Dos Santos Thrilled with Title Win, Pegs Lesnar as Next Contender
Though tabbed as a betting underdog prior to his heavyweight title
showdown with Cain
Velasquez at UFC on Fox
1, Junior dos
Santos now sits atop the UFC’s heavyweight division as the
undisputed champion.
The hard-hitting “Cigano” dispatched Velasquez quickly in the UFC’s network television debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., taking just 64 seconds to dethrone the previously undefeated jewel of the vaunted American Kickboxing Academy.
“I’m very happy with the result,” said dos Santos at Saturday’s
post-fight press conference. “Going into the fight, I was a little
concerned to go five rounds with Cain, because his cardio is so
good. I feel I implemented my game plan well, and I’m happy to be
the first person to beat Cain Velasquez.”
The game plan that dos Santos implemented was not a complicated one: keep the fight vertical. Velasquez chose to establish himself early in the standup department and paid the price. While both men connected with feelers early, it was the Brazilian who drew first blood, flooring the champ with an overhand right behind the ear. Dos Santos pounced on his prone opponent and Velasquez was unable to defend the barrage of punches bombarding his skull, cuing referee John McCarthy to stop the contest.
To those who expected Velasquez -- a former NCAA wrestling All-American at Arizona State -- to try to out-wrestle dos Santos, Velasquez’s insistence on engaging in the pocket was likely a surprise. However, dos Santos was not shocked by Velasquez’s willingness to stand in the bout’s early going.
“No, [I wasn’t surprised]. He was walking forward, like I thought [he would], and he was putting a little pressure [on me],” said dos Santos. “I don’t know if it was [usually] how he likes to do it, but man, it was a good moment for me.
“I don’t know if you guys are able to [understand how I feel]. I can’t explain how I’m feeling,” dos Santos continued. “It was an important fight for the whole MMA [community] and especially for me and Cain. Now I’m the champion, and it’s amazing. When you’re a positive person and you give your all, good things happen to you.”
Up next for the new champion is a showdown with the winner of December’s demolition derby between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar. While Cigano would not state a preference on whom he would like to face next, he did offer a casual prediction when jokingly pressed by UFC boss Dana White.
“I never choose any opponent, so it doesn’t matter [who wins]. I’m not thinking about that now. I want to go back to Brazil and make a big barbecue for all my friends and training partners,” said dos Santos. “But, of course, I will be watching the fight. I don’t know [who will win], but I think I’ll go with Brock.”
The hard-hitting “Cigano” dispatched Velasquez quickly in the UFC’s network television debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., taking just 64 seconds to dethrone the previously undefeated jewel of the vaunted American Kickboxing Academy.
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The game plan that dos Santos implemented was not a complicated one: keep the fight vertical. Velasquez chose to establish himself early in the standup department and paid the price. While both men connected with feelers early, it was the Brazilian who drew first blood, flooring the champ with an overhand right behind the ear. Dos Santos pounced on his prone opponent and Velasquez was unable to defend the barrage of punches bombarding his skull, cuing referee John McCarthy to stop the contest.
“I love to fight standup. I’m confident in that area,” said dos
Santos after his ninth knockout victory. “I was waiting for his
kicks and I was looking for the knockout, like in all my fights. My
coach tells me I got heavy hands, so I try to use them in the start
of fight, because that’s a good time to use [them]. I am
100-percent in that moment, so it’s a good time to use my power. It
worked today.”
To those who expected Velasquez -- a former NCAA wrestling All-American at Arizona State -- to try to out-wrestle dos Santos, Velasquez’s insistence on engaging in the pocket was likely a surprise. However, dos Santos was not shocked by Velasquez’s willingness to stand in the bout’s early going.
“No, [I wasn’t surprised]. He was walking forward, like I thought [he would], and he was putting a little pressure [on me],” said dos Santos. “I don’t know if it was [usually] how he likes to do it, but man, it was a good moment for me.
“I don’t know if you guys are able to [understand how I feel]. I can’t explain how I’m feeling,” dos Santos continued. “It was an important fight for the whole MMA [community] and especially for me and Cain. Now I’m the champion, and it’s amazing. When you’re a positive person and you give your all, good things happen to you.”
Up next for the new champion is a showdown with the winner of December’s demolition derby between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar. While Cigano would not state a preference on whom he would like to face next, he did offer a casual prediction when jokingly pressed by UFC boss Dana White.
“I never choose any opponent, so it doesn’t matter [who wins]. I’m not thinking about that now. I want to go back to Brazil and make a big barbecue for all my friends and training partners,” said dos Santos. “But, of course, I will be watching the fight. I don’t know [who will win], but I think I’ll go with Brock.”
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