Gabriel Gonzaga will square off against Ben Rothwell Jan. 19th in Rio de Janerio. (Photo courtesy of mmainterplay.com)
Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga will be returning to the UFC Octagon in his native country of Brazil on Saturday, January 19, 2013 against “Big” Ben Rothwell. The UFC will be broadcasting the event on FX. Gonzaga last appeared in the Octagon on January 14, 2012 against his fellow country man Ednaldo Oliveira. “Napao” defeated Oliveira in the first round via a rear naked choke. After he defeated Oliveira, Gonzaga was scheduled to fight Geronimo “Mondragon” dos Santos at UFC 153. However, dos Santos was forced to withdraw from the card last minute after testing positive for Hepatitis B. Leaving “Napao” stranded in Brazil without an opponent.
Gonzaga is well known as one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the heavy weight division, which earned him 8 wins via submission and a record of 13 wins and 6 losses. “Big Ben” Rothwell is a kick-boxer turned MMA fighter, holding an MMA record of 32 wins and 8 losses. Rothwell made his transition to the UFC after competing in the International Fight League, King of the Cage and a one fight stint with Affliction Entertainment. Since making the move to the UFC, Rothwell has alternated win and losses, including victories over Brendan Schaub and Gilbert Yvel and losses at the hands of Cain Velazquez and Mark Hunt.
Gonzaga’s legendary headkick knockout of Mirko Cro Cop (Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com)
Both Gonzaga and Rothwell have been awarded the Knockout of the Night within the Octagon. Gonzaga gained his Knockout of the Night award for the now legendary highlight real finish of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, which also earned him the Knockout of the Year award. After being rocked by a spinning elbow from Brendan Schaub, Rothwell utilized his heavy hands while fighting off the cage and knocked Schaub to the ground. Rothwell pounced and finished the fight with some quick ground and pound.
Rothwell was award the knockout of the night against Brendan Schaub (Photo courtesy of yahoo sports)
Both of these fighters are MMA veterans and well versed in each of their own fight styles. Gonzaga will have the advantage on the ground and an amped up home town crowd, while Rothwell’s kickboxing experience and reach will give him an advantage during stand up. The MMA and martial arts experience these two warriors bring to the Octagon will ensure that this fight is not your typical striker vs. grappler matchup. It is going to a fight well worth watching and we hope all of you will be tuned in on January 19, 2013 to watch it unfold!
Napao celebrating a knockout.
The fight card also includes bouts between Daniel Sarafian vs. CB Dollaway, Tiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, Edson Barboza vs. Justin Salas, Ronny Markes vs. Andrew Craig and a main event 5 round middleweight fight between Michael “The Count” Bisping vs. Vitor “the Phenom” Belfort.
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Gabriel Gonzaga 