The matchup was initially announced by UFC president Dana White on
”Steve-O’s
Wild Ride” podcast. The event is expected to take place at the
Las Vegas-based promotion’s “Fight Island,” although a location has
yet to be announced. The card will be headlined by a middleweight
clash between Robert
Whittaker and Darren Till.
Rua vs. Nogueira was originally scheduled for May 9 in Sao Paulo,
Brazil before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of
that event.
Rua and Nogueira initially squared off at Pride Fighting
Championship’s “Critical Countdown 2005” on June 26, 2005, with
“Shogun” earning a unanimous decision triumph. The rematch occurred
at UFC 190 in August 2015, and again Rua emerged victorious in a
three-round verdict.
Rua is coming off a split draw against Paul Craig
at UFC Fight Night 164. Prior to that, the 38-year-old Curitiba,
Brazil, native had been victorious in four of his last five Octagon
appearances.
“Minotouro,” meanwhile, has fought just four times since the loss
to Rua in 2015. Most recently, the 44-year-old light heavyweight
suffered a first-round knockout loss against Ryan Spann at
UFC 237 in May 2019.