After turning professional in 2001, Wilson Gouveia, who trains out of the famed American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, racked up wins over respected veterans such as Jason Lambert and Jason MacDonald, as well as a rare win over UFC demolition expert Jon Fitch.

During his initial UFC run, which lasted from 2006-2010, Gouveia was considered a contender for the light heavyweight title, finishing four fights in a row for the promotion. After a disappointing knockout loss to Goran Reljic in 2008, however, Gouveia dropped down to middleweight, where he won back-to-back fights before losing two bouts in a row—both of them by knockout—en route to being cut from the promotion in 2010.

Though talented in the art of finishing opponents, and having won Fight of the Night awards in three of his Octagon performances, Gouveia has also shown difficulty absorbing punishment from powerful strikers, having lost the majority of his fights by knockout or TKO.