HEAVY HANDS - Gabriel Gonzaga

MMA is a tough gig — even tougher if you’re in the heavyweight division of the UFC — and Gabriel Gonzaga has experienced its ups and downs.

Having proved his worth with one of the best highlight-reel knockouts in recent years (felling Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic with a spectacular head-kick at UFC 70), he is now on the comeback road following a KO loss to title contender Shane Carwin, and has since beaten Chris Tuchscherer by TKO at UFC 102.

He spoke to Liam Resnekov in Las Vegas recently.

Have you tried any martial arts besides Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at 14 years old. I did some capoiera as well. I would like to have done more; it is a great martial art for control of your body and your strength. I did a lot of Muay Thai as well; my students in Jiu-Jitsu were very good at it.

How do you recover from a knockout like the one that occurred in the Carwin fight? Is there any special preparation to undertake?

You know, I just train hard. Unfortunately I was one inch out from his chin and he happened to land on the spot first. It is unfortunate that it happens but that is the fight game. I was doing well in the beginning and my punch was just an inch too high. I didn’t feel like it was a big loss because I did not make big mistakes, just a little one. I shouldn’t have let him back up.

It is unusual to see an MMA heavyweight like yourself be proficient at authentic Muay Thai; most seem to choose either boxing or western kickboxing to train striking. How did this come about?

Yes, it is unusual; some of my students were traveling to Thailand a lot and I started learning from them. It is very strong in Brazil and one of them was ranked very well and he taught me a lot of the small details. I also love boxing very much, but for striking my base is in Muay Thai kickboxing and boxing. I think Muay Thai is a big sport and it covers a lot of areas. If you limit yourself then you will meet somebody who will take you places where you are no good, so it is smart to train in Muay Thai, which is broad.

Do you make more money from sponsors or from the UFC?

Right now it is from the UFC; because I won a few good fights I can negotiate better money. When I started, however, if I lost the fight I would have to have given up MMA and owed US$2000. The MRI scan for the fight and the flight added up to being more than I earned, which was US$3000 and US$3000. Luckily it did not go that way.

People only see what happens in the cage, but few people know what happens leading up to the fight. For example, ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira is reported to have been in hospital for weeks before his loss to Frank Mir. How does this affect you as a fighter?

It is very hard. Fighters try to hide their weak points from the public and the opponent. We always have little injuries that can change the fight. This is my life, like all the other fighters. Before my fights I have never seemed to have had it easy but nobody can know that, as it can change the fights. My first fight in the UFC, my wife and daughter were in hospital – UFC 56 with Kevin Jordan. A terrible thing happened to my daughter and my mind was in the wrong place the whole fight. If I did not win this fight I would actually be in debt and I am very lucky I won it. If I had lost this fight, nobody would know me now! [Laughs]

During the Werdum fight, you looked like your mind was not there, even though you were winning the fight in the beginning…

Werdum was a warrior to fight back hard and he deserved the victory. Before the fight I did not sleep for one week. My wife and I had a lot of visa problems and I didn’t know what was going on. I was in a strange place with no understanding of what to do or where to go. It made my mind crazy during the fight; it was not my best day there. However, Werdum was very brave and he did a great job and deserved the victory.

What is your hardest loss?

It came to me in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is hard being a big guy, there are no excuses [laughs]. I lost to Saulo Ribiero and I had just got my Black-belt; I was in shape and I was stronger but he beat me in skills. Later I fought him and beat him, but it always stays in my mind. Later I fought his brother and he was very good and very strong. I finally choked him and he passed away [laughs]… Sorry, I meant passed out; he almost passed away!

Do you still train in the gi jacket while you are fighting in MMA?

Of course. I believe that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best for self-defence but also I believe that without the gi you can miss a lot of important positions. When you are slippery and strong it is easy to avoid positions you do not like, but when you fight in competition you will often be forced out of your game plan. You see this a lot in MMA. In the jacket, it slows things down and forces you to go to positions you may not favour and become comfortable there. I train in it up until two weeks before the fight. It is important also because it is relaxing and it lets your body recover as well as your mind.

What advice do you have for Jiu-Jitsu guys who want to enter the MMA arena?

First, when you play Jiu-Jitsu, you must have your mind on MMA. Don’t give up top position; of course get good at guard, but make sure you work a lot on top position. Lots of passing and top position is much more important. If you want to just do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then it is important to do more guard game.

Is there anybody you would like to fight in the future?

I will fight anybody. I would love to fight the champion [Brock Lesnar]. I feel my game is complete enough to beat him at this stage.

Would you ever come visit Australia?

It is far, man! But I would love to come visit; I have much to share and I would come out for a seminar for sure. You can contact me at www.gabe-gonzaga.com — I appreciate all the fan support in Australia. □

Blitz Martial Arts Magazine MARCH 2010 VOL. 24 ISSUE 03, page 26