Junior dos Santos
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Name | Junior dos Santos |
| Nickname | Cigano | |
| Association | Team Nogueira / Black House | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight (240 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 4" (193 cm) | |
| Style | Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Birth Date | September 12, 1984 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Salvador, Bahia | |
| Country | Brazil | |
| Junior dos Santos Pictures | Official Website |
Junior dos Santos, born Junior dos Santos Almeida, is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter who fight in the heavyweight division and currently competes for the UFC.
Junior dos Santos was for the most part an unknown MMA fighter until his UFC debut at UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote, when he defeated a Top 5 Heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum with a first round KO from a devastating uppercut. Junior dos Santos fights under the tutelage of the former interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 15 - 2 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 10 (T)KOs 3 Submissions 2 Decisions |
| Losses | 0 (T)KOs 1 Submissions 1 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Cain Velasquez | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2 | 12/29/2012 | 5 | 5:00 | Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Frank Mir | TKO (Punches) | UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir | 5/26/2012 | 2 | 3:07 | Defended UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Cain Velasquez | KO (Punches) | UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos | 11/12/2011 | 1 | 1:04 | Won UFC Heavyweight Championship and Knockout of the Night |
| Win | Shane Carwin | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 131: Dos Santos vs. Carwin | 6/11/2011 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC Heavyweight Championship Eliminator |
| Win | Roy Nelson | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen | 8/07/2010 | 3 | 5:00 | #1 Contender bout for UFC Heavyweight title |
| Win | Gabriel Gonzaga | TKO (Punches) | UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones | 3/21/2010 | 1 | 3:53 | Won one of three Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Win | Gilbert Yvel | TKO (Punches) | UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva | 1/02/2010 | 1 | 2:07 | |
| Win | Mirko Filipovic | Submission (Punch) | UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort | 9/19/2009 | 3 | 2:00 | |
| Win | Stefan Struve | TKO (Punches) | UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson | 2/21/2009 | 1 | 0:54 | |
| Win | Fabricio Werdum | TKO (Punches) | UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote | 10/25/2008 | 1 | 1:21 | UFC debut; Won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Win | Geronimo dos Santos | TKO (Cut) | DF 3: Demo Fight 3 | 5/24/2008 | 1 | N/A | |
| Loss | Joaquim Ferreira | Submission (Armbar) | MTL: Final | 11/10/2007 | 1 | 1:13 | |
| Win | Jair Goncalves | TKO | MTL: Mo Team League 2 | 9/29/2007 | 1 | 2:52 | |
| Win | Joaquim Ferreira | Submission (Exhaustion) | XFC: Brazil | 4/29/2007 | N/A | N/A | |
| Win | Edson Silva | TKO (Cut) | XFC: Brazil | 4/29/2007 | 1 | 8:46 | |
| Win | Eduardo Maiorino | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | MF 5: Minotauro Fights 5 | 12/09/2006 | 1 | 0:50 | |
| Win | Jailson Silva Santos | TKO | DF 1: Demo Fight 1 | 7/16/2006 | 1 | N/A | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Junior dos Santos competed entirely in Brazil for Brazilian organizations, racking up an impressive record of 6-1.
UFC Career
Dos Santos' UFC debut took place at UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote on the main card against top-ranked Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum. Werdum had been promised a shot at the UFC Heavyweight title, until it was put in the back-burners because of Randy Couture's return to the promotion. Many saw Junior dos Santos as an easy win for Werdum, to hold him over until he could get his title shot. Little was known about dos Santos at the time, except that he was trained by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Werdum's road to a shot at the Heavyweight title was derailed at 1:21 in the first round when dos Santos landed an uppercut, knocking Werdum unconscious. The win was considered a major upset, as many had never even heard of dos Santos. The KO earned dos Santos the Knockout of the Honors.
His next fight was against UFC newcomer Stefan Struve at UFC 95: Sanchez vs. Stevenson. Dos Santos secured himself another impressive victory by defeating Struve early in the first round via TKO (Punches).
Dos Santos' next opponent was the Croatian sensation Mirko Filipovic at UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort on September 19, 2009. After delivering knees in the clench, Junior punched Filipovic in the left eye, which resulted in a verbal submission in the third round, earning his third straight impressive win in the UFC.
Dos Santos was expected to return to face Gabriel Gonzaga on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva, who was coming off a victory over current Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar's training partner Chris Tuchscherer, but a staph infection forced Gonzaga out of the bout. He was replaced by UFC newcomer and former PRIDE Heavyweight and very controversial fighter Gilbert Yvel. The two were content to keep the fight standing, but it was dos Santos who continued to keep beating Yvel to the punch, landing more shots. A left hook knocked Yvel to the canvas, where dos Santos followed his opponent to the mat, unleashing a barrage of punches, forcing the fight to be stopped via TKO (Punches) at 2:07 of the first round. The win was his fourth straight stoppage since joining the UFC, putting him right up in the title picture.
On January 13, 2010 it was announced that Dos Santos would return to action at UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs. Jones to face the man he was first expected to face in his last bout, Gabriel Gonzaga. Dos Santos patiently stood and traded with his opponent until connecting with a vicious left hook that sent Gonzaga crashing to the mat late in the first round. Although clearly dazed, Gonzaga initially covered up to deflect the subsequent blows, Dos Santos, though, eventually blasted right through the defenses. A quick succession of four to five blows briefly knocked Gonzaga out cold and prompted the referee's intervention at the 3:53 mark of the first round. The impressive performance earned dos Santos one of the three Knockout of the Night Honors awarded after the event.
Dos Santos returned at UFC 117: Silva vs. Sonnen, where he faced off against Roy Nelson in a bout that would determine the next contender for the UFC Heavyweight title. Dos Santos dominated the fight from the opening bell, and he was especially effective with uppercuts, knees to the body and front kicks to the face. Nelson absorbed blow after blow, and he was knocked down on more than one occasion. But he simply proved unstoppable and continually looked for the homerun shot. In fact, apparently so frustrated by his inability to finish the fight, Dos Santos even tried a few third-round takedown attempts despite his clear dominance in the standup department. Dos Santos won the bout by Decision (Unanimous), earning himself a shot at the title.
Ranks and Titles
- Bahia State Jiu-Jitsu Champion
- Bahia State Submission Champion
- Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
