"I don’t think this fight will hit the ground. I believe I am a better striker and I want to prove that. I am not afraid to stand and strike with anyone. If the fight goes to the ground, it is my place anyway. I am always going to be prepared to fight anyone, and Junior is in my way to get back to title contention. I think I am very mature at this moment and I am in the top of my game. I will be very well-prepared for this fight. Of course, I will have that belt one day, you can mark it. I train a lot for this and I believe that will be sooner than later."  - Gabriel Gonzaga

Former UFC heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga spoke to Fighters Only about his upcoming fight against fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos at UFC on Versus 1: "Vera vs. Jones" on March 21 at the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, CO. The bout will be featured as the night's co-main event.

Many have questioned Gonzaga's proposed strategy to stand with dos Santos due to the fact that he is a very decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and is thought to have a notable advantage if he chooses to take the fight to the mat. Dos Santos' only career loss actually came via submission against Joaquim Ferreira in November 2007. However, he has since worked to improve his ground game with his mentor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Gonzaga will apparently opt to stand and throw with a man who has finished all four of his UFC opponents, including three by first-round TKO over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve and Gilbert Yvel.

Gonzaga faced the same criticism when he chose to stand with the once-feared Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, who entered the UFC from Pride, with big expectations. He went on to upset the Croatian and give him a taste of his own medicine, as he scored a highlight reel first-round head kick knockout over Filipovic at UFC 70 in April 2007. That loss to Gonzaga is thought to have broken Filipovic's spirit and mental confidence, as the Croatian truly has not looked the same since.

Gonzaga is 3-1 in his last four bouts, most recently defeating Chris Tuchscherer via first-round TKO at UFC 102 in August in a bout that was marred by a brutal, accidental low-blow coming from Gonzaga. His only loss during the stretch came in his previous bout against current UFC heavyweight title challenger Shane Carwin at UFC 96 in March.

"Napao" holds a 7-3 record in 10 fights with the UFC, finishing five of his seven Octagon wins by TKO or KO. He also holds other notable Octagon wins over Kevin Jordan and Justin McCully.