In August 2007, Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) approached the heights of his profession.

Fighting out of Team Link in Ludlow, Mass., he had built a 7-1 MMA record and was 4-0 in the UFC. He had earned a reputation as one of the most devastating Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters in the world, backed up with a win in the 2004 BJJ Mundials.

And four months earlier, Gonzaga had also delivered a brutal high kick and third-round knockout to heavy favorite Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Later he would call the win "the greatest feeling a fighter can have."

It earned him top-contender status for Randy Couture (Pictures)'s UFC heavyweight championship -- a title that many experts believed Gonzaga would win.

But the August 2007 title shot was a turning point in the wrong direction for Gonzaga's young career. Couture had no intention of letting his opponent's championship journey continue, as he stopped Gonzaga 1:37 into the third round and sent him plummeting.

It was a loss that Gonzaga has yet to recover from.

Against Couture, Gonzaga lived up to his nickname of "Napao" -- Portuguese for "Big Nose." He suffered a broken nose due to a collision with Couture that sent Gonzaga's knee crashing into his own face.

In the third round, Couture took advantage of the weakness by taking the mount and landing enough blows to Gonzaga's nose that referee Herb Dean (Pictures) stopped the fight.

However, Gonzaga has no regrets about his shot at the title.

"The level of the MMA today is so high, I didn't have to beat Couture to show my skills," he said.

The day after the bout, Couture discussed on Sherdog.com's Beatdown whether Gonzaga had the potential to dominate the heavyweight division if and when Couture retired.

"[Gonzaga's] got a great future," Couture said. "He's an awesome competitor. His high kick was ridiculous. I've had guys the entire training camp trying to kick me in the head, and nobody really managed to get it done. He whips that leg up there very quickly, especially for a big guy, and with great power.

"Obviously, the clinch game that I had, and the ability to shut him down there, that's something that he'll go back and work on and try to develop some skills to be more effective in that range."

"But I think he's got a very, very bright future."

Gonzaga did indeed work on his clinch game. He hired strength conditioner Phil Dixon and worked with sparring partners Eric Tavares (Pictures), Marcos "Santa Cruz" and Alexandre Vaca Moreno, all BJJ black belts.

But in his return bout in January, Gonzaga suffered another setback against fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum (Pictures). For the first time in his MMA career, he had lost back-to-back fights.

"My last fight [with Werdum] wasn't so good," Gonzaga said. "I didn't show too much. But some days it's not your day. I don't have excuses to why I lost."

Still, Gonzaga is hungry for another shot.

"I need to come back with wins," he said. "I'll fight anybody. My goal is to be the champion. When I get a title shot, this is my goal. I had a long way to go to get a title shot, and I'll do it again. I believe I need a couple of wins. And then more and more fights I need to win."

He hopes to start with Justin McCully (Pictures), who has recorded four consecutive wins and most recently scored a unanimous decision over Antoni Hardonk (Pictures) in April 2007. They will face each other Saturday in a UFC 86 prelim.

Despite the recent losses and their fighter's relegation to preliminary card status, Gonzaga's camp doesn't seem too worried about the next bout.

"Not to talk bad about McCully, but we feel that Gonzaga is at another level," said Marco Alvan, Gonzaga's coach, who also explained that he respects McCully's camp. "Gonzaga had four straight wins in the UFC, and at the end he beat Cro Cop. After that he did the main event in England, then with Couture it was a great fight. Nothing to be ashamed about. He fought with his heart. He showed his talent and potential there."

McCully disagrees with Alvan's assessment of the upcoming fight, but he also believes that Gonzaga still has championship-caliber ability.

"[Alvan] can say what he wants," McCully said. "That's what managers get paid to do. But [Gonzaga and I] still have to get in the ring and prove who we are. I plan on beating him.

"Gonzaga's a young man. Losses happen in this sport. Nothing says that he can't rise again, but I feel like it's my time."

Of course Gonzaga begs to differ. He believes his time is now, despite the recent setbacks. Asked what he would tell fans who might wonder how he has fallen from top-contender status, Gonzaga said he hasn't gone anywhere.

"I'm here," he said. "I'm training hard to come back with my best condition to give my best show to my fans. I need to come back with wins, but my goal is still to win a belt."