Some are calling Napao the most underrated fighter on the planet, and would bet the house on him in a bout against Fedor. Others still think he’s an unproven commodity in The Octagon and are calling his vicious knock out win over Cro Cop a fluke.
Although I wouldn’t go so far as to say he got lucky against Mirko (he was clearly the better fighter that night), I’m still a little sceptical and certainly am not ready to give him props as the greatest heavyweight on the planet as some are.
Lets look at his past fights: Most have been relatively short, just how good is his cardio? Can he go the distance in a five round tilt? We don’t know that yet.
He’s done very well against strikers but the only truly accomplished grappler he’s faced, Werdum, pounded him into a bloody mess.
Aside from Cro Cop, who has he beaten that could be considered a top 10 or even top 20 heavyweight? No one really.
The moral of this story? Just because he beat Cro Cop in highlight reel fashion does not mean he is the next big thing. Kevin Randleman did that in 2004 and two years later he was fined for providing goat pee in a urinalysis. Just some food for thought………
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
He is a great fighter anybody who says he got lucky vs CC you are kidding yourself he is 4-0 inside the octagon.
But he needs to beat werdum to show he is a top fighter and after that a fight with AA and if he won both he would be in my top 10.
id like to see him fight big nog
Me too, no offence to minotauro but if he fights like he did vs herring GG will kill him.
hopfully randy can catch his kick and ground and pound on GG
Randy will tko him from the mount i hope.
the cop killers a dangerous man,i wish randy luck.im sure randy has a plan,as usual.
I agree, couture might try and strike because he outstruck iceman and wore him down on the feet which made it easier to deal with him on the ground, cop killer hahaha.
any body home lol!!
damn what happen to this site later!!!!!
gg is a good fighter but i think randy even though he is 43 is good enough and smart enough to come up with a good game plan to beat this guy he’s capt. America my vote is age wisdom and experience will win randy this fight
i agree with that gonzaga looked nervous vs CC and randy has always been prepared for all of his fights, btw i hope gonzaga is the real deal so we have another good ufc HW contender to fight the pride guys.
His fight with Werdum was like 4 years ago. And he didnt really get dominated til the 3rd round. True his only notable win was against Cro Cop, but he looked good that night and made Cro cop look like a chump. Gonzaga definately has a future in the sport. for the longest time I’ve been wanting to see Fedor vs Gonzaga. Is Gonzaga worthy? not quite. But if he beats Randy and gets his belt that would be a step in the right direction. It’s hard to compare the best fighter in the world to some new guy, but I have a feeling Gonzaga is gonna come out of nowhere and go from a B-lister to a top of the food chain, elite fighter faster than that high kick to Cro Cop’s head. Might even be as soon as August 25.
Gonzaga WONT beat randy, couture is more well rounded and far more experienced but I hope Napao becomes a player in the HW division so the pride huggers stfu. I think he could his own against big nog, I would love to see that fight.
8 MORE DAYS LETS GET IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn’t stumble across this site until today when I googled for info on Crocops knee injury. How long has this been up?
On topic: Gonzaga did catch Crocop on an off night. That was quite obvious, even though he did well technically against the top 10 fighter.
The win itself wasn’t a fluke. Crocop was being neutralized standing up and brutalized on the ground. But the kick was a lucky shot. He through his first kick of the match. It was a wild leg swing, arms flailing around, he thought he might as well go for gold when he was doing so well anyway. Mirko for some reason misjudged the kick and lowered his arms to cover his side. It hit his head, goodnight.
All respect to Gonzaga, he was the better fighter. But I think we would see Mirko making a bigger impact on the HW division over the next few years than Gonzaga. Mirko is an awesome fighter.
Gonzaga-Randy? I am not betting that fight….. But I see Gonzaga having the edge in youth, and subs. That is pretty much all. I don’t see him taking Randy down. Randy wins in the clinch and from within Gonzaga’s guard. As long as he doesn’t get careless he should be able to grind out a decision.
6 more days lets get it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all you got some dedication to type all that up and btw didnt Cro Cop say he was gonna retire soon, I think gonzaga being more well rounded and a better all round fighter (in my opinion) I see him making a HUGE IMPACT on the HW division. I could see Gabriel Gonzaga beating a lot of the hyped up to the max pride fighters except fedor who isnt hyped up. Dont get me wrong Cro Cop is a great fighter but I think Gonzaga is just a real bad match up for CC.
i so agree cpt i just dont feel like typibg that much lol lets get it on!!!!!!!!!!5 more days wooooooooohooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Yup I cant wait LETS GET IT ON.
Ufc 74 and Free beer and pizza at mine people.
eu sou e brasileiro porra!!!!! sabe oque eu acho dessa luta.eu acho e pouco eu quero q o gabriel de muita porada!!!!
WTF DID HE SAY ^LOL LETS GET IT ON !!!!!!!