Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira returns from broken arm at UFC 149 against Cheick Kongo

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

A little over seven months after having his arm snapped by Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will step back inside the Octagon at UFC 149.

According to the Calgary Sun, Nogueira will meet Cheick Kongo on the card, which comes to the Canadian city on July 21.

Nogueira's humerus bone was broken at UFC 140, as Mir survived a knockdown punch, rolled through with a kimura, and wrenched the hold. The arm broke before Nogueira would tap, and he required several pins and a titanium plate in a subsequent surgery to mend the injury.

Kongo hopes to bounce back himself after a knockout loss to Mark Hunt at UFC 144 in February. The loss snapped a four-fight unbeaten streak for the French heavyweight. It was also his first loss by strikes in almost eight years.

Penick's Analysis: This is a matchup I'd never actually thought about, but now that it's been put together I like the fight a lot. Nogueira and Kongo have both been around for a long time, and neither is likely to make a title run, but in the next tier down in the division they're both still solid competitors who will likely put on a good fight for the Canadian crowd.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13127.shtml

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