In an interview provided by Tatame.com, UFC’s hard-hitting heavyweight Junior “Cigano” dos Santos sat down and spoke candidly regarding Brock Lesnar‘s battle with diverticulitis and his June 11th matchup with Shane Carwin.
Blasting on the UFC scene with a “Knockout of the Night” honor against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 90 in August of 2008, this 26-year-old Brazilian has decimated every heavyweight opponent who has dared to challenge him inside the Octagon.
Undefeated while fighting for the UFC banner, dos Santos has earned six (T)KO victories and one unanimous decision victory.
Originally scheduled to face Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 131, Lesnar was side-lined due to his second bout with diverticulitis.
The always humble dos Santos commented on Lesnar’s health by saying,”Unfortunately he had that disease again, it must be pretty serious, and I wish him all the luck he can have.”
Lesnar who is known for his brazen attitude is a polar opposite of dos Santos.
Friendly and courteous, “Cigano” commented on his friendship with Lesnar while shooting The Ultimate Fighter by saying, “He’s a very professional guy, take things seriously, but he was kind to me. The few times we met, it was nice. We talked about the fighters, the bouts, and all that stuff… And it was pretty nice, so I wish he gets better soon.”
Focused on his matchup with the equally hard-hitting Shane Carwin, dos Santos’s training is preparing him for a hellacious battle with the boxing juggernaut.
“I’m much focused. I’ve been training hard for two months now, there’s almost a month left before the bout, and I’m doing just fine. I’m on a great patch in my life, thanks’ God, I’m feeling fine and I want to fight,” dos Santos commented.
Last inside the Octagon in August of 2010, dos Santos is yearning to fight soon.
“Honestly, I’m happy that they didn’t change the date that I’ll fight in, that they didn’t postpone it. They’ve changed my opponent, but I’m still fighting. I’m a fighter, I need to fight, I live for fighting,” dos Santos commented.
Additionally, Junior dos Santos is unfazed by the two-time change in his opponent.
“I was preparing myself to fight Velasquez, and he got injured. Now Brock Lesnar is sick too, so… I’m not upset, I’m believing in myself a lot, and I’m sure I’ll put on a great show up there.”
Understanding that Shane Carwin provides a different matchup than Brock Lesnar, dos Santos fully believes in his ability to win inside the Octagon.
Commenting on Shane Carwin, dos Santos stated, “He’s very dangerous and, as Lesnar, he’s almost 120kg, they’re the heaviest guys, so they are pretty strong, it may be a problem. But I believe in myself. I train a lot… He’s much dangerous, has super heavy hands, good boxing skills, but I’ll bet on my speed and my boxing. I go for the knockout every time I fight.”
A tremendous talent within the UFC heavyweight division and an equally impressive personality outside of the Octagon, Junior dos Santos will face his toughest competition to date against Shane Carwin on June 11th at UFC 131.
Extremely prepared, driven, focused, and able to match Carwin in the stand-up striking affair, this battle between two of the UFC’s premiere heavyweights should rattle the seats in Vancouver, Canada.
Not only will the victor have his hand raised in admiration, he will also be next in line to challenge current UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, for the most prestigious championship within mixed martial arts.
Enjoy this amazing fight on June 11th.
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Todd Seyler
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It appears that not everyone associated in mixed martial arts was aware of Shane Carwin stepping in to replace