does gonzaga have what it takes? - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

y0utapped · 04-09-2008, 09:24 AM

just wandering what everone thought about gonzaga. to me it seems he has all the tools to be a top heavyweight, obvious knockout power in hands and feet, complimented by good ground skills. however it seems to me that what let shim down is heart. he did not like getting hit by randy, who is not known for amazingly powerful punches, and all it took was a couple of knees from werdum and he went from dominating the fight to being tko'd, despite demonstrating his obvious power advantage in round 1.
so curious to know how everone feels, could gonzaga come back strong or not?

Crashsti · 04-09-2008, 09:28 AM

Gonzaga is just 28 years of age so i would say his best years could still be ahead of him. Thankfully he competes in a sport where a few losses don't ruin your career. I think when he defeated CroCop alot of fans, including myself, expected great things from him. He has'nt delivered yet but has fought some top competition in the process.

FatCatMC · 04-09-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by y0utapped

just wandering what everone thought about gonzaga. to me it seems he has all the tools to be a top heavyweight, obvious knockout power in hands and feet, complimented by good ground skills. however it seems to me that what let shim down is heart. he did not like getting hit by randy, who is not known for amazingly powerful punches, and all it took was a couple of knees from werdum and he went from dominating the fight to being tko'd, despite demonstrating his obvious power advantage in round 1.
so curious to know how everone feels, could gonzaga come back strong or not?

I'd have to agree with ya here. The only thing Gonzaga seems to be lacking is heart. That and perhaps a decent conditioning program.

StrikeHARD · 04-09-2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crashsti

Gonzaga is just 28 years of age so i would say his best years could still be ahead of him. Thankfully he competes in a sport where a few losses don't ruin your career. I think when he defeated CroCop alot of fans, including myself, expected great things from him. He has'nt delivered yet but has fought some top competition in the process.

I have to agree. After seeing him knock out the 'Best heavyweight striker in the world' in Mirko Cro Cop, I was thinking that his career was about to take off - It just never seemed to happen. His loss to Randy I saw coming, but I was very suprised when Werdum was able to TKO him. I gave Gonzaga a massive advantage in the striking department, and more or less equal in the ground game - but he just didn't seem like he wanted it enough. He still has many years, so I think if he puts together a decent run he could be a big force in a very depleated and lackluster HW division.

There's lots of fights I'd like to see him in: Mir, Arlovski, Kongo - and how about Lesnar vs. Gonzaga? All those fight I'd be very interested in seeing. And I wouldn't consider him a huge underdog in any.

Rumbin · 04-09-2008, 03:28 PM

I LOVE Napao. His gas tank is just so horrible and it seems if you land a clean one on him you can literally see the fight just drip out of him. Hes got all the talent in the world to be a all time great at MMA he just has to check his heart ya dig?

NateRupe · 04-09-2008, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumbin

I LOVE Napao. His gas tank is just so horrible and it seems if you land a clean one on him you can literally see the fight just drip out of him. Hes got all the talent in the world to be a all time great at MMA he just has to check his heart ya dig?

I dig.

gilliam · 04-09-2008, 10:01 PM

man this is exactly what i was saying right after his werdum fight. If he can get some heart i think he's got the best chance at being the best and beating fedor. Hes so big and good.........after his short time training stand up his kicks are sooooo fast.

Mickey Finn · 04-10-2008, 03:21 AM

how can you say he has no heart? he got his nose horribly broken by accident in hs fight with couture and he stuck it for another two rounds battling on while he had his face mashed in. he must have been in incredible pain and he kept fighting even managing to stun randy a couple of times

ive been saying for a long time he will be the heavyweight champ. i still believe it, i think now it will just take more time, after that mental explosion in the werdum fight, and in that mean time he can work on his cardio to become the full packgae, as his striking is dynamite, his jiu jitsu is tight and his strength and athleticism are overwhelming

Mulla · 04-10-2008, 07:24 AM

Im a big fan of Napao and was so disappointed with the Werdum fight. Im not sure if it was heart of cardio lacking in the fight, but I see no reason why he shouldnt have won. He was bringing it to Werdum in the first round but just seemed to be a different fighter in the second.

Hopefully he'll spend a lot of time in the gym and come back and have another good showing, like he did against Mirko. Im not writing him off just yet, like Crash says, he's young and has the tools. I could still see him being the UFC champ in a year or two.

jmag · 04-15-2008, 06:22 PM

To me he seemed to keep his heart fighting Randy but just was getting outdone in the clinch. With Werdum it seemed like he brought something mental in from being beat by him before.

Drewplata · 04-15-2008, 06:34 PM

With respect to the Werdum fight, I think he had their first fight in the back of his head. Maybe not being able to get over that, and maybe the memory of his loss to Randy, is called a lack of heart, but i could also be a lack of "head".

I think Napao is one of the most impressive HWs out there and now, considering how watered down the weight class is in the UFC (how many of the top ten are in the UFC again?), his chances are as good as anyone- assuming he starts to win again. He probably has the 2nd best ground game to Big Nog in the HW division, and ask Randy how much power he has (see broken arm). One has to wonder how long Nogueira will be able to fight at such a high level and who is really there to fill the void?

jmag · 04-15-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

He probably has the 2nd best ground game to Big Nog in the HW division

Frank Mir has got to be in the top two in ground game, but we'll have to just wait and see.

Drewplata · 04-15-2008, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmag

Frank Mir has got to be in the top two in ground game, but we'll have to just wait and see.

Frank Mir with more bone than metal in his leg, no question, but now?

Drew Shayze · 04-15-2008, 07:53 PM

The thing about Gonzaga is that ever since he killed Mirko, he has decided that he just wants to kick people and recreate the magic. It's like, "You have a solid ground game, use it."

Does he have what it takes? I think so; he has shown that he is pretty well-rounded, but it's more his will to be all kicky and stuff. Knock it off and armbar fools, you know?

Werdum, Nogueira and Gonzaga all have better ground games than Frank Mir.

jmag · 04-15-2008, 08:32 PM

Big Nog himself said he would like a match with Mir because it would give him the best technical jj match out of anyone else in the division.

Actually I paraphrased, here is the quote from a Mir thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Seeker View Post
I went to a seminar yesterday hosted by Anderson Silva and Antonio Nogeuira. When Nogueira was asked what's next for him, he said that they still hope that Randy will honor his contract and accept the fight. If Cheik Kongo would've won against Heath Herring, Kongo would've had a shot at the title.

Besides that, Nogueira specifically said that he requested Frank Mir, because he believes that they are both the top BJJ heavyweights and it would make for a great ground war.

y0utapped · 04-20-2008, 06:17 AM

i think joe silva really screwed up the heavyweight division with stupid matchmaking. if he had kongo vs arlovski then the winner would have been a clear no1 contender, then mir could have had one more match and if he won would have been in line after that. but because of the recent matches and results, there is no-one who deserves a title shot

Beazt · 04-22-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickey Finn

how can you say he has no heart? he got his nose horribly broken by accident in hs fight with couture and he stuck it for another two rounds battling on while he had his face mashed in. he must have been in incredible pain and he kept fighting even managing to stun randy a couple of times

ive been saying for a long time he will be the heavyweight champ. i still believe it, i think now it will just take more time, after that mental explosion in the werdum fight, and in that mean time he can work on his cardio to become the full packgae, as his striking is dynamite, his jiu jitsu is tight and his strength and athleticism are overwhelming

Nicely said. I was thinking he would be champion by late '08 early '09, however now I can't see him getting another shot until mid '10

I still don't see him being an underdog to anyone in the HW division.

GeorgeXVX · 04-22-2008, 10:47 AM

GG is just fine... its a lost figt from knees... not lack of heart. it happens!