Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) apparently will make his return at UFC 134, and if one fellow heavyweight gets his way, it'll be against Brendan Schaub (8-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). Nogueira recently told Brazilian outlets he's been booked for the August card, which takes place in his native Brazil.
However, event sources told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Schaub hasn't been offered the fight but that officials are "leaning" in that direction.
The Aug. 27 event is set for HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro. The pay-per-view headliner pits middleweight champion Anderson Silva against Yushin Okami.
Nogueira, a former PRIDE champion and ex-UFC interim titleholder, hasn't fought since a February 2010 loss to now-champ Cain Velasquez, who won the belt in his very next fight. He then was slated to rematch Frank Mir at UFC 119, but Nogueira ultimately pulled out for knee and hip surgery.
Since winning his first two UFC fights as part of a 7-1 run, the 34-year-old Nogueira now has lost two of his past three fights.
Schaub, meanwhile, is looking for another high-profile victory. Since losing to Roy Nelson in the finale of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," the 28-year-old ex-football player has posted consecutive victories over Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer, Gabe Gonzaga and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipvic. All but the Gonzaga victory came via knockout.
UFC 134 marks the UFC's first Brazil event since 1998.
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