Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Wants Brock Lesnar or Frank Mir Next

By Mike Chiappetta - Senior Writer

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Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira says he's ready to fight anytime, and hopes to fight for the title or avenge his most recent loss if he has his way.

"I want Brock Lesnar for sure," said Nogueira, who rebounded from a UFC 92 loss to Frank Mir by defeating Randy Couture by unanimous decision at UFC 102 in August. "I want to fight him. But I would fight Frank Mir also. That's my second choice."

Lesnar is scheduled to fight Shane Carwin in November, but Nogueira is clearly still a top-five UFC heavyweight, and fresh off his teammate Junior Dos Santos' dominating performance over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103, Nogueira told FanHouse that he's re-energized in his chase for UFC gold.

"I'm keeping my diet and staying in shape," he said. "I want to fight soon. I didn't have any serious injuries after the fight, and I feel good."

Nogueira added that he didn't take any time off after the Couture fight as he moved right into preparing Dos Santos for his fight. Because of it, he says he'll be ready whenever he gets a call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.

"I won't have an excuse that I need time to train," he said.

The former PRIDE champ and UFC interim champ says his Couture camp was fueled by the doubters who insisted that his career was nearing an end after he was TKO'd for the first time in a loss to Mir at UFC 92.

At the time, most didn't know that Nogueira had suffered from a staph infection and knee injury in the weeks prior to the fight, but refused to pull out.

He says the thought of all the negative comments pushed him forward in training for and then beating the legendary Couture.

"For those people, I feel sorry I had to shut their mouths," he said. "I heard some bull---- radio people say that Nogueira is done, that he's an old guy. Those people have never been athletes and they don't how it is to be one. I hurt my knee and had to train so I didn't want to make it more serious. I fought hurt, and then people talk s---? I feel sorry for them."

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