Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and former “Ultimate Fighter” winner Ryan Bader will face off at UFC 119 on Sept. 25.
MMAWeekly.com was the first to report the possibility of the fight, and HeavyMMA.com has since confirmed with sources close to the organization that both fighters have agreed to the bout. Contracts are expected to be distributed and finalized shortly.
The bout is expected to assume co-headlining status for UFC 119. The main event was initially expected to be Nogueira taking on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but UFC president Dana White indicated last weekend that Jackson’s prior movie publicity commitments would prevent him from fighting on the card.
Nogueira barely edged out a win over Jason Brilz in his last outing. It was a fight many believed he’d lost, and so the Brazilian will look to rebound with a strong performance against the undefeated Bader.