Stipe Miocic Still Aiming For Junior Dos Santos Fight, This Time In The United States
No. 5-ranked UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic saw what would have been by far the biggest fight of his career dissipate when former champion Junior dos Santos was forced out of their scheduled The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Brazil 3 headliner in May.
Instead, the Cleveland, Ohio, native backed into a squash match with light heavyweight slugger Fabio Maldonado, finishing the mismatched fight in 35 seconds and leaving fans wondering why it was even booked in the first place.
Possessing three straight wins in a talent–shallow division, it’s clear that Miocic needs a top-level fight, and he needs it soon. With the 265-pound division basically on hold as its two top names remain on the shelf, that may be tough to come by.
Miocic and his team won’t give up, however. On last night’s edition of UFC Tonight, Ariel Helwani revealed that Miocic is still looking to fight “Cigano,” but this time they’re hoping he can make the trip to the States:
“He told me that they really want that Junior dos Santos fight. Of course, that fight was supposed to take place in May, and JDS pulled out due to an injured hand. Well, they would like the fight to happen in the fall, and he told me they would love for JDS to return the favor and fight him in the United States.
Remember, Miocic didn’t want to go to Brazil; he did, he ended up fighting Fabio Maldonado after JDS got injured. They would like the fight to happen in the United States, but at the end of the day, they’ll take the fight anywhere the UFC gives it to them.”
We’ll have to wait and see what transpires, but this fight is kind of a no-brainer. UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will return from shoulder surgery to face No. 1-ranked Fabricio Werdum in the main event of UFC 180, the promotion’s first-ever card on Mexican soil.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Miocic and dos Santos will battle it out for a shot at the winner of that bout, but this is the UFC, and nothing is set in stone. Regardless, it would be a match-up of arguably the two best boxers in the UFC’s heaviest division, and those are the kind of fights fans always tune into see.
The bout largely resting on the status of dos Santos’ injured hand, but hopefully this is a fight we will be witnessing sooner than later.
Photo Credi: Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports
