thePULSEBy Alex Kantarelis
While Worcester is one of the biggest cities in New England, it’s not necessarily known for its sports. For that, often we turn to the beloved Boston sports teams. But Gabriel Gonzaga is a local athlete who is by no means a minor leaguer. His awe-inspiring resume speaks for itself, and it includes a mixed martial arts background and UFC fighting. I’m not talking about some backyard wrestling league, but the real Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Gonzaga got his start training in his native country of Brazil. “I fell in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu and dedicated all of my time and energy to becoming the best martial artist I could be,” he said.
Starting at the young age of 14, he began training full time, got his black belt in 1999, and eventually mixed boxing and muay Thai (a form of Thai kickboxing) into his routine. Mixed martial arts (MMA) were becoming more and more popular, and Gonzaga’s trainer was heavily involved with the sport in the beginning, while the rules were still being established.
“That is how I was introduced and fell in love with the sport of MMA at a young age,” he said. He loved working out and training and realized at a young age that he wanted to build a career out of it, so he began fighting as a full-time career.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions continued, and Gonzaga competed at the highest level. He was a world champion twice in BJJ and had pushed the sport to the limits. It didn’t take long for the UFC to notice him.
“My talents [in BJJ] were recognized, and I was offered a contract in the UFC. The opportunity to fight in the UFC was something that kind of landed on my lap and I am very grateful for it,” Gonzaga said. The transition was simple for him, since training in martial arts had dominated a majority of his life. He knew he wanted to continue training, and UFC gave him the opportunity to do just that.
His UFC career started in 2005, and he quickly made a name for himself with some powerful knockouts. His fighting style, coupled with his relentless training, proved to be too much for many of his competitors. He put together big wins over Carmelo Marrero, Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic and fellow BJJ black belt, Fabiano Scherner.
Gonzaga’s win over Filipovic garnered him a lot of attention. It was given the Knockout of the Year award by several magazines and landed him a title fight against UFC heavyweight champ and Hall of Famer, Randy Couture. Couture ended up winning that fight by TKO, but Gonzaga doesn’t look back at that fight as a negative moment in his life.
“One of my fondest memories in the UFC was the opportunity to fight for the Championship Title against one of the legends of the sport,” Gonzaga said. “The UFC is known for having the best and most elite fighters in the world, so for me, it’s an honor and a privilege to be competing among these top athletes.”
As several years of UFC fighting raged on, Gonzaga continued to win some big fights. He showed his true strength by winning in either knockout or submission from his opponents. Gonzaga knocked out American Josh Hendricks at 1:01 in the first round in Hendricks’ debut UFC fight. In 2010, Gonzaga’s contract was up, and he decided it was time to compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu again. He spent a few years training and competing in the sport he loved until UFC came back with another contract for him last year. Gonzaga kicked off 2012 by winning his first fight back against Ednaldo Oliveira via submission. This fight was especially big for Gonzaga, as it was his first UFC battle in his home country of Brazil.
Gonzaga made the move to the United States when his friend and business partner, Marco Alvan, invited him to Massachusetts to train. Together, they formed the Team Link Training Center in Worcester, where they began teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
“My transition to the United States was challenging because I didn’t know English when I arrived. However, I fully emerged myself here, which forced me to quickly learn the language. I now live in Massachusetts with my wife and children,” he said.
He looks back at his native country fondly, but considers Massachusetts to be his home now and has no plans to move back to Brazil. “I love the people here in Massachusetts; people here are friendly and caring towards each other. This is a great place to raise a family,” he said, adding “My son was born here, so my plan is to stay and continue to raise my children here.”
While fighting in the UFC has become an amazing experience for Gonzaga, it wasn’t always what he had in mind.
“Initially, before fighting in the UFC, my goal was to be a BJJ instructor and that remains my goal after the UFC. I want to teach authentic Brazilian jiu-jitsu at my training center in Worcester and give others the opportunity to learn this great martial art,” he said.
Team Link offers a training academy for everything from children’s wrestling to adult mixed martial arts. Gonzaga plans on becoming a full-time trainer at Team Link after his UFC career, with a simple goal: “I want to coach and produce world champions.”
Until then, he still has his own career to focus on. He brought in the New Year with another big fight against Ben Rothwell as part of the UFC Belfort vs. Bisping ticket. His fight was one of the main card events and was the only heavyweight battle of the night.
When it comes to his own training, Gonzaga is a workhorse. His massive frame, standing at 6 feet, 2 inches and 250 pounds, is the product of his hard work and dedication. He trains hard at Team Link with the help of judo coach, Luis Soto, and muay Thai coach, Ibere Reis. There, he can dedicate all of his time to his training so he can continue to win his UFC battles. His routine is anything but light and changes day to day so he can stay in top shape.
“A lot of time, dedication and focus go into preparing for a fight. I have several training sessions a day, which range from strength and condition to training in different parts of my stand-up and ground game.”
In a normal week, his training sessions include BJJ, judo, muay Thai, boxing and wrestling, mixed with sparing sessions. And that’s just his fighting routine. “My strength and condition training involve a lot of running, CrossFit at CrossFit CenterMass, among other things,” he said.
Keep an eye out for Gonzaga on TV this year, as he will continue to fight in the octagon in nationally televised UFC battles. When he eventually calls it quits from fighting, he will continue to train at Team Link, and Worcester will have a top-quality training facility for young aspiring MMA fighters.
“To all my friends in Massachusetts and to everyone in the area, feel free to stop by the Team Link Training Center and CrossFit CenterMass in Worcester and say hello. Myself, Luis Soto and Ibere Reis are always here.”
For more information, visit linkbjj.com.
