Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop 2 | Long Island MMA

Set to take place on UFC Fight Night this Saturday, Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirco Cro Cop is quite interesting. For Gonzaga this fight will be an affirmation of his dominant victory in their first meeting. For Cro Cop this fight is all about redemption! When these two heavyweights last met their bout ended suddenly and with the utmost surprise. Gabriel Gonzaga was able to finish Mirco Cro Cop with his own signature technique, that which had defined his MMA career particularly during his time fighting for Pride Fighting Championships; after being dominated on the ground for the entirety of the first round he was knocked out with a devastating right head kick just shy of the bell.

     For Mirco Cro Cop there are a couple of key factors that should certainly be taken into account in this rematch. The first one would be for Mirco to open up with his striking. In their first bout Cro Cop only threw one straight right and one round kick the entire fight. Being that his base and strength is his striking it would make sense that he should use it to take control of the fight the second time around. The second factor is in regards to his movement and footwork. Mirco is a southpaw and Gonzaga is an orthodox fighter; for the duration of the first round each time Gonzaga would engage him Cro Cop would consistently circle to his left. This undoubtedly is the reason that Gonzaga was able to set up the round kick that ended the fight. The second time around Cro Cop should certainly consider mixing up his movement patterns and if possible avoid circling towards the power side of Gonzaga. 
     Lastly, it is extremely likely that Cro Cop will once again be on the receiving end of a takedown from Gonzaga and for their rematch working takedown defense and maintaining an active guard should he be taken down are of the utmost importance. Cro Cop was cut by one of Gonzaga’s elbow strikes from the guard. Gonzaga’s ability to consistently strike Cro Cop could be attributed to his lack of movement on the bottom. Come UFC Fight Night on 4/11/15 we will see if Mirco Cro Cop has made the necessary adjustments to achieve redemption against Gabriel Gonzaga!