATTRIBUTES

OFFENSIVE SKILLS

DEFENSIVE SKILLS

ULTIMATE TECHNIQUES

SANTOS’ RIGHT STRAIGHT

Level 2—Both Standing, Striking Range

Minotauro takes a page out of his teammate’s book by throwing a heavy right straight that’s very similar to the one wielded by Junior dos Santos. Rock rivals with this heavy right hand.

PULL GUARD TO OPEN GUARD CLINCH, BOTTOM

Level 3—Single Collar Tie

When Nogueira’s rivals are countering his takedowns on the feet, try getting inside and grabbing them up in the Single Collar Tie clinch, then quickly pull guard to drag them into his world of ground grappling.

DIRECT CATCH TO OMOPLATA

Level 3—Open Guard Clinch, Bottom

Minotauro can attack with lethal submissions from the top or bottom. This high-level sub is easy to attempt from the Open Guard Clinch, and he can also switch to an armbar if this sub is about to fail.

STRENGTHS

• Heart

• Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt

• Boxing

Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira is a dangerous submission grappler with decent boxing skills.

Be defensive with Nogueira on the feet to avoid getting rocked on your way into the clinch, or as you work at timing a takedown while the opponent is off-balance and unprepared to defend himself.

Keep your guard up at all times, but be aggressive with footwork and cut the opponent off on the feet as you struggle to close in and grapple.

Minotauro has dominant control both in the clinch and on the ground, and his submissions are among the best in the heavyweight division.

Strive to bring his opponents to the mat so you can work his dominant ground grappling game.

Pass to dominant position and attack with his extremely powerful submissions, and look to switch from one sub to the next to give him even more time to force the tap.

WEAKNESSES

• Strength

• Kicks

• Strike defense

Nogueira is a dominant submission grappler, but his stand-up game has certain holes that his opponents have begun to exploit.

Though he has decent footwork, Minotauro has relatively slow strikes and limited striking techniques on the feet.

Swift kickboxers can find success against him, landing quick and hard strikes from the outside without giving him the chance to counter.

He has poor kicking ability himself, and he’s vulnerable to kicks as well—try attacking his legs to take the spring out of his step and make him easier to outmaneuver.

Don’t let him close in and grapple with you, or you’ll find it difficult to escape his grasp.

Nogueira has excellent submission ability from both the top and bottom, so strive to block his submission and transition attempts whenever he catches you up in his grappling game.

Be patient and defensive on bottom, and look for a chance to improve your position and escape back up to the stand-up battle.