| Gabriel Gonzaga Returns Home |
Reported by The Republican - LUDLOW - A much-deserved hero’s welcome awaited Gabriel Gonzaga Tuesday evening as he walked through the door of the Marco Alvan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Training Center.
Alvan’s students interrupted their lessons to give the newest Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar a hearty ovation and to shake the hand of the man who put Ludlow on the mixed martial arts map.
Gonzaga, 27, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC and MMA history Saturday when he knocked out Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in the main event of "UFC 70: Nations Collide" in Manchester, England.
The rest of the world might only be getting to know "Napao," but to the men who greeted him at the door, he’s just another member of Team Link.
"I want to thank all my teammates," Gonzaga said through his manager and translator, Alvan. "No one can be in the best of shape without their partners."
Even though he’s still just one of the guys in Ludlow, Gonzaga’s profile is about to rise.
His next fight is for the UFC heavyweight championship against 43-year-old hall-of-famer Randy "The Natural" Couture. There is speculation in MMA circles that the title bout will take place Aug. 25, but Alvan said nothing is definite.
With success and exposure comes recognition in other ways. New sponsors will likely emerge, and enough already exist that Gonzaga can concentrate on what he loves best.
"Right now, after four fights in the UFC, I can give to my family - for my wife and for my daughter - a better life," said Gonzaga, who will add a baby boy to his brood in a few months. "I’m very, very happy for how the UFC takes care of me. I can do today the thing I’ve always dreamed of - I can just train to fight."
Fans nationwide got to see some of Gonzaga’s training as Spike TV followed him for a day for its pre-fight preview show. Alvan’s gym on East Street received valuable exposure as a result.
Gonzaga’s coaches and training partners helped concoct a winning strategy that took away Filipovic’s greatest strength - his powerful punches and kicks. In doing so, Gonzaga was able to finish the fight by giving Cro Cop a taste of his own medicine.
With just nine seconds left in the first of three scheduled five-minute rounds, Gonzaga uncorked his right leg with a brutal kick upside Filipovic’s skull. The crowd of 14,921 at the M.E.N. Arena let out a collective gasp as one of MMA’s biggest names lay motionless in the center of the Octagon.
"I felt that my foot landed really good," said Gonzaga, who has an 8-1 overall record and a six-fight win streak. "I saw him on the ground, and I jumped on top of him just to finish the fight."
Gonzaga dominated the fight in all aspects. Many expected him to use his superior grappling skills to take Filipovic to the ground. He did, but instead of going for a submission hold, he cut Cro Cop’s head with several hard elbow shots.
"It’s just amazing that he got Cro Cop down that quickly and dominated the whole fight," Ken Pishna, editor of MMAWeekly.com, said by telephone. "I don’t think anyone saw a head kick coming."
Gonzaga worked on kicks like his knockout blow with two top muay thai (Thai boxing) trainers from Brazil - Elcio Machado and Atila Cebola. Gonzaga was quick to thank Cebola specifically in his post-fight interview. Boxing coach Clayton Roberson Jr. was also instrumental in formulating Gonzaga’s approach on his feet.
"It looked easy," Alvan said. "But the fight is easy when you train hard."
Gonzaga will now face Randy Couture for the championshiop which may happen at UFC 74
| " | "Right now, after four fights in the UFC, I can give to my family - for my wife and for my daughter - a better life," said Gonzaga, who will add a baby boy to his brood in a few months. "I'm very, very happy for how the UFC takes care of me. I can do today the thing I've always dreamed of - I can just train to fight." Gonzaga will now face Randy Couture for the championshiop which may happen at UFC 74 |
For gabriel gonzaga the best nik name is SERBIAN (Gabriel Serbian Gonzaga)
Gonzaga was lucky .through a risk kick caught mirko ,I do know what going on in Mirko mind dropping his hand like he did for most experienced kick fighters is not normal it appeared he he had other issues on his mind rather than the fight on hand ,however in the game has to be A game on fight night . Randy should think of retiring if Chuck did not give him a lesson on reflex ,randy has one game plan that is take one down once he does he trys to win on ground and pound or several takedowns ,which means he will try to take the fight to the distance for a points win ,I dont’t think Randy has what it takes to beat gozanga or Mirko Randy is a nice guy thanks Randy but stepdown before you get really get hurt .