Report: Werdum, Gonzaga Meet Again at UFC 80

Oct 30, 2007 9:40 AM John Chandler

Gracie Mag is reporting that heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum will fight for the second time in their respective careers in January at UFC 80 in Newcastle, England.

The two previously fought at the inaugural Jungle Fight show in September of 2003 where Werdum stopped Gonzaga with strikes in the third round. Since their careers have taken different turns.

Werdum went over to PRIDE where he racked up a 4-2 record with wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem and Roman Zentsov before signing with the UFC in early 2007. Werdrum dropped an unanimous decision to Andrei Arlovski his UFC debut at UFC 70.

It was also at UFC 70 that Gonzaga scored a career highlighting knockout of Mirko Cro Cop. The win over Cro Cop coupled with previous wins over Carmelo Marrero, Fabiano Scherner, and Kevin Jordan in the UFC earned Gonzaga a title shot against Randy Couture at UFC 74. Couture ended up stopping Gonzaga with strikes in the third round of their fight.

Fabricio Werdum • Gabriel Gonzaga • PRIDE • UFC • Heavyweight