Junior dos Santos has Frank Mir in his sights and he is aware of all the trash-talking coming from his opponent, but he does not seem phased.
When the two heavyweights square off at UFC 146, it will be the Brazilian’s first title defense. He won the UFC heavyweight title after knocking out Cain Velasquez at UFC on FOX last November.
As Dos Santos prepares for the former heavyweight champion, one thing he won’t be focused on is avenging the loss of fellow teammate and mentor, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who was submitted by Mir at UFC 140.
“For us who know Minotauro, it was really sad to see that. But that has absolutely no bearing on my fight against Frank Mir,” Dos Santos told USAToday.com. “I fight because of my own determination, my desire to win.”
Dos Santos, who was originally scheduled to meet Alistair Overeem, also doesn’t buy into Mir’s trash talk, as he believes it is only to promote the upcoming bout.
Mir has tended to get under his opponents’ skin in the past, leaving a bad impression on his image that portrays him as arrogant.
While he might not care about Mir’s opinion, that doesn’t mean the champion agree with some his choice words when comparing his skills to the Brazilian’s, especially stylistically.
Said Dos Santos:
I think when Mir’s in a good spot in the fight — when he’s in a good moment and in a good position — he’s very dangerous. But Mir doesn’t really know how to get through rough spots in a bout. What happened against Nogueira in his last fight was really an anomaly, because Mir got caught standing up. … Usually when Mir gets into a little bit of trouble during a fight, he can’t come back from it.
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