LAS VEGAS, Feb. 2 – Sinister sponsored fighter Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira won his second major championship Saturday inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center, becoming the first fighter to win a title in both Pride and the UFC. Nogueira showed why he is considered one of top heavyweights in the world and one of the gutsiest fighters to ever step in the Octagon, by surviving an early beating from 6’8 former champion Tim Sylvia. Sylvia battered the Brazilian for two rounds before giving up a takedown early in the third. "Minotauro” seized the opportunity and submitted the giant with a tight guillotine choke that brought the crowd of over 10,000 to their feet.
"He is a true heavyweight," Nogueira said of Sylvia. "He's a giant. I got many hard punches in this fight. I was waiting for a good opportunity to put him on the ground. I was ready for him to go to the four-points position. That's why I like [working] in combinations. Always I try one submission. If it doesn't work, the second one works. "
"It's 'Minotauro' Nogueira," a sporting Sylvia said. "Every fight he's in, he gets his ass kicked for the first 10 minutes. You start getting comfortable fighting him, next thing you know it, he catches you. The guy is a legend in the sport." 
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