Everything was going right for Junior dos Santos, but things didn’t end the way he thought they would.
Last night (May 13), dos Santos challenged Stipe Miocic for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title. “Cigano” had success in the early going with his kicks. It didn’t last long as dos Santos was floored with a right hand and was finished on the ground.
During the UFC 211 post-fight press conference, dos Santos talked about how he felt after coming up short (via MMAFighting.com):
“Well, I’m very disappointed. Not because he won the fight, but because I lost. I didn’t do any mistake in the fight. Actually, everything was working very well. I know he walks forward all the time, and I like to walk backwards and enjoy the opportunities that my opponents give to me.”
For dos Santos, last night’s result goes with the territory of competing as a heavyweight.
“That’s the heavyweight division, you know? I think I’ve made many, many guys feel like that. It’s terrible, man. It’s terrible. Because I was prepared — I am prepared. And I had a lot to give there and everything, like I said, everything was working very well. The way we expected. We knew he was a tough guy and he would walk forward all the time. And like I said, the kicks, something else I brought to the fight that worked, and then I’d have to watch the fight to see what happened.”
