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Post by Bartman on Oct 27, 2010 15:57:27 GMT -5
Former heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga cut by UFC following loss
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 28, 2010 at 4:10 pm ET
Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is the latest one-time UFC contender to enter the free agency waters.
The heavyweight today announced via Twitter that the UFC has released him from his contract following a decision loss to Brendan Schaub at this past Saturday's UFC 121 event.
"Back to normal life and [Brazilian jiu-jitsu] forever," Gonzaga wrote today.
The 31-year-old Gonzaga was 3-4 inside the octagon since he vied for the heavyweight title against then-champion Randy Couture at UFC 74. Couture won the fight via third-round TKO.
Gonzaga suffered a badly broken nose in the first round of the August 2007 fight, though he managed to fracture Couture's left arm with a high kick.
That same weapon netted the Brazilian one of the most shocking highlights in UFC history when he took on Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 70 and knocked the former PRIDE champion out cold with a kick in the first round. The win set up his title bid.
Gonzaga struggled to stay consistent following his meeting with Couture. Fabricio Werdum stopped him by second-round TKO at UFC 80, and though he racked up back-to-back wins over Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks, he was knocked out by Shane Carwin at UFC 96.
After rebounding again with a TKO of Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102, he had a chance to stop the rise of now-contender Junior Dos Santos at UFC on Versus 2 in March. Instead, he found himself the victim of a first-round knockout.
Although he took Schaub the distance in this past Saturday's UFC 121, which took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., he was frequently outclassed on his feet and eventually outpointed on all judges' scorecards.
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Former title challenger Patrick Cote confirms UFC release
by Dann Stupp on Oct 27, 2010 at 3:00 pm ET
Former title challenger, "The Ultimate Fighter 4" runner-up and veteran middleweight Patrick Cote is a free agent.
Following a loss to Tom Lawlor this past weekend at UFC 121, the Canadian today confirmed via Twitter his UFC release.
"I had a little hope but (I) finally got the release word from the UFC," wrote Cote, who suffered a unanimous-decision loss at the Oct. 23 event in California. "It's been [an] awesome experience. I'll be back."
The defeat to Lawlor was Cote's third straight under the UFC banner. He suffered a title loss to champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90, and after sitting out more than a year and a half to heal from a knee injury suffered in the fight, Alan Belcher submitted him at UFC 113 earlier this year.
Then came the loss to Lawlor.
Prior to the recent three-fight skid, Cote, who first debuted with the UFC more than six years ago at UFC 50, posted seven wins in an eight-fight span. Included was a four-fight win streak (three of which came in the UFC) that earned him the title shot with Silva.
Cote, a veteran of the once-popular TKO organization in Canada, was in his fourth stint in the UFC. It took him five tries to earn his first UFC win while he remained undefeated outside the world's top promotion.
The 30-year-old currently owns a 13-7 record, which includes a 4-7 mark in the UFC.
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Not sure how many Cote fans we have on here, but I for one am disappointed. Hopefully he'll be back in the future.
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 28, 2010 at 4:10 pm ET
Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is the latest one-time UFC contender to enter the free agency waters.
The heavyweight today announced via Twitter that the UFC has released him from his contract following a decision loss to Brendan Schaub at this past Saturday's UFC 121 event.
"Back to normal life and [Brazilian jiu-jitsu] forever," Gonzaga wrote today.
The 31-year-old Gonzaga was 3-4 inside the octagon since he vied for the heavyweight title against then-champion Randy Couture at UFC 74. Couture won the fight via third-round TKO.
Gonzaga suffered a badly broken nose in the first round of the August 2007 fight, though he managed to fracture Couture's left arm with a high kick.
That same weapon netted the Brazilian one of the most shocking highlights in UFC history when he took on Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 70 and knocked the former PRIDE champion out cold with a kick in the first round. The win set up his title bid.
Gonzaga struggled to stay consistent following his meeting with Couture. Fabricio Werdum stopped him by second-round TKO at UFC 80, and though he racked up back-to-back wins over Justin McCully and Josh Hendricks, he was knocked out by Shane Carwin at UFC 96.
After rebounding again with a TKO of Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102, he had a chance to stop the rise of now-contender Junior Dos Santos at UFC on Versus 2 in March. Instead, he found himself the victim of a first-round knockout.
Although he took Schaub the distance in this past Saturday's UFC 121, which took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., he was frequently outclassed on his feet and eventually outpointed on all judges' scorecards.
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Former title challenger Patrick Cote confirms UFC release
by Dann Stupp on Oct 27, 2010 at 3:00 pm ET
Former title challenger, "The Ultimate Fighter 4" runner-up and veteran middleweight Patrick Cote is a free agent.
Following a loss to Tom Lawlor this past weekend at UFC 121, the Canadian today confirmed via Twitter his UFC release.
"I had a little hope but (I) finally got the release word from the UFC," wrote Cote, who suffered a unanimous-decision loss at the Oct. 23 event in California. "It's been [an] awesome experience. I'll be back."
The defeat to Lawlor was Cote's third straight under the UFC banner. He suffered a title loss to champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90, and after sitting out more than a year and a half to heal from a knee injury suffered in the fight, Alan Belcher submitted him at UFC 113 earlier this year.
Then came the loss to Lawlor.
Prior to the recent three-fight skid, Cote, who first debuted with the UFC more than six years ago at UFC 50, posted seven wins in an eight-fight span. Included was a four-fight win streak (three of which came in the UFC) that earned him the title shot with Silva.
Cote, a veteran of the once-popular TKO organization in Canada, was in his fourth stint in the UFC. It took him five tries to earn his first UFC win while he remained undefeated outside the world's top promotion.
The 30-year-old currently owns a 13-7 record, which includes a 4-7 mark in the UFC.
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Not sure how many Cote fans we have on here, but I for one am disappointed. Hopefully he'll be back in the future.
.
