‘Napao’ Stuns Cro Cop, Earns Shot at Couture
By Thomas Gerbasi
MANCHESTER – For years, Mirko Cro Cop had knocked
opponents out in devastating fashion with fearsome kicks to the head. Tonight, before a packed house at the MEN Arena, Gabriel Gonzaga gave the Croatian bomber a taste of his own medicine, sending him crashing to defeat with a single right kick to the head in the UFC 70 main event, earning himself a shot at UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture in the process.
“I trained very hard, mentally and physically, for this fight and I was aiming for the knockout,” said Gonzaga, now 8-1. “I had the opportunity and I took it.”
“I’m disappointed,” said Cro Cop, 22-5-2. “I will have to look at the fight and see the mistakes I made.”
Gonzaga came out of his corner determined to fight, and he immediately started tossing out rangefinding punches as he stood in the pocket with the feared striker. Cro Cop took his time while looking for an opening, but when he threw his first big kick to the body, Gonzaga was able to grab his opponent’s leg and take him to the canvas. On the mat, Cro Cop tried to keep his cool in an attempt to force a standup, but Gonzaga would have none of it as he fired away with forearms to the head, one of which opened a cut on the Croatian’s forehead. With 35 seconds left, apparently Cro Cop got a reprieve, but instead, he was sent crashing to the mat with a single right kick to the head at the 4:51 mark, throwing the arena into shock as the next challenger for the heavyweight crown was determined.
“I’m going to do my best to prepare for this fight and I’m going to try and do the same thing again,” said Gonzaga of his future opponent, the legendary Couture.
This time, no one will count ‘Napao’ out.

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