Mitrione: I fought my best friend 25 times

Gabriel Gonzaga is known for many things. For one, he is a great guy, which nobody can deny. He landed perhaps the best head kick in UFC history, on of all people Mirko Cro Cop. He is a phenomenal grappler, but prefers to thrill the fans with stand up action. AND, he has a series of unique videos sprinkled around his YouTube channel, in which he meditates on life, in various ways.

Here for example he offers an important life hack – “The straw Secret from Gonzaga.”

Matt Mitrione appeared on MMA Junkie Radio ahead of his fight with Gonzaga at UFC on FOX 8 and said that he, too, appreciates Napão. The nickname means big nostrils. If an American BJJ player tells you his Portuguese nickname means Lion Cobra or something, he made it up. If it is something equivalent to Big Nostrils, it’s real.

He actually taught me a lifecheat in one of his videos, said Mitrione as transcribed by Steven Marrocco for MMAJunkie. He showed how to make a bendy straw out of a regular straw, so it didn’t spill. I actually used that with my kids when we were out to dinner one night.

So, I think he’s a good dude. He’s a hell of a competitor, so it will be fun.

I don’t need to be angry at all at somebody. I fought my best friend probably 25 times, so I don’t need to be angry to get down.

Just being young and drunk and crazy, man. We grew up hillbillies in a cornfield in the middle of nowhere. You get drunk, you start talking trash, you start talking about each other, and push comes to shove and all of a sudden you’re throwing hands. That’s the way I grew up.

I’d like to say that I got the best of him more times than not, but he’s slippery and got some really good hands, and he’s crazy.”

I’m not back, better than ever, all new and improved. I’m the same guy that’s been working on the same things I’ve been working on.

So who do you like Saturday night UG, Big Nostrils or Meathead?