Post by demolitionman on Jan 13, 2012 15:30:38 GMT -5
UFC champ Dos Santos 20 days from full health, wants June fight with Overeem
by Steven Marrocco on Jan 13, 2012 at 2:00 pm ET
Junior Dos Santos doesn't need that much time to be ready for "The Reem."
The UFC heavyweight champion today called into MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), where he assured fans that a recent knee injury won't keep him out of action for long.
"In another 20 days, I'll be feeling 100 percent again," Dos Santos said. "Then I need two-and-a-half (months) to do my camp, and then I'm ready to do."
Dos Santos suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee less than two weeks before his title-winning knockout of Cain Velasquez this past November at UFC on FOX 1. He initially thought the injury wouldn't require surgery, but this past month he underwent a procedure to correct the damage.
Now, the champ is rearing to go. UFC president Dana White recently said an expected fight between Dos Santos (14-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take place this summer. Dos Santos said he'd ideally like to fight at an event planned for June in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is a two-hour flight from his home in the Brazilian town of Salvador.
"It's a good chance to fight for Brazilian fans," he said. "MMA is very popular here in Brazil now. I would love to fight here. But the important thing is I want to make all my fans around the world watch good fights when I get in that octagon. So I will try to do my best. It doesn't matter whether it's [in Brazil] or the United States."
Overeem earned a title shot this past month with a first-round TKO of former champ Brock Lesnar. While Dos Santos' boxing skills so far have proven him unbeatable inside the octagon, he admitted it would be prudent to take the fight to the mat.
"I think for sure the fight between me and Alistair is going to be a standup fight," he said. "But if I feel I have to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu to beat him, I will do that. I've never showed my jiu-jitsu in the UFC, and this one's a good opportunity.
"But I don't care if he's the champ of K-1. I'm the UFC heavyweight champion, and I believe I can beat anyone in the world."
CREDIT: MMA Junkie.
What do you guys think?
I think Taking Overeem down might be a bit of a task. I think Dos Santos might have played his hand a little to early as well.
I Can not wait for this fight though.
by Steven Marrocco on Jan 13, 2012 at 2:00 pm ET
Junior Dos Santos doesn't need that much time to be ready for "The Reem."
The UFC heavyweight champion today called into MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), where he assured fans that a recent knee injury won't keep him out of action for long.
"In another 20 days, I'll be feeling 100 percent again," Dos Santos said. "Then I need two-and-a-half (months) to do my camp, and then I'm ready to do."
Dos Santos suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee less than two weeks before his title-winning knockout of Cain Velasquez this past November at UFC on FOX 1. He initially thought the injury wouldn't require surgery, but this past month he underwent a procedure to correct the damage.
Now, the champ is rearing to go. UFC president Dana White recently said an expected fight between Dos Santos (14-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem (36-11 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take place this summer. Dos Santos said he'd ideally like to fight at an event planned for June in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is a two-hour flight from his home in the Brazilian town of Salvador.
"It's a good chance to fight for Brazilian fans," he said. "MMA is very popular here in Brazil now. I would love to fight here. But the important thing is I want to make all my fans around the world watch good fights when I get in that octagon. So I will try to do my best. It doesn't matter whether it's [in Brazil] or the United States."
Overeem earned a title shot this past month with a first-round TKO of former champ Brock Lesnar. While Dos Santos' boxing skills so far have proven him unbeatable inside the octagon, he admitted it would be prudent to take the fight to the mat.
"I think for sure the fight between me and Alistair is going to be a standup fight," he said. "But if I feel I have to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu to beat him, I will do that. I've never showed my jiu-jitsu in the UFC, and this one's a good opportunity.
"But I don't care if he's the champ of K-1. I'm the UFC heavyweight champion, and I believe I can beat anyone in the world."
CREDIT: MMA Junkie.
What do you guys think?
I think Taking Overeem down might be a bit of a task. I think Dos Santos might have played his hand a little to early as well.
I Can not wait for this fight though.