"Minotauro" Nogueira joins the UFC; Sakuraba returns to PRIDE

Over the weekend two big announcements were made at the UFC and PRIDE events that saw a former PRIDE heavyweight champion entering the octagon, and a PRIDE legend coming back home.

"Minotauro" joins the UFC heavyweight division

Dana White took a moment at UFC 69, after the Yushin Okami-Mike Swick fight, to introduce UFC fans to former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who will join the much-improved UFC heavyweight class.

"I am very excited to come here to America and show my submission skills, and I know pretty soon, I’m going to be here in this ring and look for the title," said Nogueira.

Nogueira was actually spotted a couple of days earlier at UFC Fight Night 9 sitting near White, but the UFC decided to make the announcement on pay-per-view.

Nogueira began fighting for PRIDE in 2001 and had amassed a record of 17 wins and 3 losses in the organization. His losses were all by decision as he has never been submitted or knocked out in a fight. He holds wins over the likes of Josh Barnett, Heath Herring, Dan Henderson, Mark Coleman and another recent PRIDE-turned-UFC fighter Mirko Cro Cop.

Sakuraba comes home

Kazushi Sakuraba, a name synonymous with PRIDE, made his return to the PRIDE ring, at PRIDE 34, the final event under Dream Stage Entertainment.

After intermission, Nobuhiko Takada and Nobuyuki Sakikabara made a surprise announcement that brought Sakuraba back into the PRIDE ring.

Sakuraba wore a "Tiger Mask" pro wrestling mask but was visibly in tears during the entire segment.

Kiyoshi Tamura joined Sakuraba and they suggested a potential fight against each other. Sakuraba and Tamura share a dislike for each other. For Japanese fans, Sakuraba-Tamura is an overdue dream match.

Sakuraba dealt a huge blow to PRIDE when he left the company for PRIDE's main competitor K-1 Hero's because of a falling out with Nobuhiko Takada.