Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga and Matt “Meathead” Mitrione kicked off the UFC on Fox 13 main card in emphatic fashion.
To the crowd’s delight, the two veteran heavyweights slugged it out on the feet, and the bout didn’t make it out of the first round.
While Gonzaga had his moments early and landed some solid, tight shots, it was the former The Ultimate Fighter standout, Mitrione, who walked away with the big finish and the critical victory.
Mitrione slammed Gonzaga with a nasty right-left combo inside, putting his foe on wobbly legs and sending the fight tumbling to the canvas. From there, Meathead worked some hard ground-and-pound but could not quite put a stamp on his performance.
Realizing the threat of a submission from Gonzaga, Mitrione moved away. But as Napao worked to his feet, Meathead leapt in with one more vicious punch, officially ending the bout.
The win was impressive, and Mitrione now moves to 9-3 with three straight first-round finishes inside the heavyweight division.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
Two heavyweight sluggers throwing down is always going to excite fans, but the most memorable moment of this fight was the final blow landed by Mitrione.
The combination that dropped Gonzaga was fierce, but the final punch that sealed the deal was downright brutal.
Mitrione showed what kind of power he possesses in his hands once again, and the results were devastating.
What We Learned About Gonzaga:
Gonzaga’s boxing looked tight and crisp early, but he got clipped and could not recover in Round 1.
Every time Gonzaga looked ready to make the next move for his career inside the Octagon, he fell via TKO. And this fight was no different.
After earning his title shot against Randy Couture at UFC 74, he lost the championship bout via TKO in Round 3.
After back-to-back first-round finishes in 2008, Gonzaga’s stock was high, and he earned a big-time matchup with Shane Carwin. Carwin knocked him out in Round 1.
So it goes for the aging Brazilian.
His skills are good enough against lesser opponents. But give him a superior technician or athlete, and he struggles mightily. We did not learn much about Napao here, but it did become clear that he is not headed for grand things in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
What We Learned About Mitrione:
Coming into this fight with Gonzaga, Mitrione won three of his last four fights—all via knockout.
We knew Meathead possessed huge power and fluidity in his punches, and his UFC on Fox 13 bout only reaffirmed that fact.
The major questions surrounding his skill set centered on his wrestling and grappling, and we did not see him defend any takedowns or fend off any submissions.
For now, this area of his game remains a mystery.
What’s Next for Gonzaga?
Gonzaga is 35 years old, and he’s been fighting professionally since 2003. He’s been knocked out in seven of his nine losses.
Nobody would blame him if he called it quits right now, and it might actually be the right decision.
Assuming that is not the case, however, a matchup with Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis makes sense moving forward.
Lewis fell victim to Mitrione’s hands in his last outing, so a fight with Gonzaga will help establish where each man stands in the heavyweight division.
What’s Next for Mitrione?
Mitrione boasted a No. 14 ranking going into his fight with Gonzaga, so he’s marching toward a top-10 fight in his next outing.
If you’re really into ultra violence (and why are you reading this if you’re not?), Alistair Overeem earned himself a first-round knockout of his own over Stefan Struve just moments after Mitrione shut off Gonzaga’s lights. Coming into the fight with Struve, Overeem was ranked No. 11, which is close to Mitrione’s.
Two huge, athletic heavyweights with massive power and quickness? Book it!
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