The very confident Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira must have believed he could muscle out of Frank Mir’s vicious kimura at UFC 140, however his arm revealed different.
Following his fight, Big Nog was rushed to to an LA based doctor, but was only given an adjustable brace. He decided to get a second opinion and it was recommended that sooner or later he needed surgery.
Minotauro went under the knife last Friday to repair the broken arm.
From the Nogueira’s official blog (via ESPN):
“Mr. Nogueira suffered a complex fracture to his humerus. The fracture began in the middle of the bone and extended to the elbow region. Unfortunately, the radial nerve [one of the main nerves lending a feeling of power to the hands] was damaged. The nerve is located in the area of the fracture, and the bone compressed it. Before the operation, he had very little strength in his hand and no strength whatsoever in his thumb. The operation involved an incision behind the arm. The nerve was removed from the location of the fracture and treated. The fracture was fixed with a plate and 16 screws, and now, less than 12 hours post-op, his hand functions are returning and the bone is mending. If all goes well, he’ll be back to full training in the coming months and should be 100-percent to fight in six months or less. We foresee him making a complete and full recovery.”
No word on when Big Nog will return to the octagon. He received a 2 month suspension from the Ontario Athletic Commission, but time will tell following the surgery.