Who is Gabriel Gonzaga? Everything you need to know about the 44-year-old former fighter who has won gold at IBJJF Masters World Championships

Gabriel Gonzaga (Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira) is a veteran combat sports athlete, who's extensively competed in both MMA and BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Gonzaga previously fought in the world's premier MMA organization, UFC.

Additionally, at the age of 44, Gonzaga has emerged victorious at the 2023 IBJJF Masters World Championships. The IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) is an organization that puts forth the biggest BJJ tournaments in the world, including the annual IBJJF World Championships.

Gonzaga competed in the IBJJF Masters Ultra Heavy division and won the gold medal in his division at this year's Championships.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gabriel Gonzaga commenced his martial arts training in Judo as a 14-year-old. 'Napao' eventually moved into the BJJ realm and trained in BJJ under the guidance of Wander Braga.

Presently, Gonzaga is a 5th degree black belt in BJJ. Besides, he won a silver medal at the ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) Submission Fighting World Championship in 2005. Moreover, the Brazilian combat sports veteran also won a gold medal in the 2019 World Masters IBJJF in the Super Heavyweight black belt division. In addition, he's also won several smaller-level BJJ tournaments.

Furthermore, Gonzaga's professional MMA record stands at 17 wins and 12 losses. He made his MMA debut in April 2003. His UFC debut saw him notch a third-round KO win over Kevin Jordan at UFC 56 in November 2005.

Gonzaga won his first four UFC fights, notably knocking out legendary striker Mirko Cro Cop with the latter's signature head kick maneuver. The win streak earned 'Napao' a shot at the UFC heavyweight title against then-champion Randy Couture.

However, Gonzaga failed to capture the heavyweight title, as Couture defeated him via third-round TKO in their showdown at UFC 74 in August 2007. Following that, the Brazilian fighter faced several ups and downs inside the octagon and was released from the organization in late 2010.

After one MMA bout outside the UFC, he returned to the UFC organization in January 2012. Gonzaga continued competing in the UFC till his final fight in the organization in April 2016, a first-round KO loss against Derrick Lewis.

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A closer look at former UFC heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga's recent combat sports pursuits

After his 2016 departure, Gabriel Gonzaga suggested he was retiring from MMA and would only return if offered a six-figure contract by the UFC. Nevertheless, he did compete in one MMA bout after leaving the UFC. In what's Gonzaga's most recent MMA bout, he suffered a second-round TKO loss against Alexander Emelianenko at RCC: Russian Cagefighting Championship 2 in May 2018.

Gonzaga competed in a professional boxing match, defeating Alejandro Esquilin Santiago via majority decision in October 2017. 'Napao' also competed in a bare-knuckle boxing bout, beating fellow former UFC heavyweight Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva via second-round KO at BKFC 8 in October 2019.

With Gonzaga's win at the 2023 IBJJF Masters World Championships, many foresee him continuing to compete in the BJJ dominion in the days to come.