There are a lot of fighters in MMA that people believe are elite strikers. Sometimes, the hype, however, is greater than the actual skills. Then there's Junior dos Santos. Dos Santos throws uppercuts, a nearly forgotten hand strike in MMA circles, like a professional boxer. His hands are amazingly fast, and he hits like a truck.In other words, his striking skills really are that good. Here is his story.
Date of Birth:
Junior dos Santos Almeida was born on September 12, 1984 in Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Nickname: Cigano (translates to gypsy)
Training Camp, Fighting Organization, and Weight Class:
Dos Santos fights out of Black House with the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva. He currently competes in the UFC's heavyweight division.
Martial Arts Background:
Dos Santos has a strong boxing and kickboxing background. Along with this, he holds an undefeated kickboxing record and was a Brazilian heavyweight champion. What few people know, however, is that he also holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the Nogueira brothers.
Early MMA Career:
Dos Santos made his professional MMA debut on July 16, 2006, defeating Jailson Silva Santos at Demo Fight 1 in Brazil by TKO. In fact, he started his pre-UFC career posting a 7-1 record, only losing to Joaquim Ferreira by armbar in a rematch of a fight that he had won earlier.
UFC and TUF 13: Since making his UFC debut with an upset victory over Fabricio Werdum, dos Santos has defeated the likes of Roy Nelson, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, and Stefan Struve, to name a few. He also participated on TUF 13 as a coach opposite Brock Lesnar.
Fighting Style:
Dos Santos has some significant Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, which is exactly what you would expect from someone who trains with the Nogueira brothers. Further, he's shown the ability to take quality ground fighters down, and possesses very strong takedown defense. But in the end, dos Santos is known for one thing- his striking skills.Dos Santos has some of the fastest hands in the heavyweight division. That would be easier to deal with if he didn't hit so hard. What's more, this explosive athlete also possesses some of the best uppercuts in the sport of MMA.
Record 13 - 1 - 0 (Win - Loss - Draw)
Wins 8 (T)KOs ( 61.54 %) 3 Submissions ( 23.08 %) 2 Decisions ( 15.38 %)
Losses 1 Submissions ( 100 %)
Height 6'4" (194cm)
Weight 239lbs (109kg)
TRAINING: In the mornings I train boxing and wrestling; in the afternoons I train Jiu Jitsu and strength and conditioning, all with focus on my fight, and alternating days between disciplines.
When and why did you start training for fighting?
I started with Jiu-Jitsu in 2005, afterwards I met Dorea, who introduced me to Boxing
What ranks and titles have you held?
Bahia State Jiu-Jitsu Champion; Bahia State Submission Champion
Do you have any heroes?
Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?
It's the biggest organization, and it's a dream that quickly became true.
Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn?
No
Specific accomplishments in pro competition? TKO at MTL
If any, list ranks in any martial arts styles:
Brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu
Favorite grappling technique:
On my back
Favorite Striking technique:
Clean strikes
