Junior Dos Santos vs Gabriel Gonzaga Prediction – UFC on Versus 1

JUNIOR DOS SANTOS vs. GABRIEL GONZAGA

Fight Overview:  Two big Brazilians with dynamite in their hands will go at it, with a win for dos Santos clearly cementing him in the picture for a title shot.  Gonzaga may have other ideas, though, and his top-level grappling and punching power will prove a huge obstacle for the rising Team Nogueira star.

Gonzaga's Strengths:  Gonzaga has a lot of power in his hands and extremely good jiu-jitsu.

Gonzaga's Weaknesses:  His chin is not extremely sturdy, his cardio is mediocre, and he has a tendency to abandon his ground game to trade shots with much better strikers.

Dos Santos' Strengths: dos Santos has very good boxing and Muay Thai with powerful punches, kicks, and knees.

Dos Santos' Weaknesses:  His ground game looked very shaky the only time it was tested, early in his career, and his wrestling is probably not very good either.

The Verdict:  Gonzaga probably has the tools to beat dos Santos on the ground, but he is way too fond of trading shots in an ill-advised fashion.  If he tries to go toe to toe with dos Santos he will get destroyed within 1 round, and that is how I see this fight ending.

Fight Prediction:  Junior Dos Santos makes quick work of Gonzaga by First Round KO.