One-time UFC Heavyweight Championship contender Gabriel Gonzaga confirmed Thursday that he has been dropped from UFC’s active roster of fighters.
Gonzaga, who had lost two of his last three fights, had become something of a de facto gatekeeper in the UFC heavyweight division, paving the way for fighters like Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos to improve their credibility in the Octagon. Since defeating landed a title fight against then-heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, while dos Santos parlayed his recent victory over Gonzaga into ultimately earning an upcoming title fight against Cain Velasquez.
Gonzaga most recently played that role for “TUF” runner-up Brendan Schaub, who dominated Gonzaga en route to a unanimous decision at Saturday’s UFC 121.
“Official now – Out of UFC – Thanks for all your support – back to normal life and BJJ forever,” Tweeted Gonzaga.
Following impressive wins in his first three fights, Gonzaga escalated to stardom with by knocking out striking specialist Mirko Cro Cop in the first round of their UFC 70 bout. The upset victory earned Gonzaga a title shot against Randy Couture, who controlled Gonzaga en route to a third round stoppage.
Since then, Gonzaga’s fortunes in the Octagon have been mixed; he holds a 3-4 record since the Couture lsos.