As far as i'm concerned, that guy's credibility was murdered right after losing a second time against Werdum. There's two possibilities. 1 - Either Fabricio just happens to have that guy's number. 2 - Gonzaga hasn't evolved one bit since 2003. (his first loss vs werdum) Then his loss against Randy was the icing on the cake. The only difference i can notice from 2003 to 2008/2009 is that he's clearly physically bigger than he used to be. To his credit , he hits like a mule. But he's predictable. (which is why Crocop's beyond embarrassing KO loss via hk against that guy wasn't enough to convince me that he was the next "champ")... He's like a gatekeeper 2.0....Slightly more dangerous than gatekeeper material...but not good enough to become hw champion. Having said all that , i wouldn't be surprised to see him beat Nogueira. (after nog's pathetic performance vs herring , sylvia & especially Mir , nothing is surprising anymore)... At the same time...Nog vs Couture was probably one of the best HW fight of the year. Huge ****ing contrast compared to nog's previous fights. He was much more active , aggressive , great workrate.. He even looked in better physical shape. So who knows...maybe he's "back"...(personally i'd say he hasn't been the same since 2005/2006 ).. If Nogueira shows up in top physical shape & with a solid gameplan (and motivated just like the last time)...I don't see Gonzaga beating him... Right now i'll follow my instinct and say Nog by tko. (like Werdum did in the rematch)
Well who is as decorated as Werdum ? Its not like Gonzaga hasnt won any major tournaments he did win the 04 Mundials and im sure you know the importance of that so cleary hes a world class jiujitsu competitor. Sure he couldnt do anything with the mount but agian this is Werdum we are talking about anyone else Gonzaga mounts he destroys like McCully with a keylock and Marrero with the armbar. Give him credit for actually maintaining the mount for sometime. I dont like the mount honestly I dont think theres to many options unless the guy just panics and throws up his arms or gives up his back. I agree his bottom game is weaker but he was turtling up when he was getting his ass kicked with strikes. At one point in the rematch Gonzaga was turtled up and rolled right into guard very quickly so its not as bad as you think.
