Top Brazilian Heavyweights Battle in Newcastle
Gabriel Gonzaga
(Pictures) and Fabricio Werdum (Pictures), two of the most decorated
heavyweight grapplers in the history of mixed martial arts, will go
head to head in a Brazilian battle in Newcastle, England, at UFC
80.
Marco Alvan, the coach of Gonzaga, confirmed the rematch of the September 2003 fight with Graciemag.com. During their first clash, which took place at the inaugural Jungle Fight in Brazil, Werdum kept the upper hand over his compatriot with a hard-fought third round TKO victory.
Both men have improved tremendously in the past four years, however.
Gonzaga, currently ranked No. 5 in Sherdog.com's heavyweight rankings, shocked the world this April when he knocked out PRIDE Grand Prix 2006 winner Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic with a brutal high kick -- originally the Croatian's most dangerous weapon. With four straight wins in the UFC, the 28-year-old former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion received a title shot against UFC champion Randy Couture (Pictures) in late August.
Even though he broke Couture's arm with another high kick in that fight, the Brazilian could not keep up with the pressure the seemingly ageless American put on him, eventually succumbing to strikes early in the third round.
Two years older than Gonzaga, Werdum won the prestigious "Mundials" (the world championship in Brazilian jiu-jitsu) three times before revving it up in MMA. Ranked No. 8 in Sherdog.com's heavyweight list, the former BJJ coach of "Cro Cop" made the jump to PRIDE in early 2005.
In Werdum's most notable performance outside the UFC he reached the quarterfinals of last year's PRIDE Grand Prix, arguably the most talent-laden heavyweight tournament in the history of the sport, with victories over Norwegian world-class grappler Jon Olav Einemo (Pictures) and Dutch knockout artist Alistair Overeem (Pictures).
In the round of eight he fell prey to former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) via unanimous decision.
Even though both fighters are coming off a loss -- Gonzaga to Couture and Werdum to another former UFC heavyweight champion in Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) -- the men from Sugarloaf Mountain can jump right back into title contention with a convincing victory.
The status of UFC's heavyweight crown is uncertain after the news that Couture relinquished the title on Oct. 11. In addition to the Gonzaga-Werdum winner, heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), Cheick Kongo (Pictures) and former UFC champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) all appear to be in the mix.
UFC 80 is taking shape even though it is still over two-and-a-half months before the gates of the 11,000 Metro Radio Arena open. It appears that Zuffa will try to repeat the successful formula they used for UFC 70 in Manchester, by mixing local talent with big-name international heavyweights.
Marco Alvan, the coach of Gonzaga, confirmed the rematch of the September 2003 fight with Graciemag.com. During their first clash, which took place at the inaugural Jungle Fight in Brazil, Werdum kept the upper hand over his compatriot with a hard-fought third round TKO victory.
Both men have improved tremendously in the past four years, however.
Gonzaga, currently ranked No. 5 in Sherdog.com's heavyweight rankings, shocked the world this April when he knocked out PRIDE Grand Prix 2006 winner Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic with a brutal high kick -- originally the Croatian's most dangerous weapon. With four straight wins in the UFC, the 28-year-old former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion received a title shot against UFC champion Randy Couture (Pictures) in late August.
Even though he broke Couture's arm with another high kick in that fight, the Brazilian could not keep up with the pressure the seemingly ageless American put on him, eventually succumbing to strikes early in the third round.
Two years older than Gonzaga, Werdum won the prestigious "Mundials" (the world championship in Brazilian jiu-jitsu) three times before revving it up in MMA. Ranked No. 8 in Sherdog.com's heavyweight list, the former BJJ coach of "Cro Cop" made the jump to PRIDE in early 2005.
In Werdum's most notable performance outside the UFC he reached the quarterfinals of last year's PRIDE Grand Prix, arguably the most talent-laden heavyweight tournament in the history of the sport, with victories over Norwegian world-class grappler Jon Olav Einemo (Pictures) and Dutch knockout artist Alistair Overeem (Pictures).
In the round of eight he fell prey to former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) via unanimous decision.
Even though both fighters are coming off a loss -- Gonzaga to Couture and Werdum to another former UFC heavyweight champion in Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) -- the men from Sugarloaf Mountain can jump right back into title contention with a convincing victory.
The status of UFC's heavyweight crown is uncertain after the news that Couture relinquished the title on Oct. 11. In addition to the Gonzaga-Werdum winner, heavyweights Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), Cheick Kongo (Pictures) and former UFC champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) all appear to be in the mix.
UFC 80 is taking shape even though it is still over two-and-a-half months before the gates of the 11,000 Metro Radio Arena open. It appears that Zuffa will try to repeat the successful formula they used for UFC 70 in Manchester, by mixing local talent with big-name international heavyweights.
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