Junior dos Santos: Overeem is a punk and I want to knock him out now
Junior dos Santos is the UFC Heavyweight Champion. It has been presumed that dos Santos would face Cain Velasquez in a title defense, but the champ has another fighter in his sights. Allistair Overeem was originally scheduled to fight the champion as the headline fight for UFC 146 before Overeem tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone that led to his eventual removal from the card, and a suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Overeem is out until December 27, 2012 and dos Santos is gunning for him.
According to an article from ESPN.com, quoting UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, dos Santos has been penciled in to make his next title defense in Las Vegas on December 29, and the bout mau be against Alistair Overeem. UFC President Dana White revealed after the UFC on Fox 4 event on Saturday night that dos Santos has asked to fight Overeem next over Velasquez: “I sat down with Junior dos Santos yesterday, who is the nicest guy in the world, right? Seriously, you’ve all talked to Junior, he’s the nicest guy in the world. He said, ‘I have nothing but respect for Cain Velasquez, as a person and as a fighter, and I think he deserves the shot at the title, but I do not want to fight him,’ which is not what he said a month ago. He said, ‘Alistair Overeem is a punk, he’s got a big mouth, he’s been saying lots of bad things about me, and I want to knock him out and I want to knock him out now. And I said, ‘Junior, I like that. Alright.'”
The champ did say on his Twitter page this morning that while he wants the fight, he will face whomever he is told to fight in December:
Just to clarify: I will fight whoever UFC puts in front of me.But when people talk to much I feel anxious to shut them up
— juniorcigano (@junior_cigano) August 5, 2012
Getting Overeem into the December event would be dependent upon the Nevada State Athletic Commission granting him a license prior to the date when he can officially apply for one. According to Feritta: “The best case scenario is he’s licensed in enough time to put him on the December card. We can’t commit to that because we don’t know how the commission will rule. I believe it is possible.”
NSAC executive director Keith Kizer says that it is not likely: “I don’t think there is any truth to that and I would be against that. That is not how our rules read.”
White offered nothing beyond stating that dos Santos wants the fight: “He’s my heavyweight champion. He’s one of those guys who, like Frankie Edgar, is a guy who’s done everything we’ve ever asked of him, and he’s never asked anything of us, so when a guy like him comes to me and wants something, yeah, I have to consider it.””
As for White’s take on the match with Overeem: “I wasn’t even thinking about it until (dos Santos) said it the other day. (Overeem is) in trouble and he’s going to have to do the time.”
