J. Cigano intends to fight again in November this year. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Junior_cigano
After losing the heavyweight belt to Cain Velazquez In October 2013, Junior dos Santos finds himself once again close to the top of the category. The Brazilian is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Blagoy Ivanov in the main fight of UFC Boise in July this year. 'Cigano' believes he is one victory away from securing a new chance at the division title, even though he doesn't want to think about it.
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“I'm not worried about trying to guarantee a title fight because that's automatic, it will happen. I always did my best inside the octagon, I fought the best there is, and win or lose I did my best in my fights. If I'm not the champion today, it's because of the mistakes I made. My opponents also have merit, of course, but the experience I had was great. The price I had to pay for this experience was sometimes high, I was out for a while, but I'm rebuilding”, said Júnior in an interview with the MMAFighting website”.
Without fighting for more than a year due to a doping case where he was acquitted by USADA, Cigano's return was a five-round fight with Ivanov. As a result, the Brazilian wants to return to the octagon in November this year. “The division is in a good place right now, there are several good options,” said Santos.
An opponent that Cigano would like to face is the former champion, Stipe Miocic. The two have already had two clashes: the first in December 2014, where the Brazilian left with his arm raised; in May 2017 in which the North American knocked out Júnior in the first round.
“I would love a rematch with Stipe Miocic , but I don't think they will do that. I don't know why this fight wouldn't make sense because the second one ended so quickly. He was happy to land a punch, but that doesn't prove superiority. We are heavyweights. In the same way he lost to (Daniel) Cormier, he defeated me”, explained Cigano.
If the fight with Miocic doesn't happen, the Brazilian has other ideas for possible opponents. “Not that I'm choosing, I've said thousands of times that I don't choose opponents,” said Santos. “For example, we have (Tai) Tuivasa, who beat (Andrei) Arlovski. There are several options in heavyweight. Even (Cain) Velasquez. I don't know what his status is. People go on and on about him, but he's been out for years and no one understands. The UFC has several options to book my next fight”, concluded the Brazilian.
At 34 years old, Cigano is seventh placed in the Ultimate heavyweight rankings. The Brazilian has a record of 23 fights, with 18 wins and five losses. His last fight was the triumph over Blagoy Ivanov at UFC Boise in July of this year.
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