Alexandre Franca Nogueira (Pictures) is set to sign with the WEC, sources close to the Brazilian's camp have told Sherdog.com.

Nogueira's manager has a contract for the fighter to meet Nick Agallar (Pictures) in a 145-pound bout. Best known as "Pequeno," Nogueira is the long-time king of Shooto's 143-pound division. He is considered a master of the guillotine choke and holds a record of 13-4-2.

In his 10-year career, Nogueira has never fought outside of Japan.

Once long-considered the top featherweight in the sport, Nogueira burst onto the scene in 1998 at age 20 by upsetting Shooto legend Noboru Asahi twice. He won the Shooto world title in Sept. 1999. "Pequeno" reigned as Shooto champion until May 2006, when he was unable to defend his title against Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) due to a lingering knee injury.

Nogueira last fought in July, where he recorded his first career knockout victory, icing fellow Shooto vet Shuichiro Katsumura (Pictures) in the second round.