Following UFC Release, Gabriel Gonzaga Likely to Retire From Mixed Martial Arts
by Anton Tabuena on Nov 4, 2010 9:29 AM EDT
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Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6) dropped a decision to top heavyweight prospect, Brendan Schaub on UFC 121, and also lost to #1 contender, Junior dos Santos this past March. That makes two straight losses, leading to a pink slip for his UFC release. Today, 'Napao' posted a video blog and said that while nothing is set in stone, he isn't planning to fight MMA again:
A lot of people are asking me the same question. If I'm gonna find again... I don't know. I really don't know. Definitely I'm gonna try to fight again in ADCC and BJJ, important grappling tournaments. MMA, I don't know, because I'm not gonna fight for cheap money, and... the UFC was paying me well. Another organization is there, and I don't know if they're interested in me or not, but my main goal is to not fight mma again... but if you have a good prize, I can be back fighting. Definitely, I can fight again, but I'm not gonna fight soon. I'm not looking for it right now, and I don't know if they want to pay me what I think I should have, to fight. A lot of if's... It's not completely done, it's not completely 'come back', so... maybe.
Video is after the jump.
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He’s had an interesting career. All six career losses, to five different opponents, have come against guys who have been a Heavyweight champion or who have fought for a Heavyweight championship minus Brendan Schaub, who has the talent to be a champion someday. He lost to Werdum and while Werdum is not technically a champion, he beat Fedor so he deserves some kind of belt. Maybe WAMMA could hook him up.
Twitter: @FlyByKnite
Isn’t Werdum the linear heavyweight champion? Or at least linear Pride HW champ?
"an excellent example of why most MMA "journalism" is a joke. Pseudonyms like "toxic" and shitty writing like that dopey article"--- Joe Rogan.
Some might see this as sad, but I’m happy for the guy. Smart decision to retire while your body isn’t completely used up. Nothing sadder than seeing another Shammy trying to make ends meet on the local circuit.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by mburtoni on Nov 4, 2010 7:16 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 7 recs
I agree. The only thing I would like to add is:
Thank you Gonzaga for many great fights and many great moments.
by truck on Nov 4, 2010 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
well
he isn’t quitting because of his body though, only because he feels he won’t get the same money anywhere else, but if someone offers it to him he’d take it. So, for one I’m glad he seems to be calling it quits, but he’s leaving a window open there.
"I prefer the noise of a free press to the silence of dictatorship"
-Dilma Rousseff
Agreed. I had high hopes for him and still consider myself a fan even if he didn’t reach them all. Seems a geniunely good guy and I wish him the best inside or outside of the MMA community.
by Empty Thoughts on Nov 4, 2010 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I’d rather see this than him continuing to get beat and plod around the cage throwing one punch at a time. I still think if he had went to a big camp earlier and been training with other big fighters he would have won more fights. I don’t know much about Team Link, but compare it to the training partners Schaub has and its hardly suprising who won the fight.
"The men who get on best with women are those that get on best without them" Lee Christmas
This is a good thing
I wish Big Nog would do this too.
"Do you find him to be, perhaps, sexier than the average human being?"
"I'm not gay, but..."
- Ariel Helwani and fan discussing Yoshihiro Akiyama
The difference is Big Nog fights because he wants to be champion again. Seems like Gonzaga is only interested in cashing checks.
I think one of them just knows what they will actually find at the end of the rainbow.
by Empty Thoughts on Nov 4, 2010 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Big Nog will make a come back
you heard it here first!
"I prefer the noise of a free press to the silence of dictatorship"
-Dilma Rousseff
wow, his english has come a long way!
When I met him a couple of years ago, he could barely speak 10 words. But you know how it is speaking a different language. You don’t want to sound funny so maybe he was just embarrassed to speak english. It’s sad to see him go because he has so many great tools to finish fights and is a really great guy. But, business as usual I guess. I hope he decides to take a couple of MMA fights outside the UFC because I think he would do well, but like he said, other promotions probably can’t offer him what he needs to continue in MMA.
Fighting just for money?
I like Gonzo but if he doesn’t want to fight, he should not fight. He needed inspiration to get back in the game. He has not been the same since I don’t know when.
"Turn yourself not away from three best things: Good Thought, Good Word, and Good Deed" - Zoroaster
catch me if you can @ MMAdot.com
Good luck at BJJ and ADCC, Gonzaga! He’s got all the tools to be an absolute monster there – and if that tickles his fancy more than looking for work at smaller MMA organizations, more power to him!
Don't like wrestling in MMA? Go watch K-1.
Can't deal with the occasional boring fight? Let me introduce you to ROH.
Dear Mr. White - would it kill you to drop a few f-bombs less?
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Nov 4, 2010 8:28 AM EDT reply actions
Smart Guy.
Stay away from MMA. He obviosuly doesn’t want it. Hopefully he allows his body to rest, train jiu-jitsu and stop taking blows to the head.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
I will never forget what he did to Cro Cop. I was in shock the rest of that night. It was like watching your dad being murdered by a Brazilian gorilla. If he would have used his BJJ more I think he could of been a champion. Maybe not in the era of the giant HWs but definitely during the Sylvia/Couture eras.
by Conesie on Nov 4, 2010 8:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Totally, I can’t recall a bigger “holy shit” moment in MMA than when Napao KO’d Cro Cop via headkick. Rashad KO’ing Chuck with a huge overhand right is a close second.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by mburtoni on Nov 4, 2010 9:06 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Cro Cop was never the same since. damn you Napão, took out a great fighter and didn’t replace his awesomeness in any way :(
"I prefer the noise of a free press to the silence of dictatorship"
-Dilma Rousseff
by Orcus on Nov 4, 2010 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You are 100% correct the Cro Cop before that KO was the #2 Ranked HW on most list and a killer but that is not the CroCop who woke up and fought again after that KO. It Happens alot in combat sports where you can point out one brutal KO, fight or a loss that totaly changesthe fighter. Sometimes for the better sometime in Mirko’s case for the worse.
It wasn't Gonzaga....
He looked terrible and tentative fighting Eddie Sanchez just like he has in every UFC fight since. Something changed in him when he came over. He looked terrible early in the Gonzaga fight too. This was an incredible KO, but he looked bad before this.
naw
I don’t buy it, Sanchez was running away from him the whole fight and he didn’t want to run towards him, but he owned Sanchez in every way. As for the fight with Gonzaga, it’s not that he looked terrible, he was taken down early and as soon as they got up that kick landed, if it wasn’t for that kick I’m sure the night would have gone differently.
"I prefer the noise of a free press to the silence of dictatorship"
-Dilma Rousseff
Compare the sanchez fight....
with Perosh and Mustopha Al-Turk….they are almost identical.
It’s Cro Cop chasing a guy throwing single punches and barely any kicks.
His last fight in Pride was the owgp where he looked like a complete animal. As soon as he got to the ufc he stopped throwing combos and setting up his lhk. Gonzaga’s been outstruck by almost everybody he’s fought in the UFC, and he obliterates a k-1 level striker? Cro cop was done before this.
I don’t know if it’s just because he couldn’t corner people anymore, but something changed in cro cop when he came to the UFC.
to be honest
the Sanchez fight was a long time ago and I can’t remember all the details in that fight, I do remember every strike Mirko threw would make a loud sound and how everyone was talking about how he’d be the next champ and would be unstoppable in the UFC HW division, this was after the Sanchez fight. Also, when asked by reporters about how he’d feel of having a HW champ from PRIDE, DW was defending himself by saying that Mirko was now a UFC fighter and no longer a PRIDE fighter and it was a moot point to be made, but as soon as Shogun lost to Forrest he was quick to point out that Forrest was a UFC fighter while Shogun was a PRIDE fighter, so even Dana was perhaps thinking Mirko would end up owning the belt back then and did a few preemptive defense.
As for being outstruck by Gonzo, he made a mistake in the stand up department and paid dearly for it, Gonzo took him down and rained down a lot of elbows to his face (something Mirko never experienced before), I’m sure that could have messed his sight for a bit because as soon as they got back up is when Gonzo landed that kick and Mirko didn’t even see it coming.
"I prefer the noise of a free press to the silence of dictatorship"
-Dilma Rousseff
Yeah...
He was definitely rocked from the elbows.
I just think Mirko’s fire was gone. He never looked like that lunatic that would annihilate people in pride. It’s possible the cage had something to do with it. His whole gameplan was to corner people and destroy them. You can’t do that in the octagon.
It’s also possible that after winning the OWGP he lost the motivation. Gonzaga wrecked him, but he doesn’t seem afraid to get hit, he seems to be to tentative to even throw. I don’t know what’s going on with Mirko, but i think a lot of it is psychological.
Why did the UFC release the guy anyway?
I am sure he is a better gatekeeper than Kongo.
"Turn yourself not away from three best things: Good Thought, Good Word, and Good Deed" - Zoroaster
catch me if you can @ MMAdot.com
I am sorry
Kongo may be cheap but he is not just keeping people out of title picture. He is ending their chance to have a family if you know what I mean.
"Turn yourself not away from three best things: Good Thought, Good Word, and Good Deed" - Zoroaster
catch me if you can @ MMAdot.com
by SheepleBuster on Nov 4, 2010 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Kongo is there because of the UFC’s lucrative sponsorship deal with nutty buddies
by Tedd Welch on Nov 4, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Man, I hate to hear that
I like Gonzaga … he’s one of those underachievers that I can’t help rooting for, and he appears to be a genuinely nice guy.
Whatever he does, I wish him luck.
My first novel is now available in trade paperback. Take a look: http://tinyurl.com/2ag7njo
Wish him luck!
On his school and any other business ventures!
Call me Cynical?
I wouldn’t blame the man for retiring and no need to fight on if you don’t have it anymore, but I wonder if this is just a negotiating tactic. If Strikeforce or Shark fights thinks you might retire, maybe they throw in an extra 10-30K. If all you need to do is say you might retire…He’ll if I was a manger, I would tell my fighter to do it.
based on the schuab fight it kinda seemed like he wasn’t interested in in jiu jitsu anymore either
by hewsdaddy on Nov 4, 2010 10:34 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Will be missed for the the potential than what he actually did
This guy made a lier out of me constantly. He had all the tools you could want other than wrestling but he suffered from the most horrible of fight problems. That of when you enter the cage your brain shuts down and you forget why you are in there.
He did have the most brutal leg kicks in MMA that ball buster on Tuchscherer will haunt me to the grave!(cringes thinking about it)
I prefer this
To Gabriel emulating Shamrocks and Pulvers careers. Guy had some great fights, for all his faults.
Dear audio diary: Today I may have accidentally registered myself as a sex offender! WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE
- T-Rex
by sitnam90 on Nov 4, 2010 6:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
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