Gabriel Gonzaga (7-1) — not Cheick Kongo (9-3-1) — will fight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (22-4-2) at UFC 70 in Manchester, England, according to the latest report from MMAWeekly.com.
Gonzaga also confirmed the bout in an article today in The Republican.
Gonzaga said:
- "That’s the most important commitment of my life [UFC 70]. Everybody knows (Filipovic) is the No.1 fighter in the world at the moment. I know what I’m going to do to win this fight. I think he has enough skills on the ground, but he’s a dangerous stand-up fighter.”
“Napau’s” only loss came to Fabricio Werdum (9-2-1) — a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and person responsible for helping Cro Cop vastly improve his ground game.
In 28 career MMA bouts, Cro Cop has only been submitted once by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (29-4-1) at PRIDE: Final Conflict in 2003. It was after that loss that Cro Cop began training with Werdum.
Both fighters are top five UFC heavyweight contenders.
Gonzaga is a perfect 3-0 in the Octagon, most recently dispatching of Carmelo Marrero (6-1) in round one via armbar at UFC 66.
Cro Cop - the 2006 Pride Grand Prix Champion — is also coming off a win, dismantling Eddie Sanchez (6-1) at UFC 67 via technical knockout.
This fight promises to be a classic grappler vs. striker showdown. It will also clearly define a number one contender in the division to fight the winner of Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture (14-8) at UFC 68.
Gonzaga Info:
Fighting Out Of: Ludlow,MA.
Age: 27
Height: 6.1
Weight: 242 lbs.
Overall MMA Record (W-L-D): 7-1-0
Strengths: Striking and submissions
See Gonzaga video:
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