With his win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at Ultimate Fighting Championship 75, French striker Cheick Kongo solidified himself as a top contender in the heavyweight division.
Now it appears that Kongo is headed for a UFC 79 showdown with former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
According to Reed Wallace of White Chocolate Management, who represents Kongo in the U.S., the UFC has offered the Dec. 29 bout.
Said Wallace, “We accepted pending Nogueira's acceptance. The bout agreements have not yet been signed so the fight is not yet official.”
The biggest question in the Frenchman’s game continues to be his groundwork. In his loss to Carmello Marrero, he was taken down at will and unable to get out from under the much smaller fighter.
What Kongo would face in Nogueira is possibly the most versatile and dangerous submission specialist in the world.
For him to win this fight Kongo would likely need to keep it on the feet or he could be in for a long night considering the skill level Nogueira, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, possesses in his ground arsenal.
He is quick, however, to deflect criticism of his own ground skills. “Don't look for these small bugs,” said Kongo adamantly.
In the fight with Cro Cop, he did find himself in a bad position on the ground, but was able to work his way out when Cro Cop had him mounted.
“I remained attentive. I'm tired of saying that I'm a good wrestler.”
Once out of danger in the first round, Kongo became the predator, continually stalking Cro Cop who spent the latter part of the fight backing up.
Nogueira, however, is regarded as a much better ground fighter than Cro Cop and if the fight goes to the ground, Kongo will likely have a more difficult time than he did with the Croatian.
Kongo will need to work another solid game plan if he hopes to defeat Nogueira and earn a title shot against current champion Randy Couture.
Now it appears that Kongo is headed for a UFC 79 showdown with former Pride heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
According to Reed Wallace of White Chocolate Management, who represents Kongo in the U.S., the UFC has offered the Dec. 29 bout.
Said Wallace, “We accepted pending Nogueira's acceptance. The bout agreements have not yet been signed so the fight is not yet official.”
The biggest question in the Frenchman’s game continues to be his groundwork. In his loss to Carmello Marrero, he was taken down at will and unable to get out from under the much smaller fighter.
What Kongo would face in Nogueira is possibly the most versatile and dangerous submission specialist in the world.
For him to win this fight Kongo would likely need to keep it on the feet or he could be in for a long night considering the skill level Nogueira, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, possesses in his ground arsenal.
He is quick, however, to deflect criticism of his own ground skills. “Don't look for these small bugs,” said Kongo adamantly.
In the fight with Cro Cop, he did find himself in a bad position on the ground, but was able to work his way out when Cro Cop had him mounted.
“I remained attentive. I'm tired of saying that I'm a good wrestler.”
Once out of danger in the first round, Kongo became the predator, continually stalking Cro Cop who spent the latter part of the fight backing up.
Nogueira, however, is regarded as a much better ground fighter than Cro Cop and if the fight goes to the ground, Kongo will likely have a more difficult time than he did with the Croatian.
Kongo will need to work another solid game plan if he hopes to defeat Nogueira and earn a title shot against current champion Randy Couture.