Junior dos Santos eyes Frank Mir at UFC 146 – Photo by Donald Miralle via UFC.com
UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos (15-1) appeared well on his way to facing former title holder Cain Velasquez (10-1) this fall in a rematch for the Ultimate Fighting Championship strap.
Now it appears that Dos Santos has changed his mind, telling UFC president Dana White over lunch that he feels the former Strikeforce title holder is a “punk” with a “big mouth” and that he’d love nothing better to do than to “knock him out.”
White broke the news to he media late Saturday night following the UFC on FOX 4 post-fight press conference.
“I sat down with Junior dos Santos yesterday, who is the nicest guy in the world, right? Seriously, you’ve all talked to Junior, he’s the nicest guy in the world. He said, ‘I have nothing but respect for Cain Velasquez. I like him as a person and as a fighter, and I think he deserves the shot at the title, but I do not want to fight him,’ which is not what he said a month ago. He said, ‘Alistair Overeem is a punk, he’s got a big mouth, he’s been saying lots of bad things about me, and I want to knock him out and I want to knock him out now.’ And I said, ‘Junior, I like that. Alright.’ He wants the fight. I’m not saying that’s what’s happening, I’m just saying that’s what he’s saying.”
“He wants this fight. He actually…(Dos Santos’ management) were blowing me up, they wanted to meet with me, meet with me. We went to lunch yesterday and he just off on what a punk he thinks Alistair Overeem is and how bad he wants to knock him out….”
“He’s my heavyweight champion. He’s one of those guys who, again like Frankie Edgar, is one of those guy who’s done everything we’ve ever asked of him, and he really has never asked much of us, so when a guy like him comes to me and wants something, yeah, I have to consider it.”
Overeem is currently sitting out a six month suspension following a positive steroid test last April. The two fighters had been scheduled to meet in May at in the main event of UFC 146 but the positive test and subsequent suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission put that bout on hiatus.
‘The Reem’ will not have a chance to apply for a new license till at least December 27, 2012.
Velasquez beat Octagon newcomer Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva convincingly at the UFC 146 event to earn himself a rematch with ‘Cigano’.