Junior dos Santos believes he is one win from another title shot.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos believes that he’s in a good place right now. After a bump in the road due to USADA, Dos Santos returned with a dominant win over Blagoy Ivanov last month and feels like he’s close to another title shot. In an interview with MMA Fighting, he spoke of wanting a third fight with Stipe Miocic:
”The division is in a good moment right now, there are several good options. I would love a rematch with Stipe Miocic, but I don’t think they will do it. I don’t know why this fight wouldn’t make sense because the second one ended so quickly. He was happy to connect a punch, but that doesn’t prove superiority. We’re heavyweights. The same way he lost to (Daniel) Cormier, he defeated me.”
After discussing other options such as Tai Tuivasa and even a fourth fight with Cain Velasquez, he stated that he believes he’s one fight away from getting another shot at the heavyweight title. According to JDS, it’s “inevitable”.
”I’m not worried about trying to guarantee a fight for the belt because that’s automatic, it will happen,” dos Santos said. “I’ve always done my best inside the Octagon, fought the best there is, and win or lose I’ve done my best in my fights. If I’m not the champion today, it’s because of mistakes I’ve made. My opponents have merit, too, of course, but the experience I’ve gained was great. The price I had to pay for that experience was high sometimes, I stayed out for a while, but I’m rebuilding.
”That’s what I’m here for. I’m motivated. I’m 34, but I’m feeling stronger, in a special moment in my career, more mature and motivated. It’s inevitable that I will fight for the belt again. It will come eventually, there’s no escape.”
No matter what happens in his next bout, it seems like it’ll be a while before he maybe gets his shot. Champion Daniel Cormier is likely taking on Brock Lesnar early next year, and there are guys such as Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in the mix as well. I guess it will depend on who he fights and how things play out over the next few months.