Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, also known by his nickname Minotauro, is a retired mixed martial artist (MMA) born on 2nd June 1976, in Vitoria da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) heavyweight division, and is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is perhaps best known for becoming the first Pride Heavyweight Champion in Japanese Pride Fighting Championships, and being the heavyweight finalist at 2004 PRIDE FC Grand Prix.
Have you ever wondered how rich Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is? According to sources it has been estimated that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s overall net worth is over $3 million, as of February 2018. Nogueira acquired his wealth through an impressively successful career in mixed martial arts, which he started in the late ‘90s. Numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career helped to significantly increase his overall net worth.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Net Worth $3 Million
Antonio was born into a middle class Brazilian family, and started training in judo when he was only four years old. When Nogueira was ten years old he was run over by a truck due to misfortunate circumstances and fell into a coma. After eleven months of hospitalization, he lost a part of his liver and a rib. This left a large recognizable scar on his lower back. When he recovered, Antonio returned to practicing sports on a daily basis, as he was always oriented towards sports, and continued by expanding his interests, and started boxing when he was 14 and then practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 18, eventually practicing freestyle wrestling when he was 20. While intensely practicing jiu-jitsu with Guilherme Assad from the Ricardo De La Riva academy, Nogueira excelled more and more as time passed, and his training resulted in several medals in lower belts, eventually earning a black belt in 1999.
He became a regular member of the Carlson Gracie academy in Rio de Janeiro, and started pursuing a career in MMA. Rodrigo was eventually invited to fight for Japan’s Pride FC heavyweight league which was becoming the world’s biggest MMA organization. After defeating Heath Herring, Antonio became one of the most popular fighters in Japan. Another one of his most notable career achievements was reaching the finals at the PRIDE FC Grand Prix in 2004, which made him the first Pride Heavyweight Champion in Japanese Pride Fighting Championships. However, after the Pride organization collapsed, his contract was bought by UFC, and not long after, Nogueira won the interim UFC title by defeating Tim Sylvia. He gained recognition worldwide and became known as one of the best heavyweights in MMA, and a great MMA icon.
He eventually retired in 2015, having won 34 of his 45 MMA fights.
Apart from his sports career, Antonio also had an acting venture, appearing in the TV series “Africa no Tsume” from 2004 to 2005, and later in “The Expendables” movie.
Privately, Nogueira is a father of two sons and one daughter, but there is no record of his marrying. He is the twin brother of another well-known UFC fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Antonio and Brazilian football club Internacional established a partnership in August 2011, so that Nogueira would represent the club’s brand in the UFC.
