Gabriel Gonzaga
Brazilian heavyweight Gabriel ‘Napão’ Gonzaga (13-6) will welcome promotion newcomer Geronimo ‘Mondragon’ dos Santos (34-14) to the Octagon when the UFC returns to Brazil this October.
News of the UFC 153 matchup was announced by Tatame.com on Wednesday.
UFC 153: Aldo vs. Koch is expected to occur on October 13, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is headlined by a featherweight title match between champion Jose Aldo versus Erik Koch.
The bout between Gonzaga and Dos Santos is likely to air on the nights preliminary card.
Gonzaga returned to the Octagon after a one bout absence this past January, submitting Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 142 in Rio. The victory was ‘Napão’s’ second straight win after a victory last October at a Reality Fighting event. Gonzaga was cut from the UFC following two straight losses in 2010, losing to Brendan Schaub and Junior dos Santos.
Dos Santos brings a twelve-fight win streak into his Octagon debut finishing eleven of those opponents with nine TKO stoppages. ‘Mondragon’ earned a quick knockout victory at a local event in Brazil last June. Dos Santos has competed against such notable names as Josh Barnett, Junior dos Santos, and Thiago Santos over his career.