Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum ‘s first meeting nine years ago with the now-defunct PRIDE promotion was a snapshot of two fighters miles apart in their development as fighters. Werdum (16-5-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) then was 10 fights into his career as an MMA fighter who had transitioned to the burgeoning sport from the world of competitive jiu-jitsu. Stats for the fight reflected his skills: He took Nogueira down 10 times and only gave up three. Nogueira (34-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC), while no longer at the apex of his career after losing his PRIDE title to Fedor Emelianenko , still was considered one of the most formidable heavyweights in the division. For that fight, he didn’t need to use the jiu-jitsu skills that previously had served him so well. Instead, he was far more effective in exploiting Werdum’s relative lack of experience in striking. He landed more total strikes and knocked down Werdum on four occasions. In the end, it was Nogueira’s experience that carried the day, with judges awarding him a unanimous-decision win after three rounds.