A heavyweight bout pitting resurgent Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga (14-6) against American on the mend, Travis Browne (13-1-1), has been scheduled for The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, which takes place April 13, 2013 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
UFC President Dana White announced the bout via Twitter on Monday morning.
Following a brief retirement, Gonzaga, 33, has steamrolled to three consecutive submission finishes since late-2011, punctuated by a second-round guillotine victory over Ben Rothwell at January’s UFC on FX 7 event. The massive heavyweight, affectionally nicknamed “Napao,” is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt most noted for a stunningly brutal head kick knockout over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic back in 2007.
Browne, 30, looks to rebounded after enduring the first loss of his four-year career, a crushing first-round knockout at the hands of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC on FX 5. Browne suffered a torn hamstring early in the bout after attempting a wild assortment of kicks, and underdog Silva took advantage, bringing a resounding end to Browne’s flawless Octagon run, which included a highlight reel knockout of Stefan Struve and ‘Submission of the Night’ victory over Chad Griggs.
Additionally, The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale is expected the featured the middleweight finals for season 17’s 14-man tournament.