JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

ATTRIBUTES

OFFENSIVE SKILLS

DEFENSIVE SKILLS

ULTIMATE TECHNIQUES

SANTOS’ RIGHT STRAIGHT

Level 3—Both Standing, Striking Range

Crack dos Santos’s opponents a few times with this devastating straight to back them up in a hurry. The speed of this powerful punch makes it ideal for countering.

RIGHT STRONG UPPERCUT

Level 3—Both Standing, Striking Range

“Cigano” also wields a crushing uppercut that can catch inbound adversaries as they attempt to dive in for takedowns against the champ. This heavy technique strike has excellent range.

STRONG LEFT/RIGHT UPPERCUT

Level 3—Muay Thai Clinch Cage, Offense

Dos Santos can rough up his rival with punishing uppercuts thrown from the Muay Thai Clinch. These heavy technique blows land with even greater force when the opponent is pressed up against the fence.

STRENGTHS

• Boxing

• Training camp

• Knockout power

Junior “Cigano” dos Santos is a man who believes in his strong boxing ability, and with the rare kind of knockout power that he possesses, why shouldn’t he?

The champ just recently made short work of former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the very first round of their bout, landing a huge overhand right that rocked and dropped Velasquez, leading to the finish.

Look to land this same knockout blow with dos Santos in UFC Undisputed 3, along with the same crushing uppercut that he used to put away submission expert Fabricio Werdum back in his debut at UFC 90.

“Cigano” has great takedown defense and good footwork on the feet, so keep your distance and land big punches and combos from the outside.

Be ready to stuff the takedown and work at transitioning back up to your feet if the opponent manages to dump dos Santos onto his back—he doesn’t fight very well from the bottom.

WEAKNESSES

• Kicks

• Takedowns

• Submissions

“Cigano” is a powerhouse of a boxer with lights-out power in both hands. Keep your hands up when facing dos Santos, and try to either clinch or score a takedown as fast as you can.

Gain a positional advantage over the champ to take away from his brutal striking power and inflict some offense of your own.

Dos Santos is durable and has great cardio, so expect a long and grueling fight against him when vying for the title.

Either struggle to keep the champ at a long distance, landing quick kicks from afar on the feet, or bring him to the mat with a well-timed takedown and move to dominant position to nullify his devastating offense.

Don’t go for submissions unless you’re supremely confident that you can secure the finish, because dos Santos is good at working his way out of all but the most dangerous subs.

Simply struggle to maintain top position, out-wrestling the explosive striker on your way to a decisive win.