Gabriel Gonzaga
 |
Name | Gabriel Gonzaga |
| Nickname | Napao | |
| Association | Team Link | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight (255 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 1" (185 cm.) | |
| Reach | 76in (193 cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai | |
| Birth Date | May 18, 1979 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Ludlow, Massachusetts, USA | |
| Country | Brazil | |
| Gabriel Gonzaga Pictures | Official Website |
Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the heavyweight division. 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" Filipovic on April 21, 2007, which earned him a UFC heavyweight title shot with Randy Couture.
He also won the Mundials (2004), which is considered to be the top BJJ competition in the world.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 14 - 6 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 5 (T)KOs 9 Submissions 0 Decisions |
| Losses | 5 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 1 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Ben Rothwell | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping | 1/19/2013 | 2 | 1:01 | |
| Win | Edinaldo Oliveira | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes | 1/14/2011 | 1 | 3:22 | |
| Win | Parker Porter | Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | Reality Fighting: Gonzaga vs. Porter | 10/08/2011 | 3 | 1:50 | Won Reality Fighting Heavyweight Championship |
| Loss | Brendan Schaub | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez | 10/23/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Junior dos Santos | TKO (Punches) | UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones | 3/21/2010 | 1 | 3:53 | |
| Win | Chris Tuchscherer | TKO (Punches) | UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira | 8/29/2009 | 1 | 2:27 | |
| Loss | Shane Carwin | TKO (Punches) | UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine | 3/07/2009 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Josh Hendricks | KO (Punches) | UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar | 11/15/2008 | 1 | 1:01 | |
| Win | Justin McCully | Submission (Kimura) | UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin | 7/05/2008 | 1 | 1:57 | |
| Loss | Fabricio Werdum | TKO (Punches) | UFC 80: Rapid Fire | 1/19/2008 | 2 | 4:34 | |
| Loss | Randy Couture | TKO (Punches) | UFC 74: Respect | 8/25/2007 | 3 | 1:37 | For UFC Heavyweight Championship; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Mirko Filipovic | KO (Head Kick) | UFC 70: Nations Collide | 4/21/2007 | 1 | 4:51 | Became the #1 contender for the Heavyweight title; Won Knock Out of the Night Honors |
| Win | Carmelo Marrero | Submission (Armbar) | UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz II | 12/30/2006 | 1 | 3:22 | |
| Win | Fabiano Scherner | TKO (Punches) | UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie | 5/27/2006 | 2 | 0:24 | |
| Win | Kevin Jordan | KO (Superman Punch) | UFC 56: Full Force | 11/19/2005 | 3 | 4:39 | |
| Win | Walter Farias | Submission (Neck Crank) | Shooto Brazil: Never Shake | 10/23/2004 | 2 | N/A | |
| Win | Charlie Brown | Submission (Exhaustion) | JF 2: Jungle Fight 2 | 5/15/2004 | 3 | N/A | |
| Loss | Fabricio Werdum | TKO (Punches) | JF 1: Jungle Fight 1 | 9/13/2003 | 3 | 2:11 | |
| Win | Brandon Lee Hinkle | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Meca 9: Meca World Vale Tudo 9 | 8/01/2003 | 1 | 3:54 | |
| Win | Cicero Costa | Submission (Punches) | BG 2: Brazilian Gladiators 2 | 4/02/2003 | 1 | N/A | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga is a part of Team Link in Ludlow, Massachusetts. His coaches include Marco Alvan (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and Elcio Machado (Muay Thai).
He made his MMA debut on April 2, 2003 in Santos, Brazil against Cicero Costa. He won via submission from strikes in the first round. He went on to compete over the next two years winning three more bouts, losing only once to Fabricio Werdum.
UFC Career
Gonzaga 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, the fight was considered uneventful by the fans who booed the fight, and the announcers who criticized it. 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. 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 defeat Carmelo Marrero in the first round by armbar.
At UFC 70, in a shocking upset Gonzaga knocked out PRIDE FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the first round with a head kick. With the win, Gonzaga became the next contender for UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture.
Unfortunately for Gonzaga, UFC 74, Gonzaga lost to Randy Couture, and Couture kept his Heavyweight title.
Gonzaga returned to the octagon after the title-shot to face Fabricio Werdum at UFC 80. This was the second time Gonzaga had faced Werdum and the second time he was defeated by him. He lost via TKO in the second round.
Gonzaga then fought at UFC 86 against Justin McCully. Early in the first round, McCully fell to the ground due to a leg kick from Gonzaga. Gonzaga took to McCully's half guard, quickly passing to the mounted position and winning by first round submission with an Americana from the mount.
At UFC 91 Gonzaga beat UFC-newcomer Josh Hendricks via TKO (punches) at 1:01 of the first round.
Gonzaga's next fight was against the up-and-coming Heavyweight Shane Carwin at UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine. Gonzaga seemed to be in control of the fight from the beginning, but ended up getting caught by Carwin, who ended the fight at 1:09 in the first round via TKO (Punches).
After losing to Carwin, Gonzaga was placed up against Brock Lesnar's training partner Chris Tuchscherer, who was making his UFC debut. Being the current UFC Heavyweight Champion's sparring partner placed quite a bit of hype around Tuchscherer, but Gonzaga quickly proved that hype was all talk, as he dismantled his opponent via TKO (Punches) at 2:27 in the first round. Though it must be noted that Tuchscherer took a brutal left leg kick to the genitals early in the first round, forcing him to take quite some time to recover. Some consider this to have been a major factor in him losing in the manner that he did.
Gonzaga was scheduled to return to action at UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva, where he would face fast-rising heavyweight sensation Junior dos Santos, but was forced off the card due to staph infection. After dos Santos dismantled Gonzaga's replacement, Gilbert Yvel, the two were scheduled to face off against one another again, this time at UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones. Dos Santos patiently stood and traded with his opponent until connecting with a vicious left hook that sent Gonzaga crashing to the mat late in the first round. Although clearly dazed, Gonzaga initially covered up to deflect the subsequent blows, dos Santos, though, eventually blasted right through the defense. A quick succession of four to five blows briefly knocked Gonzaga out cold and prompted the referee's intervention at the 3:53 mark of the first round.
Personal Life
Gabriel and his wife have two children, a daughter and a son. They were expecting twin girls, but their daughter Leticia passed away at birth.
Ranks and Titles
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt
- 2006 Mundials Champion
- Heavyweight BJJ Black Belt GP 2004 Champion
- ADCC Trials Brazil Champion and ADCC 2005 second place
- Four-time BJJ national Champion
- Five-time Sao Paulo State Champion
