Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, lost his 265-pound strap following a five-round beatdown by longtime nemesis, Cain Velasquez, back in late 2012.
It’s been over six long years since “Cigano” held gold and to be honest, I thought he was done after his Velasquez trilogy, which not only ended in a technical knockout loss, but may have shortened his cage fighting career, and perhaps even his life.
Then Dos Santos battled back to squeak past Stipe Miocic in his very next fight, only to go down in flames once again, this time against Alistair Overeem. “He’s done!” I proclaimed, certain the Brazilian’s best days were behind him.
I think you see where I’m going with this.
A rebound win over the outmatched Ben Rothwell was spoiled by technical knockout loss to Miocic in their 2017 rematch. And that doesn’t factor in the multiple injuries (like this one) that kept Dos Santos on the bench for extended periods of time.
And yet in spit of all that, here we are again, with “Cigano” atop a major mixed martial arts (MMA) event with title implications at stake. Currently ranked No. 8 in the division, Dos Santos is riding back-to-back wins over Blagoy Ivanov and Tai Tuivasa.
Let’s keep in mind that Dos Santos (20-5) is 14-4 under the UFC banner and has only lost to three opponents: Miocic, Overeem, and Velasquez. Miocic and Velasquez are former UFC heavyweight champions and Overeem was a champion in both Strikeforce and K-1.
It’s not like he’s been getting slept by bums.
That’s probably why the promotion has put him in a UFC main event for eight straight fights. Having 15 finishes in 20 wins certainly doesn’t hurt, either, including last December’s drubbing over Tuivasa in Australia.
Not bad for 35 years old.
“Derrick Lewis is ranked No. 2, so I think I can definitely fight for the belt after this win,” Dos Santos told MMA Fighting. “What matters the most is getting good victories. I’m already qualified to fight for the belt, but we obviously need a winning streak to get there. People want to see the best fighting for the title, and I think I’ll be on my way to the belt with this win.”
Dos Santos fights Lewis in the UFC Fight Night 146 main event this Sat. night (March 9, 2019) inside INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Like “Cigano,” the “Black Beast” is hoping a victory in “The Sunflower State” will earn him a second crack at the crown.
That would mean another loss for Dos Santos, but judging by what we’ve seen from the resilient Brazilian throughout his storied career, it probably won’t make him go away anytime soon.