Dos Santos: “Nogueira must fight for the title first”
Junior Dos Santos is the new sensation of the UFC heavyweight divison. The fearsome striker scores 10-1 in MMA and 4-0 in the Ultimate with massive wins over Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko Filipovic and Gilbert Yvel most recently.
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President Dana White doesn’t hide his contentment saying “I love this guy” after his latest performance that has put him in contention for the title, but Cigano refuses to dispute the belt due the respect for his master, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who also is on the way to the top spot.
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“He’s my master and taught me everything I know and I respect it. I believe that I can tangle for the championship and I am among the best fighters of my division. I made it with a lot of work and dedication. My goal is to be the best in best tournament of the world but I don’t rush for it. I think there are a lot of people in front of me” Dos Santos told UOL Sports.
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Speaking exactly over who should fight first, he has no doubt and says “Minotauro must fight for the belt before me”. When asked about having to face off Nogueira to become the champion, his reply is clear and respectful.
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“It’s very complicated for me. Minotauro isn’t just a work mate or someone who I train with. He’s my master and is like my brother. That would be impossible… I don’t mind not to be the champion if the belt is held for him. While he’s the champion, I will follow looking for good presentations until the day he loses – what I hope doesn’t happen – or until he retires”.
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Dos Santos is going to square off country mate Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga at UFC on Versus, on March 21th, a contend that was expected to take place at UFC 108 but Gonzaga was forced to withdraw due staph infection. The former number 1 contender comes off a TKO victory over Chris Tuchscherer at UFC 102 “Couture vs Nogueira” on Aug 29th 2009.
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