Former interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is ready to get back inside the Octagon.

After having a bout with Cheick Kongo scrapped because of complications from an arm injury suffered at the hands of Frank Mir, “Minotauro” is now all set and 100-percent ready to fight again.

“I am feeling good, very strong on the arm and ready to go,” said Nogueira, during a conference call for UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar Thursday. “I am hungry to fight. I have been asking the UFC to fight, now I got a chance to fight in Brazil.”

Nogueira (33-7-1) will meet Dave Herman in the co-main event. The card was forced to undergo drastic changes after injuries hit it hard, and Nogueira agreed to step in and face Herman to fill the void.

The opportunity to fight in his native country of Brazil – the card goes down October 13 from Rio de Janeiro – was one Nogueira couldn’t pass over. Despite being a fighter for many years, he has only competed once in Brazil. Last year, Nogueira knocked out Brendan Schaub in his first pro fight in the country.

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