Gabriel Gonzaga

Background

Gonzaga was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and began training in judo when he was 14 years old. before later transitioning to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, under the tutelage of Wander Braga. Gonzaga would go on to achieve many accomplishments in the sport before transitioning into a career in MMA.{{cite web |access-date=19 January 2008

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Gonzaga made his professional MMA debut on 4 April 2003 in Santos, Brazil against Cicero Costa, winning via submission due to punches in the first round. He went on to compile a 4-1 professional record with his only loss coming via TKO to Fabrício Werdum.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

He made his UFC debut at UFC 56, knocking out Kevin Jordan with a superman punch at 4:39 of the third round. However, weeks before the fight, his pregnant wife started having complications with her pregnancy and lost one of the twins she was carrying. Gonzaga's obligations to his wife during her high risk pregnancy left him unable to train properly.{{cite web

Gonzaga would later return at UFC 60 with a win over Fabiano Scherner via TKO in the second round. At UFC 66 he would defeat Carmelo Marrero in the first round by armbar.

At UFC 70, Gonzaga knocked out Mirko Cro Cop with a head kick, Cro Cop's own signature move. With the win, Gonzaga was granted a title shot against UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture. The knockout was the consensus Knockout of the Year for 2007.

Gonzaga faced Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 74. He lost the fight via TKO due to punches from the mount at the 1:37 mark of the third round.

Gonzaga returned to the Octagon to face the only man that had beaten him prior to the Couture fight, Fabrício Werdum, at UFC 80, losing once again via TKO in the second round.{{cite web

Gonzaga faced Justin McCully at UFC 86. Early in the first round, McCully fell to the ground due to a powerful leg kick from Gonzaga. Gonzaga took to McCully's half guard, quickly passing to the mount position and winning by first round submission with an americana from the mount.

At UFC 91 Gonzaga knocked out UFC newcomer Josh Hendricks with a right hand at 1:01 of the first round.

Gonzaga then faced undefeated heavyweight prospect Shane Carwin at UFC 96. In the first 30 seconds of the fight, Gonzaga caught Carwin with an uppercut and two left hooks, breaking his nose. Gonzaga took the fight to the floor, but Carwin quickly fought back to his feet. Against the fence, Carwin pushed Gonzaga away and threw an overhand right that knocked Gonzaga out. The referee called the match at 69 seconds of round one, handing Gonzaga his fourth career loss.

At UFC 102 Gonzaga defeated Chris Tuchscherer via TKO at 2:27 of the first round. The fight, however, was controversial, as Gonzaga landed an illegal low blow that hurt Tuchsherer very badly. While Tuchsherer was able to continue after taking a full five-minute rest, Gonzaga landed a powerful head kick and continued to dominate the rest of the fight, eventually finishing the fight via strikes.

Gonzaga was set to fight Junior dos Santos at UFC 108; however, it was reported that he had pulled out of the fight due to a staph infection.

The fight between Gonzaga and dos Santos eventually took place on 21 March 2010 at UFC LIVE: Vera vs. Jones, with Gonzaga losing via knockout in the first round.

Gonzaga was defeated by Brendan Schaub on 23 October 2010 at UFC 121 by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 30–27 after Gonzaga was out-struck throughout all three rounds by Schaub. This was also the first bout in Gonzaga's professional career to go the distance.

Following the loss to Schaub, Gonzaga was released from the promotion.

Post UFC

After being released by the UFC, Gonzaga stated that he would only compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but expressed interest in returning to MMA. Gonzaga returned to action against Reality Fighting Heavyweight Champion Parker Porter. Gonzaga fought Porter on 8 October where he submitted him with an arm-triangle choke in the third round, winning the Reality Fighting Heavyweight Championship.

Return to the UFC

It was announced that Gonzaga signed a new, four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on 16 December 2011. In his return bout, he faced Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 142, replacing an injured Rob Broughton. Gonzaga won the fight via submission in the first round.

Gabriel Gonzaga was expected to face Shane del Rosario at UFC 146 on 26 May 2012. Gabriel was pulled from the bout against Shane Del Rosario to replace Antônio Silva against Roy Nelson, after Silva was switched to meet Cain Velasquez. Gonzaga later was forced out of the bout against Roy Nelson because of an injury, being replaced by Dave Herman.

Gonzaga was expected to face promotional newcomer and fellow Brazilian Geronimo dos Santos on 13 October 2012 at UFC 153 but dos Santos dropped off the card for an undisclosed reason. As no replacement was scheduled, Gonzaga was also removed from the card.

Gonzaga faced Ben Rothwell on 19 January 2013 at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Gonzaga lost via first-round knockout to Travis Browne on 13 April 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

Gonzaga faced Dave Herman on 6 July 2013 at UFC 162, replacing Shane del Rosario who had to withdraw from the bout due to an injury. Gonzaga won via KO 17 seconds into the first round.

Gonzaga next faced Shawn Jordan on 19 October 2013 at UFC 166. He won the fight via knockout at 1:13 of round one. This was Gonzaga's second consecutive first-round knockout.

Gonzaga faced Stipe Miocic on 25 January 2014 at UFC on Fox 10. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Post-fight, Gonzaga stated online that he broke his hand in the first round.

Gonzaga faced Matt Mitrione on 13 December 2014 at UFC on Fox 13. He lost the bout in the first round via TKO.

Gonzaga faced returning veteran Mirko Cro Cop in a rematch on 11 April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64. After dominantly winning the first two rounds and being up 20–17 on the scorecards, Gonzaga was finished by TKO in the third round after a surprise flurry of elbows and punches managed to hurt him and turn the fight around in an instant. Gonzaga later stated that he wasn't ready for all 5 rounds, and that he was surprised by Cro Cop's strength and improved elbows. The bout earned both men Fight of the Night bonus honors.

Gonzaga faced Konstantin Erokhin on 11 December 2015 at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. He won the fight by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–28).

Gonzaga was expected to face Ruslan Magomedov on 10 April 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86. However, Magomedov was forced out of the bout in early March due to injury and replaced by Derrick Lewis. Gonzaga lost the fight via KO in the first round.

On 30 September 2016 it was announced that Gonzaga would be retiring from the sport unless offered a 6-figure contract from the UFC.

Professional boxing career

On 14 September 2017, it was announced that Gonzaga would be making his pro boxing debut for the Rivera Promotions Entertainment (RPE) boxing promotion on 26 October against Alejandro Esquilin Santiago. Gonzaga won the four-round bout via majority decision.

Bare-knuckle boxing

On August 28, 2019, it was announced that Gonzaga would make his promotional debut headlining BKFC 8 against fellow UFC veteran Antônio Silva on October 19, 2019. He won the fight via knockout in the second round.

Personal life

Gonzaga and his fiancé live in Massachusetts.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)
  • Fight of the Night (Two times)
  • Tied (Andrei Arlovski, Stefan Struve & Francis Ngannou) for third most finishes in UFC history (11)
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2007: Knockout of the Year & Ranked #3 Upset of the Year vs. Mirko Cro Cop 1
• FIGHT! Magazine
  • 2007 Knockout of the Year vs. Mirko Cro Cop on 21 April
• Fight Matrix
  • Most Lopsided Upset of the Year (2007)
• Inside Fights
  • 2007 Knockout of the Year vs. Mirko Cro Cop on 21 April
• Reality Fighting
  • Reality Fighting Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

• Confederação Brasileira de Jiu Jitsu Olímpico
  • 2006 CBJJO World Cup Super Heavyweight Champion (Black Belt)
  • 2005 CBJJO World Cup Super Heavyweight Runner-Up (Black Belt)
  • 2005 CBJJO World Cup Absolute 3rd Place (Black Belt)
  • 2003 CBJJO World Cup Super Heavyweight Runner-Up (Black Belt)
  • 2003 CBJJO World Cup Absolute Runner-Up (Black Belt)
• Confederação Brasileira de Jiu Jitsu
  • 2006 CBJJ Mundials Super Heavyweight Champion (Black Belt)
  • 2005 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals 3rd Place (Black Belt)
  • 1999 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals 3rd Place
  • 1996/1997 CBJJ Brazilian Nationals Champion (Purple Belt)
• International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation
  • 2019 World Masters IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship Super Heavyweight Champion (Black Belt)
  • 2000 World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship Super Heavyweight 3rd Place (Black Belt)
  • 1999 World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship Super Heavyweight 3rd Place (Brown Belt)

Submission grappling

• ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship
  • 2005 ADCC +99 kg Runner-Up
  • Opponents:
    • Won: Mustapha al-Turk (pts), Ricco Rodriguez (pts), Marcio Cruz (pts), Eduardo Telles (pts)
    • Lost: Jeff Monson (pts), Xande Ribeiro (sub)

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 9 | ko-losses= 10 | sub-wins= 7 | sub-losses= | dec-wins= 1 | dec-losses= 2 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

| |Yekaterinburg, Russia | |- |Loss |Derrick Lewis |KO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos | |Zagreb, Croatia | |- |Win |Konstantin Erokhin |Decision (unanimous) |The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |Mirko Cro Cop |TKO (elbows and punches) |UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 | |Kraków, Poland

| |Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |- |Loss |Stipe Miocic |Decision (unanimous) |UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson | |Chicago, Illinois, United States | |- | Win | Shawn Jordan | KO (punches) | UFC 166 | | Houston, Texas, United States | |- | Win | Dave Herman | KO (punches) | UFC 162 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Travis Browne | KO (elbows) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Finale | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Ben Rothwell | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping | | São Paulo, Brazil | |- | Win | Ednaldo Oliveira | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 142 | | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Win | Parker Porter | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Reality Fighting: Gonzaga vs. Porter | | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States

| | Anaheim, California, United States | |- | Loss | Junior dos Santos | KO (punches) | UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones | | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |- | Win | Chris Tuchscherer | TKO (punches) | UFC 102 | | Portland, Oregon, United States | |- | Loss | Shane Carwin | KO (punches) | UFC 96 | | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |- | Win | Josh Hendricks | KO (punches) | UFC 91 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Justin McCully | Submission (kimura) | UFC 86 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | Fabrício Werdum | TKO (punches) | UFC 80 | | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | |- | Loss | Randy Couture | TKO (punches) | UFC 74 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Manchester, England

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Fabiano Scherner | TKO (punches) | UFC 60 | | Los Angeles, California, United States | |- | Win | Kevin Jordan | KO (superman punch) | UFC 56 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Win | Walter Farias | Submission (neck crank) | Shooto Brazil: Never Shake | | São Paulo, Brazil | |- | Win | Charlie Brown | TKO (exhaustion) | Jungle Fight 2 | | Manaus, Brazil | |- | Loss | Fabrício Werdum | TKO (punches) | Jungle Fight 1 | | Manaus, Brazil | |- | Win | Branden Lee Hinkle | Submission (triangle choke) | Meca 9: Meca World Vale Tudo 9 | | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- | Win | Cicero Costa | TKO (submission to punches) | Brazilian Gladiators 2 | | São Paulo, Brazil |

Professional boxing record

|ko-wins= |ko-losses= |dec-wins=1 |dec-losses= |dq-wins= |dq-losses=

Bare knuckle record

|ko-wins=1 |ko-losses= |dec-wins= |dec-losses= |dq-wins=

| |Tampa, Florida, United States | |-

Notes

References

References

1. "World Master Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 2019". Official IBJJF results.
2. "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Dos Santos vs. Miocic". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
3. (1 June 2013). "Shane del Rosario forced out at UFC 162, Dave Herman now meets Gabriel Gonzaga". MMAjunkie.com.
4. (8 October 2011). "Brazilian Beat: Jiu-jitsu instructor at heart, Gabriel Gonzaga still happy to fight again". MMAjunkie.com.
5. "ADCC 2005 - Results". Official ADCC results.
6. "World Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2006 – Results". Official IBJJF results.
7. "World Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2002 – Results". Official IBJJF results.
8. "Brazilian Nationals Jiu-Jitsu Championship 1999 – Results". Official IBJJF results.
9. (6 July 2008). "UFC 86 Review: Main Event Wows, Forrest Wins!". MMAWeekly.com.
10. (25 November 2009). "Another good fight goes bye-bye: Gonzaga out of UFC 108". sports.yahoo.com.
11. "Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga". sherdog.com.
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16. "shockblastmedia.com".
17. "Nothing found for 2011 10 09 Gabriel Gonzaga Submits Parker Porter Takes Reality Fighting Heavyweight Championship".
18. (16 December 2011). "Gabriel Gonzaga Back, Faces Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 142". MMAweekly.com.
19. (22 February 2012). "Gabriel Gonzaga set to welcome Strikeforce's Shane Del Rosario to the Octagon". mmamania.com.
20. (23 April 2012). "Gabriel Gabriel Gonzaga fills an open slot against Roy Nelson at UFC 146". mmajunkie.com.
21. (2 May 2012). "Roy Nelson vs Dave Herman booked with Gabriel Gonzaga injured". mmamania.com.
22. (1 August 2012). "Gonzaga vs. 'Mondragon' set for UFC 153". tatame.com.
23. (2 November 2012). "Heavyweights Ben Rothwell, Gabriel Gonzaga targeted for Jan. 19 UFC card in Brazil". MMAjunkie.com.
24. (11 February 2013). "Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Travis Browne booked for The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale". MMAjunkie.com.
25. (31 May 2013). "Shane del Rosario forced out at UFC 162, Dave Herman now meets Gabriel Gonzaga". mmajunkie.com.
26. Brian Hemminger. (24 July 2013). "Heavyweight bout Shawn Jordan vs Gabriel Gonzaga slated for UFC 166 in Houston". mmamania.com.
27. (20 November 2013). "Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic added to UFC on FOX 10 in Chicago". mmajunkie.com.
28. Marc Raimondi. (19 September 2014). "Heavyweights Matt Mitrione, Gabriel Gonzaga to meet on FOX card in Phoenix". foxsports.com.
29. (23 January 2015). "UFC Fight Night 64 heads to Poland with Cro Cop-Gonzaga II, Blachowicz-Manuwa". mmajunkie.com.
30. (11 April 2015). "UFC Fight Night 64 results: Mirko Filipovic shocks with TKO win over Gabriel Gonzaga". mmajunkie.com.
31. (11 April 2015). "UFC Krakow results: Mirko Cro Cop gets revenge on Gabriel Gonzaga with third-round TKO". mmafighting.com.
32. (11 April 2015). "UFC Fight Night 64 bonuses: Cro Cop and Gonzaga among four scoring $50,000". mmajunkie.com.
33. (11 September 2015). "Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Konstantin Erokhin heavyweight tilt set for TUF 22 Finale in Vegas". mmajunkie.com.
34. Brent Brookhouse. (11 December 2015). "TUF 22 Finale results: Gabriel Gonzaga takes lackluster decision over Konstantin Erokhin". mmajunkie.com.
35. Danny Doherty. (22 January 2016). "UFC Fight Night 85: Gonzaga to fight Magomedov in Croatia". cagepages.com.
36. John Morgan. (9 March 2016). "Derrick Lewis vs. Gabriel Gonzaga in works for UFC Fight Night 86". mmajunkie.com.
37. Ben Fowlkes. (10 April 2016). "UFC Fight Night 86 results: Derrick Lewis crushes Gabriel Gonzaga for first-round KO". mmajunkie.com.
38. Kelsey Mowatt. (30 September 2016). "UFC Vet Gabriel Gonzaga Says He's Retired Unless Six Figure Contract's Tabled". mmafrenzy.com.
39. "Former UFC Title Challenger Gabriel Gonzaga to Make Pro Boxing Debut on Oct 26".
40. Nolan King. (August 28, 2019). "Former UFC title challengers Antonio Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga to headline BKFC 8". mmajunkie.com.
41. UFC.com. (June 5, 2023). "UFC Stats - Heavyweight Division". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship.
42. Thomas Gerbasi. (January 6, 2013). "Ten Best - 2012 (and before) Knockouts of the Year". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
43. Thomas Gerbasi. (December 30, 2007). "Ten Best – The Biggest Upsets of 2007". [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].
44. "2007 FIGHT! Awards | FIGHT! Magazine".
45. "Fight Matrix - MMA Awards".
46. (7 January 2008). "2007 Inside Fights Awards - Inside Pulse".
47. "Gabriel Gonzaga".