Filed under: UFC, NewsOne-time UFC title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga is back with the UFC.
According to his own Team Link academy website, the 32-year-old Brazilian has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and will replace Rob Broughton against Edinal…
According to his own Team Link academy website, the 32-year-old Brazilian has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC and will replace Rob Broughton against Edinaldo Oliveira at UFC 142 in Brazil.
Gonzaga (12-6) is most remembered for his loss to Randy Couture in a heavyweight championship bout at UFC 74 in August 2007.
Gonzaga last competed for the UFC at UFC 121 in October 2010 in a loss to Brendan Schaub, prompting the UFC to hand him his walking papers. Rather than fight for less money in smaller MMA promotions, Gonzaga said he would step away from MMA. But as most MMA “retirements” go, Gonzaga’s absence was also short-lived. Gonzaga made his MMA return just under a year later, defeating Parker Porter this past October at a Reality Fighting event in Uncasville, Conn.
Oliveira (13-0-1) has spent his entire career in Brazil and will be making his UFC debut on Jan. 14.
(After as one year hiatus, W-1 is back with a solid inaugural U.S. show.)
Apparently rumors of the demise of Warrior One (W-1) MMA were greatly exaggerated as the Toronto, Ontario-based promotion that made waves with its stacked Canadian cards the past two years but hasn’t held an event since last October, is back with another impressive offering — this time for American MMA fans in Florida.
W-1: Reloaded is set for October 15 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and according to W-1 president Jack Bateman, the reason his organization has not held an event in almost a year is that it underwent an ownership restructuring and he and his new partners were carefully laying the groundwork for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. because they wanted to make sure they took their time and did it right.
“Everything has come together and I couldn’t be happier with the way the company has evolved and the quality of our first event in the States,” Bateman explains. “I have a great group of partners who are at the top of their specific fields and whose skill sets bring a lot to the table when it comes to promotion and putting on events like we’ve come to be known for putting on. We have some big signings we’ve been working on and will be having a few of those names on our next card in Miami on October 15.”
(After as one year hiatus, W-1 is back with a solid inaugural U.S. show.)
Apparently rumors of the demise of Warrior One (W-1) MMA were greatly exaggerated as the Toronto, Ontario-based promotion that made waves with its stacked Canadian cards the past two years but hasn’t held an event since last October, is back with another impressive offering — this time for American MMA fans in Florida.
W-1: Reloaded is set for October 15 at the Bank United Center at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and according to W-1 president Jack Bateman, the reason his organization has not held an event in almost a year is that it underwent an ownership restructuring and he and his new partners were carefully laying the groundwork for the promotion’s foray into the U.S. because they wanted to make sure they took their time and did it right.
“Everything has come together and I couldn’t be happier with the way the company has evolved and the quality of our first event in the States,” Bateman explains. “I have a great group of partners who are at the top of their specific fields and whose skill sets bring a lot to the table when it comes to promotion and putting on events like we’ve come to be known for putting on. We have some big signings we’ve been working on and will be having a few of those names on our next card in Miami on October 15.”
The main event of “W-1 V2.0′s” first card will feature former UFC number one heavyweight contenders Jeff Monson (42-12) and Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6). “The Snowman” has one up on “Napao” having won on points when they squared off in a grappling match at the 2005 at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Submission Fighting Championships tournament in 2005 and will be hoping that since Gonzaga hasn’t fought since last October, the long layoff will be to his advantage. At 40, Monson is one of the most active fighters in the game having already fought five times this year. The American Top Team fighter is on pace to beat his career record he set last year with nine fights. Taking Gonzaga lightly, however, is never a good idea. Just ask Mirko “Cro Cop”Filipovic, who was knocked out via a nasty headkick when he overlooked the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s striking at UFC 70 back in 2007. The 32-year-old native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who trains out of Team Link in Ludlow, Massachusetts, will likely be hungry for a win and to climb back into the heavyweight top 20 rankings.
The card will also feature a middleweight bout between Valdir “BBMonster” Araujo (8-2) and Bellator veteran Mike “El Gringo Diablo” Bernhard (9-2), a welterweight showdown between Team Link standout John Manley (6-1) and ATT product Sabah Homasi (4-2) and a women’s bantamweight match-up between Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (3-5) and ATT instructor Suzie Montero (0-0). Rounding out the show will be welterweight Tom “The Bomb” Waters (4-1) taking on Alan Arzeno (4-4), lightweight Bellator vet JP Reese (3-1) versus Taylor Callens (3-0), welterweight Strikeforce vet Nathan Coy (8-4) versus Anderson Melo (5-5), middleweight Bellator vet Frank Carrillo (4-2) versus Joe Watson (4-1) and a middleweight scrap between Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2).
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W-1: Reloaded
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Bank United Center
University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida
Jeff Monson (42-12) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6)
Valdir Araujo (8-2) vs. Mike Bernhard (9-2)
John Manley (6-1) vs. Sabah Homasi (4-2)
Kim Couture (3-5) vs. Suzie Montero (0-0)
Tom Waters (4-1) vs. Alan Arzeno (4-4)
JP Reese (3-1) vs. Taylor Callens (3-0)
Nathan Coy (8-4) vs. Anderson Melo (5-5)
Frank Carrillo (4-2) vs. Joe Watson (4-1)
Bruno Reis Da Maria (1-0-1) and Kenny Moss (3-2)
There’s something almost universal about an epic KO. Fans of Mixed Martial Arts like the sport for many reasons, reasons that sometimes divide them into groups: those that prefer the ground game over striking, those that prefer Japanese MMA rules…
There’s something almost universal about an epic KO. Fans of Mixed Martial Arts like the sport for many reasons, reasons that sometimes divide them into groups: those that prefer the ground game over striking, those that prefer Japanese MMA rules as opposed to America’s Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, etc.
Occasionally, those groups argue with each other. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s this: there’s almost nothing quite as amazing as an awesome KO.
And at least in my opinion, it’s tougher to knock someone out with a kick than with a single punch or even a barrage of punches. A perfect KO kick requires exact balance, precise timing, and deadly power.
So, with that in mind, I’d like to present six of my favorite kicks from all around the MMA world: from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to PRIDE Fighting Championships to World Extreme Cagefighting to DREAM. Let’s get started.
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
Can-crusher (n.): MMA fighter who makes his reputation by destroying the weak and inexperienced, but falls apart when faced with an opponent who’s half-decent. In no particular order, here are the eight fighters who have defined "can-crushing&quo…
Can-crusher (n.): MMA fighter who makes his reputation by destroying the weak and inexperienced, but falls apart when faced with an opponent who’s half-decent. In no particular order, here are the eight fighters who have defined "can-crushing" more than anybody else in the sport, beginning with one who should still be very fresh in your minds…
BRANDON VERA (11-6) Notable cans crushed in the last three years: Reese Andy, Mike Patt Biggest win in the last three years: Krzysztof Soszynski Recent losses: Thiago Silva, Jon Jones, Randy Couture A cautionary tale about believing your own hype, Brandon Vera’s career has unfolded in two distinct phases: The "sky’s the limit" phase, in which Vera hacked through every opponent in his path, culminating in his beat-down of former champ Frank Mir at UFC 65 — and the "when is this dude getting fired?" phase, marked by contract disputes, unchecked ego, underwhelming performances, and a half-dozen losses. Following the Thiago Silva fight at UFC 125, we expect the Truth to be sent back down to the minors where he can prey on scrubs for a while.
ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO (17-4) Notable cans crushed in the last three years: Miodrag Petkovic, Eddy Bengtsson, Ibragim Magomedov, Sang Soo Lee Biggest win in the last three years: Honestly, he hasn’t beaten anybody worth mentioning. Recent loss: Peter Graham Fedor’s younger brother built a fearsome reputation in PRIDE for his ice-cold demeanor and lightning-fast knockouts of equally scary-looking mofos like James Thompson and Ricardo Morais. But ever since he left the Japanese scene in 2006 to compete almost exclusively in Europe, his career has drifted steadily out of relevance. A 2008 deal with Affliction signaled a return to meaningful competition, but it didn’t work out — reportedly because of health issues that he has denied ever since. His painful loss to Peter Graham last month suggested that even his can-crushing days might be coming to an end.
UFC 121 was possibly the last time heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga stepped foot inside an MMA cage.
Gonzaga says he’s unsure if he’ll fighting again after receiving his UFC walking papers following the loss to Brendan Schaub on Oct. 23 in Anaheim. In a vlog released early Tuesday (video below), Gonzaga stated he would only come back if compensated to his standards.
“MMA I don’t know because I’m not going to fight for cheap money, and the UFC was paying me well,” the 31-year-old Gonzaga said. “Another organization is there and I don’t know if they are interested in me or not. My main goal is to not fight MMA again, but if you have a good prize, I can be back fighting.”
One-time UFC title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga is back with the UFC.
