The Random/Weird/Quirky Photo Thread *MMA Edition*

[wandshogun09]

Love this 

[jimufctna24]

Ha, when was that taken @wandshogun09?

[wandshogun09]

I don’t even know. It’s just a random pic I had saved for some reason. All sorts of that kind of stuff on my phone. They both look older though, doesn’t look like it’s from the Pride days to me.

Edit - @jimufctna24 apparently it’s from a RIZIN press conference in October 2015. Found this pic from it and Saku’s got the mask on again and Fedor’s got the same blue shirt as the other pic. 

Edited December 5, 2025 by wandshogun09

[wandshogun09]

Cro Cop and Big Nog reunite! Two of the three Kings of Pride’s Heavyweight division. Which we all know was the best Heavyweight division at the time. 

Both look great all things considered. When you factor in that they’re both around 50, Cro Cop had a stroke years ago and Nogueira looked about double his age and absolutely knackered physically when he retired. They’re both looking good these days. Nog looks like he’s somehow younger than he was in his last fight. Don’t know where this pic was taken but it’s new. 

[Dai]

Cracking pic that. 'Aura' isn't something that pretty much every fighter doesn't have, especially these days for some reason, but these two certainly had it. Maybe Nog has had some hair implants too, that make him seem younger. 

[wandshogun09]

Yeah I think Nog’s dropped a bit of weight as well. He popped up earlier in the year at a UFC show I think and I remember thinking he looked better than he had in years then. Great to see. 

Oh and they were at the Rizin New Year’s Eve show. That’s the reason for the reunion. 

Hopefully not announcing a rematch! Obviously you’d think they can’t do that given the fact that Cro Cop had a stroke but you never know in Japan. 

[Dai]

Dear Mirko still looks like hes on the horse meat, he looks jacked for 50. Youd like to think that they wouldnt, but the lure of the spotlight, even moreso than the money, is probably very addictive. 

[wandshogun09]

OK I know I’m turning this into the Cro Cop and Big Nog thread but I love this pic of the lads with Pride’s screaming ring announcer lady Lenne Hardt. Don’t think I’ve ever seen Mirko look happier. 

[wandshogun09]

Masvidal should’ve just went bald gracefully 🤣

[ReturnOfTheMack]

Looks like CGI Ray Winston

 

[Dai]

Not just the ridiculous hair and hairline (I'm sure it cost thousands, so never understand how the professionals doing it make it look so unatural), but it even looks like hes got filler and/or botox . Not quite as bad as Wandys face when he was getting work done, but close.

[Egg Shen]

Im surprised we've never seen the Nogueira brothers coaching fighters around the UFC, surely they have students and a team.

[Dai]

Could expand that to alot of them from that era. The Nog brothers, the Rua brothers, Anderson, Wanderlei. None have ever been in the corner of any fighter the last 10 years have they? 

[wandshogun09]

I think a lot of them just stepped away and/or weren’t interested in coaching/cornering guys for whatever reason. Even Matt Serra mostly knocked cornering on the head a few years back. I don’t remember Wandy and Shogun really cornering anyone for ages. They were regularly in each others corners in the Chute Boxe heyday but I can’t recall them doing it at all since, apart from that spell around 2008/09 when Wand was cornering Demian Maia for a bit.

The Nogs are a different case though yeah because they do (or at least did) have a team. Not sure if they’re still going but they definitely were still at least working with young guys in the gym in the last few years. 

[wandshogun09]

Somebody needs to step in and put a stop to this. Now.