Tag: Junior Dos Santos vs. Ben Rothwell

Junior Dos Santos Sidelined 12 Weeks After Shoulder Surgery

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos returned to action at UFC Fight Night 86 earlier this month, securing an impressive and one-sided decision victory over the previously surging Ben Rothwell. “Cigano” showed signs of his old self, looking rejuvenated and refocused, displaying his crisp and effective boxing skills to outpoint Rothwell. Although he

The post Junior Dos Santos Sidelined 12 Weeks After Shoulder Surgery appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos returned to action at UFC Fight Night 86 earlier this month, securing an impressive and one-sided decision victory over the previously surging Ben Rothwell.

“Cigano” showed signs of his old self, looking rejuvenated and refocused, displaying his crisp and effective boxing skills to outpoint Rothwell.

Although he secured a crucial victory, it doesn’t appear as if Dos Santos came out of the bout unscathed.

Taking to his official Instagram account recently, the Brazilian slugger admitted that he had suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery:

“Despite being Brazilian I’ve never played soccer very well, I also wasn’t good enough on swimming or running or any other sports like those. But luckily I found myself in the fight world and I can say, I’m good it.

But fighting demands a lot and sometimes even in victory we can get hurt. I could say that now would be a very difficult time for me, but I actually feel blessed. I hurt my shoulder a bit but I won a great fight, and I’m having a excellent care so that very, very soon I will be 100% again.

I had a small shoulder surgery this morning and as my good friend Doctor Howard Gelb who took great care of me said, everything went perfectly and guess what! I’m already at home relaxing.

I just would like to let you guys know through me”

“Cigano” also revealed to MMAFighting.com that he’s hoping to be cleared to train within 12 weeks.

After his most recent victory, Dos Santos should be in line for a big fight upon his return from injury.

The post Junior Dos Santos Sidelined 12 Weeks After Shoulder Surgery appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Twitter Reacts To Junior Dos Santos’ Domination Of Ben Rothwell

UFC Fight Night 86 went down earlier today (April 10, 2016) live on FOX Sports 1 from Zagreb, Croatia. The main event featured a vintage performance from former heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos, as the Brazilian battered and bloodied previously surging contender Ben Rothwell over the course of five rounds, picking up a bounce-back

The post Twitter Reacts To Junior Dos Santos’ Domination Of Ben Rothwell appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC Fight Night 86 went down earlier today (April 10, 2016) live on FOX Sports 1 from Zagreb, Croatia.

The main event featured a vintage performance from former heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos, as the Brazilian battered and bloodied previously surging contender Ben Rothwell over the course of five rounds, picking up a bounce-back unanimous decision victory.

Speaking of heavyweights, the ultra-powerful Derrick Lewis added yet another brutal finish to his resume in the co-main event, bulldozing through Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round.

The event featured a plethora of finishes, and provided a tremendous amount of action.

Let’s take a look at how Twitter reacted to the card below:

The post Twitter Reacts To Junior Dos Santos’ Domination Of Ben Rothwell appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Junior Dos Santos Batters Ben Rothwell For Huge Rebound Victory

On a four-fight stoppage surge in the shallow UFC heavyweight division, Ben Rothwell looked to continue his path of destruction when he met former champion Junior dos Santos in the main event of today’s (Sun., April 10, 2016) UFC Fight Night 86 from the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia. The fight kicked off with Rothwell pushing

The post Junior Dos Santos Batters Ben Rothwell For Huge Rebound Victory appeared first on LowKick MMA.

On a four-fight stoppage surge in the shallow UFC heavyweight division, Ben Rothwell looked to continue his path of destruction when he met former champion Junior dos Santos in the main event of today’s (Sun., April 10, 2016) UFC Fight Night 86 from the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia.

The fight kicked off with Rothwell pushing the pace. He threw a lazy low kick and dos Santos remained patient. He threw a big right hand that landed, then a jab to the body followed by another. Rothwell tried to make it ugly with some shots in close, but dos Santos kept his range to land a few solid body punches.

Big shots came from both fighters, and Rothwell landed a hard leg kick. “Big Ben” landed a big overhand as he stalked continuously dos Santos down. Dos Santos responded with his own overhand, but Rothwell opened up with a combo. Rothwell continued landing low kicks and dos Santos kept working the body to close out the first round.

Rothwell came out pressing forward once again to start the second. Dos Santos threw Rothwell to the ground when he slipped, and ‘Big Ben’ landed another leg kick. Dos Santos scored to Rothwell’s body, to which Rothwell responded with a body kick of his own. “JDS” snapped a sharp straight right and landed to the body again. Rothwell threw a Superman punch, which dos Santos countered with one of his own.

A sharp right came from dos Santos as he stayed on his toes, but an eye poke caused a momentarily halt to the fight. Dos Santos landed on the restart, bruising Rothwell’s right eye and staggering him a bit with a kick. “Cigano” landed another body shot. He staggered Rothwell with a big right hand and then wobbled him further with a high kick to close the second round.

MMA: UFC 160-Dos Santos vs Hunt

At the beginning of the third, dos Santos landed another right hand as he kept his movement level high. He went to the body but Rothwell pressed the pace with a strong combination. “Cigano’s” speed was keeping him one step ahead of “Big Ben,” but Rothwell landed a hard right. Dos Santos fought back with body work and sharp jabs, keeping out of Rothwell’s power range. A spinning back kick landed to Rothwell’s body, and a strong one-two combo did, as well. Dos Santos landed another kick as the third came to an end.

Dos Santos landed a left hook to start the fourth round, and Rothwell scored one of his own followed by a side kick to the body. Dos Santos answered with his own side kick to the body and snapped two more jabs to the body afterward. He landed a hard straight right, stunning Rothwell with a left hook. Jabs scored rapidly and ” Big Ben” just couldn’t seem to chase dos Santos down.

Rothwell landed a huge right that looked to stun dos Santos, and he pushed in close to try score with more strikes. Dos Santos kept his footwork moving, however, and landed additional straight punches. A combo followed and Rothwell countered with a few strikes. The fourth round ended with a hard low kick from “Big Ben.”

The fifth round saw dos Santos appearing comfortable. Rothwell showed some urgency with some punches. Dos Santos kept working his jabs and staying out of Rothwell’s range. A high kick missed from “Big Ben” and dos Santos landed a knee before going back to the body. Straight shots landed on several occasions, and Rothwell landed a big left hook. “Cigano” countered with accurate shots and a hard looping overhand and a big knee to the face. A front kick and a combo closed out the grueling bout, and “JDS” won the bout by decision, sweeping all five rounds on the judges’ cards.

The post Junior Dos Santos Batters Ben Rothwell For Huge Rebound Victory appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Junior Dos Santos Ready To Take Out ‘Strange’ Ben Rothwell

A pivotal heavyweight bout is set to headline tomorrow’s (April 10, 2016) UFC Fight Night 86 from Croatia, as former divisional ruler Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos meets surging contender Ben Rothwell. Dos Santos, a man who has loomed near the top of the rankings for years now, will be looking to bounce back from a

The post Junior Dos Santos Ready To Take Out ‘Strange’ Ben Rothwell appeared first on LowKick MMA.

A pivotal heavyweight bout is set to headline tomorrow’s (April 10, 2016) UFC Fight Night 86 from Croatia, as former divisional ruler Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos meets surging contender Ben Rothwell.

Dos Santos, a man who has loomed near the top of the rankings for years now, will be looking to bounce back from a brutal knockout loss suffered against Alistair Overeem last December.

Rothwell, on the other hand, has picked up four wins in a row, all of which have come by way of stoppage.

“Cigano” is very aware of the challenge he’s facing, and while he notes that Rothwell is just another competitor, he also made it quite clear that he respects “Big” Ben:

“When they told me I’d fight with Ben Rothwell, I said, ‘let’s go. He’s just one more guy,’” Dos Santos told assembled media this week in Croatia, in advance of he and Rothwell’s Sunday FS1 main event.

“Of course, he’s really tough. I have to respect him and I respect him not only because he’s a great athlete [but also] because he’s a great person, too. I got closer [with] him here in Croatia and I saw that he’s a nice guy and it’s going to be a pleasure to be competing against him.”

As far as the location of the bout, the promotion is looking to establish a new market behind the backing of two of the heavyweight division’s key contenders.

With that being said, neither man will be treated to a home field advantage, although Dos Santos feels as if he will receive more love than ‘strange’ Rothwell:

“You know, Ben Rothwell is a strange guy (laughs) so they will be rooting for me.”

At the end of the day, the 32 year old knockout artist is simply focused on getting back to his winning ways:

“I’m very motivated to go there and push mysef to the limit to get that victory,” he assured.

“I’m ready for that.”

Does “Cigano” have one more title run left in him?

The post Junior Dos Santos Ready To Take Out ‘Strange’ Ben Rothwell appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Former UFC Champ: Stipe Miocic Should Knock Out Fabricio Werdum

No. 5-ranked former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos suffered a brutal TKO loss in his last bout to Alistair Overeem last December. Despite the loss, however, Dos Santos’ title hopes haven’t been completely killed just yet given the wide open landscape of the UFC’s heavyweight division. In fact, the Brazilian slugger owns wins

The post Former UFC Champ: Stipe Miocic Should Knock Out Fabricio Werdum appeared first on LowKick MMA.

No. 5-ranked former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos suffered a brutal TKO loss in his last bout to Alistair Overeem last December.

Despite the loss, however, Dos Santos’ title hopes haven’t been completely killed just yet given the wide open landscape of the UFC’s heavyweight division.

In fact, the Brazilian slugger owns wins over both men competing in the next title fight at May’s UFC 198, champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and contender Stipe Miocic.

Since returning to the UFC in 2012, Werdum has rattled off an impressive six straight wins including four finishes. While noting his recent success along with his world class ground game, Dos Santos actually sees “Vai Cavlo” running into trouble against Miocic, especially if the fight plays out on the feet:

“Werdum has evolved a lot, he impressed in the few times he fought. He has evolved a lot,” dos Santos told MMAFighting.com. “His ground game is the best in the heavyweight division, no question about it. He has what it takes to keep the belt for a good time, but he’s facing a tough opponent next. Miocic has that knockout punch. I was completely dizzy a few moments when we fought. He has that punch, and his stand-up is more complete and better than Werdum’s.

“I don’t see how… Werdum is excellent on the ground, but I don’t see him taking anyone down. If the fight stays standing, I see Miocic as the favorite. If it goes to the ground, it’s going to be fast. But I see Miocic as the favorite standing. Comparing their qualities, I don’t see Werdum taking him down, so it’s going to be a stand-up fight and Miocic has an advantage.”

Miocic has scored back to back finishes over Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski, and has won five of his last six with his only loss in that stretch coming to, you guessed it, Dos Santos.

“Cigano” also has a fight of his own lined up, as he’s set to meet surging contender Ben Rothwell in the main event of UFC Fight Night 86 next month.

As for his future, Dos Santos feels as if the state of the heavyweight divisional is beneficial to the fighters, admitting that his only goal is to regain the throne:

“I think it’s great that I already beat the two guys in the next title fight,” he said. “I think it’s great that the division is stacked. When you have someone holding the belt for so long… It’s positive in a way, yes, but the division is in a good moment.

“I don’t care that much about rankings, and that doesn’t matter that much in the UFC too,” he continued. “What really matters is which fight sells more at the moment. I want to move forward and get to my goals. My main goal is to become world champion again, and I know I’m capable of doing that, but I need to earn a title shot first, and I might need two or three fights. But I’m capable of doing that.”

Do you ever see “Cigano” climbing back up the mountain?

The post Former UFC Champ: Stipe Miocic Should Knock Out Fabricio Werdum appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Junior Dos Santos: A Win Over Rothwell Puts Me Close To A Title Shot

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos has hit some rough times as of late. Battling a plethora of injuries, the Brazilian slugger has only competed three times since October 2013, losing two out of his last three bouts including a disappointing knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at last December’s UFC on FOX 18.

The post Junior Dos Santos: A Win Over Rothwell Puts Me Close To A Title Shot appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos has hit some rough times as of late.

Battling a plethora of injuries, the Brazilian slugger has only competed three times since October 2013, losing two out of his last three bouts including a disappointing knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at last December’s UFC on FOX 18.

After the upsetting loss, Dos Santos was quickly booked to meet surging contender “Big” Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Night 86 in Croatia. Having not been too active as of late, the quick turnaround was ideal for the former champion, who would like to fight three times in 2016.

Not only did he express the interest in fighting more often, but “Cigano” also feels as if a win over Rothwell would put him back close to a title shot:

“After my last fight, I told Joe Silva I wanted to fight again soon and I was glad they were able to get me a fight quickly. I think it’s important to fight more frequently so I can stay active. Rothwell is a very hard opponent, who is on a good win streak and has been imposing himself. He showed he can be very effective, especially in his last fight, when he submitted Josh Barnett, which was kind of unexpected. I think a win over him will put me back on the top of the weight class, maybe even close to a title shot. But honestly, I’m not thinking about the belt now. All I want to do is fight as frequently as possible. If everything goes according to my plan, I want to have this fight in April, then another one in August or September and then again in December. Three fights in one year is a good number.” Dos Santos told Portal do Vale Tudo.”

While Dos Santos clearly hasn’t looked his best, he does indeed have a huge opportunity in front of him.

Rothwell has won four straight all by way of finish and is currently ranked at No. 5 in the division. Arguably already deserving of a title shot, “Big” Ben represents a pivotal test for the Brazilian.

If “Cigano” indeed gets back to his winning ways, where does that put him in the cloudy heavyweight class?

The post Junior Dos Santos: A Win Over Rothwell Puts Me Close To A Title Shot appeared first on LowKick MMA.