|
GABRIEL GONZAGA
Nickname Napão ("big nose")
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight 252 lb (115 kg)
Nationality Brazilian
Born May 18, 1979
Fighting out of Ludlow, Massachusetts
Town of birth Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Team/Association Team Link
Fighting style Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 9
By knockout 4
By submission 5
Losses 2
Draws 0
Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (born May 18, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), is a professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Wander Braga, is a former member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy, and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link. Gonzaga won by knockout over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović on April 21, 2007, which earned him a UFC Heavyweight Title shot with Randy Couture.
Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (born May 18, 1979 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), is a professional mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Wander Braga, is a former member of the famous Chute Boxe Academy, and now fights out of Ludlow, Massachusetts as a part of Team Link. Gonzaga won by knockout over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović on April 21, 2007, which earned him a UFC Heavyweight Title shot with Randy Couture.
Gonzaga's MMA record is currently 9-2-0. He made his MMA Debut on April 4th, 2003 in Santos, Brazil against Cicero Cicero. He would win via submission from strikes in the first round. He would go on to competing over the next two years winning three more bouts, losing only once to Fabricio Werdum.
He made his UFC debut at UFC 56 knocking out Kevin Jordan at 4:39 of the third round. Although the knockout was considered an excellent finish[citation needed], the fight was considered uneventful[attribution needed]. Gonzaga's poor performance may have been partly due to complications during his wife's pregnancy that resulted in her near death and the death of one of the twin girls she was carrying.[4] This occurred a few weeks before the match was scheduled to take place, Gonzaga was unable to properly train for the fight, since he was caring for his wife.
Gabriel would later return at UFC 60 and win against Fabiano Scherner via TKO at the second round. At UFC 66 he would end Carmelo Marrero's undefeated winning streak in the first round from an armbar.
At UFC 70, in a shocking upset Gonzaga knocked out PRIDE FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović in the first round with a head kick. With the win, Gonzaga became the next contender for UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture.
At UFC 74, Gonzaga lost to Randy Couture via ground and pound TKO in the third round. Gonzaga also suffered a broken nose from an accidental head clash, or possibly Gonzaga's own knee, during a take-down in the first round.
According to Team Link, Gonzaga will return to the octagon to face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 80.
Gabriel and his wife Carolina were expecting twin girls, Leticia and Isabela, but Leticia passed away while Isabela survived. Gabriel and his wife had a baby boy in September, 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
|
