Nogueira recovering after surgery

One titanium plate and 16 screws later, former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is looking forward to getting back into the Octagon. Nogueira’s arm was broken at UFC 140, after refusing to initially tap to a deep Kimura expertly deployed by  former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank Mir. Initially both Nogueria and UFC President Dana White were optimistic about not needing to get surgery on the arm after the fight. Apparently the damage was as terrible as it looked on the pay per view event.

Nogueira’s doctor,Dr. Tom R. Hackett, issued the following statements via the Nogueira brothers’ blog,

“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% to fight in six months or less. We foresee him making a complete and full recovery.”

Six months is a long time away from the cage for the aging former Pride Champion, and seeing the extent of the damage, that amount of time may be a bit of an underestimate. Nogueria has shown to still be a force in the cage, and silenced his critics about his seemingly diminished chin and speed in his last two outings. In a recent interview Dana White was cautious when answering questions about Big Nog’s return, focusing on the fighter’s previous achievements and not such much about his future.

[Via MixedMartialArts.com]