Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, who has been fighting in mixed martial arts since 1999, is planning to end his celebrated career very soon.
Holding a 34-9-1 record, the former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion announced that he plans to retire from the sport by the end of 2015, according to MMA Fighting. In the meantime, Nogueira said he will finish his contract with the UFC before moving on to something different.
"I know I won't fight forever," he said. "I'm focused on my gym's business now. It's a beautiful work, we have 9,000 students, 32 gyms ... I plan to end my career by the end of next year, I believe. One more year. It's until the point my body can handle.
"So many injuries, I'm dedicating to other things now. I will decide when the time comes."
Coming off four losses in his last six fights, Nogueira has two fights left on his contract, Bloody Elbow reported. It was after his KO loss to Roy Nelson that fans began to consider Nogueira putting an end to his career.
Despite the recent losses, Nogueira is still likely to go down as a legend in MMA.
He would become the interim heavyweight champion after joining the UFC in 2007, MMA Fighting reported. However, after fighting some of the best competitors in MMA for over a decade, Nogueira believes he isn't recognized the way he should be.
"They want to rush my retirement. The fans are very critical in Brazil," Nogueira said. "You see Randy Couture's career. He has two wins for each loss, and he's treated like an idol. He's Captain American, national hero. I have four wins for each loss, and they say I have to retire. Brazilians are very critical, and I think it's a bad mentality for the athlete."
