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?
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