Junior Dos Santos promises a surprise against Gabriel Gonzaga

Junior Dos Santos is set to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Live: Vera vs Jones on March 21. Dos Santos’s record stands 10-1, with all ten wins coming via stoppage. Currently he is undefeated in the UFC and will try to go 5-0 against Gonzaga. In his UFC debut at UFC 90, he fought and defeated Werdum via KO in round one. When asked what he thought about his past opponent he had this to say:

“When Werdum stated that he’d fight me and Brock Lesnar in same night, he was underestimating me. He didn’t greet me when we were in same hotel and when I tried to shake his hand at weigh-ins he avoided me. Afterwards I thought that I should never tried to shake his hand (laughs).

Inside the Octagon, seconds before the fight, he tried to pressure me because I was debuting, and in that moment I realized that when I’m challenged this way I fight better. When Bruce Buffer said my name and I did my pre-fight ritual of pointing to the ground, Werdum came in my direction, punching his hand, and said, ‘You gonna take a beatdown.’ Nobody saw it. He did that and I said, ‘So come on,’ and walked back to my corner furious, but with a smile on my face. And I felt that when the approach is this way I fight better.”

Now he will be facing a former number one contender, in possible the biggest fight of his career. 11-4 Gabriel Gonzaga is a world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, which is a good addition to his incredible knockout power. However, Dos Santos feels comfortable if the fight goes to the ground or stays on the feet:

“I think my ground is good if you want to know. I train with great guys in the USA too and I’m always learning. This fight is going to be a test for me; I have a chance to surprise people because I believe Napao will try to take me down. There are positions that I developed in secret and if I’ve the chance I won’t waste them.”

Dos Santos will try to stay perfect in the UFC and make a case for the title, while the former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga will try to climb the ladder back to the top of the Heavyweight division.