Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has now lost to Cain Velasquez twice in a row, with the last one coming in the fifth round at UFC 166. JDS recently did an interview with Tatame where he discussed the bout and his opponent, and while he did compliment Velasquez on his game plan, he doesn’t necessarily think that automatically makes Cain better than him. The interview is in Portuguese, and was translated by Android User at the UG:
On what went wrong in the fight:
It was a fight that, for sure, was heavily studied beforehand by both sides, my team as much as his. But I believe that in the end, his team brought a more effective strategy in order to fight just to win. My strategy was to impose my game and, as always, get the knockout. Perhaps it was a more emotional strategy than a rational one.
On what stopped him from getting the knockout:
What was missing for me was the distance to finish my combinations. His goal was accomplished, as every time he felt one of my punches, he clinched and leaned into me, allowing himself enough time to recover.
On his standing in the heavyweight division:
I still consider myself one of the main challengers to the title. He showed that he had an effective strategy to win the fight, looking to play it safe while not taking many chances to show he was the better fighter, blocking my punches in a way that is typical of wrestlers. He applied pressure, grabbing hold of me and avoiding the fight, making the fight boring, making the audience boo a lot. An effective strategy to win, but he didn’t prove he was the better fighter.
The last part will undoubtedly lead to some debate. Did Cain make the fight boring with his clinching? Is that avoiding the fight? Is he the better fighter?
About the author
