Boston Herald: Rocketing to the Top (Gonzaga)

[warrior06]

By Herald staff
Sunday, August 19, 2007

It’s been a real roller coaster for Ludlow’s Gabriel Gonzaga since he exploded onto the mixed martial arts scene with his devastating knockout of Mirko Cro Cop in April in Manchester, England. Since then, Ludlow has earned a heavyweight title shot with Randy Couture (Saturday, Aug. 25) and has quickly gained recognition as one of the sport’s most exciting, up-and-coming talents. Leading up to the fight, bostonherald.com has been providing exclusive Gonzaga video, as well as Q&A’s regarding the fight. Below, we hear from Gonzaga on the UFC promotional experience.

Q: The UFC is known for being a promotional powerhouse. What has the last month been like, doing all these interviews and having TV crews around you all the time?


Gonzaga: I’ve been trying to be available to everyone as much as I can, because I know that’s important for the UFC, for the fight and for the fans. So I’ve been doing as much as possible. It has been a great experience for me, and it’s also great for UFC fans, so they can get to know a little more about me.
Q: What was it like doing the ESPNEWS interview right next to Randy?
Gonzaga: My adrenaline was high, I was a little nervous, because I wanted to make sure my English was perfect. But it was a lot of fun.When I saw it, I thought it was good, but I definitely want to improve my English if I do it again.
Q: Do you like your Improper Bostonian cover?
Gonzaga: I saw the picture of it on the UFC Web site and I love it.I like that Dana is in the middle of us, like he was trying to keep us from fighting, so it made me look forward to the fight against Randy even more.
Q: How was it working with Randy and Dana for the Improper shoot?
Gonzaga: The photographer was very professional. They were very particular about the lighting, and they took a lot of pictures. We were there for a couple of hours. It was a great time, to have both Randy and Dana there. They took really good care of us and I really enjoyed the whole experience.
Q: Do people recognize you?
Gonzaga: Day after day, people are recognizing me more. The media is helping me a lot. With the billboard in Times Square, and the ESPN shoot, and the Improper cover, it’s definitely made fans more aware of who I am.
Q: What do people say to you?
Gonzaga: Mostly they give me support, and they tell me I’m going to be the next champion.
Q: What do you think of the way MMA is looked at here in the U.S., as opposed to Brazil?
Gonzaga: Because of the UFC, mixed martial arts has grown so much in the United States. It is becoming very accepted, and that is also helping to grow the sport in Brazil. In Brazil, they are following the UFC and its fighters, and because of that, they are having more MMA events, and it is getting bigger and bigger.
Q: Will you do any more training when you get to Las Vegas next week?
Gonzaga: Last week I completed my hard training.For the week of the fight I’m just going to stretch and maintain my condition.I’m ready to go. I’m ready for Saturday and I’m ready for a great fight.

Theres a good video at the link, about his training and some promo shots. Man, this fight is going to be a war.
http://sports.bostonherald.com/ufc/v...icleid=1017751