A heavyweight featured bout has been added to the upcoming Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale show headed to Las Vegas on April 13. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga will look to extend his current two-fight win s…
A heavyweight featured bout has been added to the upcoming Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale show headed to Las Vegas on April 13.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga will look to extend his current two-fight win streak in the UFC when he faces off with Travis Browne at the finale show.
UFC President Dana White announced the news via Twitter on Monday:
Following a very brief retirement from MMA in 2010, Gonzaga made his way back to fighting almost exactly a year later. And following one victory, he got the call to return to the UFC.
Since that time, Gonzaga has made the most of his return with two wins, both by submission, including a guillotine choke victory over Ben Rothwell at UFC on FX 7 last month in his home country of Brazil.
Facing Gonzaga at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will be heavyweight prospect Travis Browne, who will look to bounce back from the first loss of his career when he gets back in the cage in April.
Browne lost by TKO in his last fight when he took on Strikeforce transfer Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC on FX 5 last year. During the bout, he suffered a torn hamstring that hampered him greatly, as he fell to defeat for the first time. But now, with a healthy leg and some much-needed time off, he’s ready to wash the bad taste of loss out of his mouth.
White did not specify where the Browne vs. Gonzaga fight would fall on the Ultimate Fighter finale show, but it’s likely to land on the televised main card, which airs on FX on April 13.
The show will also feature the middleweight finals of the reality show, which is currently airing on Tuesday nights on FX, with coaches Jon Jones and ChaelSonnen leading the way.
Two weeks after the finale, Jones and Sonnen will meet as the main event for UFC 159 in New Jersey.
Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
After baffling “Big” Ben Rothwell on the feet and submitting him with an arm-in guillotine choke, Gabriel Gonzaga announced to the MMA world that he will not take his second chance with the UFC for granted.The win marks the second submission victory fo…
After baffling “Big” Ben Rothwell on the feet and submitting him with an arm-in guillotine choke, Gabriel Gonzaga announced to the MMA world that he will not take his second chance with the UFC for granted.
The win marks the second submission victory for Gonzaga since returning to the organization that made him famous. Last January, “Napao” needed little more than three minutes to dispatch of then-undefeated EdnaldoOliveira.
Now that the former title contender is making waves in the heavyweight division, we’ve got to think about what comes next.
Gabriel has a world-renowned grappling game which has led to nine submission wins. However, with dynamite in his hands and feet, he is a well-rounded threat who can finish opponents anywhere that the fight goes.
Based on these skills, there aren’t many challengers who are particularly daunting, short of the division’s elite. With 14 trips into the Octagon under his belt, I think that it’s important to pit Gonzaga against another longtime UFC veteran.
Luckily for the big Brazilian, there are a couple of options who lay at his feet, in need of an opponent this Spring: Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson.
Cheick Kongo is the French kickboxer who has terrorized the heavyweight division throughout 17 UFC appearances. Like Gonzaga, the biggest win on Kongo’s resume came in a 2007 victory over Mirko Cro Cop.
Unlike his Brazilian foe, Kongo has never been able to parlay his momentum into a UFC title shot. Currently, Kongo has only one loss in his past six fights.
When you consider how long that these heavyweights were on the roster, it is fairly surprising that they have yet to square off at any point in their careers. A bout with Gonzaga could be exactly what Kongo needs to finally earn an elusive crack at the belt.
Roy Nelson has eight UFC appearances of his own, and like Gonzaga, has an unannounced allergy to winning by decision. Between the two fighters, they have 14 victories while fighting for Zuffa and not one of them went to the judges scorecards.
“Big Country” is also a well-rounded mixed martial artists who possesses incredible punching power to supplement his killer grappling skills. A fight with Gonzaga is the step up he deserves after wins over Dave Herman and Matt Mitrione.
The fight with Nelson was scheduled for UFC 146 after the Overeem/Mir/Bigfoot switcharoo shifted the entire card. However, the fight didn’t take place after Gonzaga was forced out due to an injury.
Personally, I feel that Roy Nelson is a more dangerous matchup for Gonzaga, however both fights would make for a solid addition to any card.
The last time that Vitor Belfort fought in Sao Paulo, this happened. Fourteen years later, those still-lethal fists are the only thing separating Michael Bisping from the middleweight title shot that has stayed maddeningly out of his reach. So will Belfort triumph in front of his countrymen tonight at the Ibirapuera Arena, or will Bisping defy the haters and take what belongs to him?
Round-by-round updates from the “Belfort vs. Bisping” main card broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and make the world a little less lonely by tossing your thoughts into the comments section.
The last time that Vitor Belfort fought in Sao Paulo, this happened. Fourteen years later, those still-lethal fists are the only thing separating Michael Bisping from the middleweight title shot that has stayed maddeningly out of his reach. So will Belfort triumph in front of his countrymen tonight at the Ibirapuera Arena, or will Bisping defy the haters and take what belongs to him?
Round-by-round updates from the “Belfort vs. Bisping” main card broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and make the world a little less lonely by tossing your thoughts into the comments section.
Preliminary card results:
– Godofredo Castro def. Milton Vieira via split-decision (28-27 x 2, 27-28)
– Ronny Markes def. Andrew Craig via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Nik Lentz def. Diego Nunes via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
– Edson Barboza def. Lucas Martins via submission (punches), 2:38 of round 1
– Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre resulted in a no contest (Nobre was knocked out by strikes to the back of the head), 2:11 of round 1
– Ildemar Alcantara def. Wagner Prado via submission (kneebar), 2:39 of round 2
– Francisco Trinaldo def. C.J. Keith via submission (arm triangle choke), 1:50 of round 2
And now the main card…
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares As I once wrote, “God help the CagePotato writers who have to type [Nurmagomedov’s] name during liveblogs. (Not it, guys.)” Well, shit. Due to a last-minute withdrawal, I (BG) have to soldier up and make it happen. I’ll be shortening his name to “Nurma,” and I don’t even think Khabib himself would judge me for that.
Round 1: Tavares trying to back Nurma down to the fence, and Nurma brushes him away with a high kick and overhand right. Nurma throws another big wild punch but misses. Tavares lands a straight, but Nurma connects moments later with a sneaky left uppercut that drops Tavares to the canvas. He follows it up with a carpet-bombing of elbows from the top that puts Tavares’s lights out. Aaaaaaand still undefeated…Nurmagomedov def. Tavares via KO, 1:55 of round 1. The UFC production crew realizes that a translated English-to-Russian-to-English post-fight interview wouldn’t be very well-received by the Brazilian crowd, and they wisely skip it.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
Round 1: Rothwell snaps out a pair of punches, and Gonzaga responds by shooting for a takedown. He gets Rothwell down, but Rothwell makes his way to his feet. Gonzaga sticks onto Rothwell, dragging Big Ben to the mat again despite a very blatant fence grab that Rothwell is warned for. Rothwell’s up again, and down again. Gonzaga with some wall-n-stall. They’re separated. Rothwell misses a jab and Gonzaga clinches up with him, landing a punch as Rothwell shakes out. Rothwell lands a punch. He puts Gonzaga against the fence, and is warned for a knee to the ball-area. They separate and Gonzaga starts finding his range with punches, making Rothwell’s legs go shaky at one point. Rothwell answers. A little jockeying against the fence and the horn sounds. Rothwell goes back to his corner with a cut under his eye. 10-9 Gonzaga.
Round 2: Right straight from Gonzaga lands. They clinch and trade knees. Gonzaga staggers Rothwell with two more rights, looks for a takedown, and grabs an arm-in guillotine when Rothwell tries to sprawl. Gonzaga pulls guard and bears down on the choke. Rothwell taps once, and looks pretty pissed off at himself as the ref ends the fight. Rothwell def. Gonzaga via submission (guillotine choke), 1:01 of round 2.
“Speaking of nice guys, the *infectious* Junior Dos Santos…” Jon Anik says, pointing out Cigano in the crowd, and making subtle reference to the herpes outbreak that ruined his marriage.
Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway
Round 1: Dollaway dashes in with some awkward looking jabs and Sarafian counters him with ease. Dollaway lands a leg kick. They land hooks simultaneously. Sarafian makes good contact with a charging punch combo. Sarafian lands an overhand right as Dollawya lands a kick to the body. Sarafian lands a straight to the body. Sarafian drops Dollaway, but Dollaway grabs onto Sarafian’s leg and makes his way back to his feet. Sarafian throwing with serious power, and lands a cross/hook combo. Dollaway jabbing. Sarafian again with the overhand right. Dollaway sticks the jab, Sarafian gives one back. He pushes forward with punches. Sarafian goes to the body. Dollaway taunting Sarafian, God knows why. Sarafian attacks at the horn but doesn’t catch Dollaway with anything. 10-9 Sarafian.
Round 2: Sarafian getting loose in the cage, shuckin’ and duckin’. Dollaway lands a long jab. Sarafian throws a spinning kick and misses. They briefly clinch against the fence. Dollaway lands his jab. He scores with a leg kick. Sarafian staggers Dollaway again with his big overhand right. Dollaway with a solid kick to the body. He throws another one, Sarafian catches it and trips Dollaway down, but Dollaway pops back up. Dollaway sticking with those kicks even though Sarafian is onto them by now. Both guys trading punches, Dollaway continuing to work the jab, and Sarafian throwing more big rights. Dollaway catches Sarafian with a big punch coming in, and Sarafian drops to his knees on the mat. Dollaway fires down some shots in an attempt to end the fight before the round ends, but Sarafian is saved by the horn.
Round 3: Dollaway throws a high-kick. Big hook from Sarafian lands, Dollaway swings back to counter and lands. Dollaway reaching forward with that jab. Dollaway lands a kick to the gut, then a short hook. Sarafian lands a big overhand right, Dollaway answers with a big right of his own. Dollway lands again and Sarafian is on his heels. Dollaway takes Sarafian down. Sarafian works to his feet but Dollaway is hugging him around the middle, and converts the takedown. Dollaway on Sarafian’s back. Sarafian rolls, and sweeps a fatigued Dollaway off of him. Now Sarafian is on top. He’s got 90 seconds to steal this round. Dollaway rolls, Sarafian seizes his back and tries to set up a RNC. Dollaway escapes and gets in Sarafian’s guard. Sarafian escapes. Dollaway shoots for a leg and takes a knee to the face. He continues to pursue Sarafian as the round ends. Could be a close decision coming up… Dollaway def. Sarafian via split-decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29). Even the translator sounds pissed off. The crowd tries to drown out CB’s interview response with boos. Something about landing his takedowns. Oh man. This is kind of brutal. Honestly, if Bisping takes out Belfort next, there could be actual rioting in this building.
Unrelated: I wonder what these bros are up to tonight.
Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
Round 1: Bisping takes the center of the Octagon. He feels Belfort out with jabs. Belfort throws a front kick. Inside leg kick from Bisping. Belfort throws a left head kick that’s blocked. Belfort long-jumps into Bisping and almost gets punches out of mid-air. Bisping starting to committ with his punches. Belfort misses a reverse kick. Bisping whiffs on a right straight. He comes in again and eats on uppercut. Bisping lands the inside leg kick again. Swing and a miss from Belfort. Belfort lands a body kick. Bisping tapping Belfort with the jab. Bisping tries to call time-out for an eye poke, but changes his mind and goes right back in. Bisping moves in with a punch and spinning kick but doesn’t have the right range. Belfort lands a punch that staggers Bisping, and chases him with punches as the round ends. That might be enough to give Belfort the edge.
Round 2: Low leg kick from Bisping. Belfort scares Bisping off with a fast straight. 1-2 from Belfort. Bisping jabs. A massive left-head kick from Belfort drops Bisping! Belfort lays on some finishing punches from the top and it’s all over. Belfort def. Bisping via TKO, 1:27 of round 2. Belfort says he’s only there because of God. He thanks his wife, camp, and Brazil, and gives all the glory to Jesus. Then he loses his mind about Chael Sonnen, ordering Dana and Lorenzo to get that clown out of the title fight with Jon Jones. Hey, from your mouth to God’s ears, buddy.
Michael Bisping has no sour grapes in his post-fight interview. “He was the better man…you win some, you lose some, I’m not going away.”
So now what? Weidman vs. Lombard for the next middleweight title shot? I doubt Belfort will be getting another chance any time soon, despite his post-fight pleas.
And now we get a look at Edson Barboza’s execution of Lucas Martins from the prelims. Martins gets kicked in the balls about 30 seconds into the fight, and pops a squat against the cage to recover. Ugh. He’s going back in after about a minute and a half, but you can tell he’s not completely ready. Martins is a game opponent, active with his attacks even if they’re not doing much. He gets a little too wild, though, swinging his punches during a striking blitz and leaving his chin out. Barboza finds it with a left hand, and Martins’s legs go all noodly. Barboza slams down punches as Martins’s head is wedged against the fence, and Martins eventually taps to the onslaught. The fight is stopped at 2:38 of the first frame.
That’s it, folks. If you’re on the East Coast and you have no taste in comedy, enjoy the new episode of Anger Management.
Unlike the freakish mismatches that plagued last weekend’s Strikeforce show, the odds for this Saturday’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping event in Sao Paulo suggest a very competitive lineup of fights. In fact, two of the matches are virtually dead even, with a razor-thin margin between the favorite and the underdog. Here are the betting lines for the FX main card, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com:
Michael Bisping (-103) vs. Vitor Belfort (-107): This is about as close as it gets in MMA betting, though Belfort still comes in as a slight favorite. The line reflects the divide among fans on how the fight will play out — either Bisping will outstrike and outhustle the Phenom to a decision victory, or Belfort will maul Bisping in short order, finishing him via punches-to-the-back-of-head TKO. If you’re leaning strongly towards one of those results, feel free to put your money where your mouth is. But keep in mind that the fight is scheduled for five rounds, which certainly gives Bisping the edge if he manages to survive the first ten minutes.
Ben Rothwell (+100) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (-110): Another close call in terms of odds, but I’m not sure that Gonzaga should be the slight favorite here. To me, he hasn’t yet shaken his reputation as a can-crusher, while Rothwell’s most recent appearance against Brendan Schaub proved him to be a ferocious finisher, hard to rattle, and in the best physical shape of his career.
Unlike the freakish mismatches that plagued last weekend’s Strikeforce show, the odds for this Saturday’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping event in Sao Paulo suggest a very competitive lineup of fights. In fact, two of the matches are virtually dead even, with a razor-thin margin between the favorite and the underdog. Here are the betting lines for the FX main card, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com:
Michael Bisping (-103) vs. Vitor Belfort (-107): This is about as close as it gets in MMA betting, though Belfort still comes in as a slight favorite. The line reflects the divide among fans on how the fight will play out — either Bisping will outstrike and outhustle the Phenom to a decision victory, or Belfort will maul Bisping in short order, finishing him via punches-to-the-back-of-head TKO. If you’re leaning strongly towards one of those results, feel free to put your money where your mouth is. But keep in mind that the fight is scheduled for five rounds, which certainly gives Bisping the edge if he manages to survive the first ten minutes.
Ben Rothwell (+100) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (-110): Another close call in terms of odds, but I’m not sure that Gonzaga should be the slight favorite here. To me, he hasn’t yet shaken his reputation as a can-crusher, while Rothwell’s most recent appearance against Brendan Schaub proved him to be a ferocious finisher, hard to rattle, and in the best physical shape of his career.
C.B. Dollaway (+164) vs. Daniel Sarafian (-165): To refresh your memory, Daniel Sarafian is the TUF Brazil finalist who had to withdraw from his finale fight due to injury. The Sao Paulo native will be making his official UFC debut this weekend, and will face a significant jump in competition against 10-fight UFC veteran CB Dollaway. Sure, Sarafian will have hometown advantage, looked nasty on TUF, and Dollaway has been battling injuries of his own. Nevertheless, Dollaway’s advantage on the mat and experience edge makes the Doberman a worthwhile ‘dog.
Official CagePotato Parlay: A $20 wager on Rothwell + Dollaway + Nurmagomedov would earn you a $128.48 profit on BetUS. And if it hits, all we ask is that you buy one of our t-shirts.
(P-p-please, Ben! Don’t knock me out! You’re making a big mistake!)
Although none of the bouts have been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this writing, it looks like the UFC will be sticking with their time-tested method of stacking its foreign cards with local fighters, as Brazilian’s Gabriel Gonzaga, Diego Nunes, Milton Viera, and Iuri Alcantara have been booked to face Ben Rothwell, Nik Lentz, Godofredo Castro, and Johnny Eduardo, respectively, at an unnamed event scheduled for Janurary 19th in Brazil.
Rothwell vs. Gonzaga is probably the biggest fight out of the four that us non-Brazilians can get excited about. Both men are big heavyweights who aren’t afraid to throw leather and have knockout power when they choose to do so. Although Gonzaga has relied heavily upon his grappling base (and rightfully so) since un-retiring and returning to the UFC, it’s only a matter of time before we see “Napao” revert to the whimsically hopeful striker that we came to know and love in his victories over Mirko Cro Cop and Chris Tuschsererererer’s balls and his losses to Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. Speaking of dos Santos, Gonzaga was scheduled to square off against Geronimo dos Santos at UFC 153, but the bout was cancelled when “Mondragon” failed his medical exam due to Hepatitis B(Author’s note: Brazilian prostitutes, they’ll get you every time.). Rothwell, on the other hand, recently saved his UFC career by knocking out Brendan Schaub in hilarious fashion at UFC 145.
(P-p-please, Ben! Don’t knock me out! You’re making a big mistake!)
Although none of the bouts have been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this writing, it looks like the UFC will be sticking with their time-tested method of stacking its foreign cards with local fighters, as Brazilian’s Gabriel Gonzaga, Diego Nunes, Milton Viera, and Iuri Alcantara have been booked to face Ben Rothwell, Nik Lentz, Godofredo Castro, and Johnny Eduardo, respectively, at an unnamed event scheduled for Janurary 19th in Brazil.
Rothwell vs. Gonzaga is probably the biggest fight out of the four that us non-Brazilians can get excited about. Both men are big heavyweights who aren’t afraid to throw leather and have knockout power when they choose to do so. Although Gonzaga has relied heavily upon his grappling base (and rightfully so) since un-retiring and returning to the UFC, it’s only a matter of time before we see “Napao” revert to the whimsically hopeful striker that we came to know and love in his victories over Mirko Cro Cop and Chris Tuschsererererer’s balls and his losses to Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. Speaking of dos Santos, Gonzaga was scheduled to square off against Geronimo dos Santos at UFC 153, but the bout was cancelled when “Mondragon” failed his medical exam due to Hepatitis B(Author’s note: Brazilian prostitutes, they’ll get you every time.). Rothwell, on the other hand, recently saved his UFC career by knocking out Brendan Schaub in hilarious fashion at UFC 145.
Also in the works for January 19th is a featherweight clash between Nik Lentz and Diego Nunes. Following a pair of losses at lightweight to Mark Bocek and Evan Dunham (the latter of which was one HELL of a fight), Lentz recently made the cut to 145, where he picked up a first round TKO victory over Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 150. Nunes was also able to bounce back in the win column in his last fight when he defeated Bart Palaszewski via unanimous one-sided ass whooping at UFC on FX 5.
You might not recognize any of the names booked in the other two matchups, being that most of them last participated — or made their UFC debut, in some cases — at UFC 147 a.k.a the TUF Brazil Finale. Strikeforce veteran Milton Viera fought to a draw that night, whereas Iuri Alcantara was bested by Hacran Dias, another name I have no clue of but will just assume for the time being that he was on TUF Brazil as well. Ditto for this Godofredo Castro feller.
I have, however, heard of Johnny Eduardo, who is expected to face Alcantara at the same event. He’s currently 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jeff Curran at UFC on FUEL 3.
As 2012 begins to wind down, more and more bouts are being signed to begin the new year in the UFC. Two men who will be competing once the new year begins will be Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga and “Big” Ben Rothwell. The Brazilian media site Tatame has the d…
As 2012 begins to wind down, more and more bouts are being signed to begin the new year in the UFC. Two men who will be competing once the new year begins will be Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga and “Big” Ben Rothwell.
“Agora, o cariocaencara o veterano Ben Rothwell, quevemdenocautesobre Brendan Schaub no UFC 145.” (roughly translated, ‘Now, the Carpenter sees the veteran Ben Rothwell, who comes from KO about Brendan Schaub on UFC 145.’)
Gonzaga had retired from MMA competition after dropping two straight fights to Junior dos Santos and Brendan Schaub in 2010. However, the itch to compete just wouldn’t go away, and Gonzaga was back in action in October of 2011.
“Napao” has won two straight, with his last victory coming via tapout at UFC 142 against EdnaldoOliveira.
Rothwell also had to deal with some struggle in his UFC career after coming over from the Affliction promotion. Rothwell has alternated his wins with losses, but looked absolutely dreadful against Mark Hunt at UFC 135.
However, Rothwell seemed to be an entirely different fighter when he faced Schaub at UFC 145. He appeared lighter on his feet and eventually got the victory via knockout in just over 60 seconds. The win also earned RothwellKnockout of the Night honors.
An initial preview of this fight is that of a striker vs. grappler. Gonzaga is one of the better Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the heavyweight division and Rothwell is an extremely durable fighter with KO power. Rothwell seems to have rededicated himself to MMA training, which could mean Gonzaga is in for a tough task ahead of him.
A heavyweight featured bout has been added to the upcoming Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale show headed to Las Vegas on April 13.
