TUF BRAZIL 3 FINALE: DOS SANTOS VS. MIOCIC Date: May 31, 2014 Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil Venue: Ginasio do Ibirapuera Broadcast: FOX Sports 1 UFC Heavyweight Junior dos Santos (-380) Junior dos Santos (16-2) is physically one of the most gifted fighters in the UFC. The former heavyweight champion (and owner of the longest win streaks in UFC history at nine), JDS has it all – a black belt in BJJ, fantastic stand up skills, and a heart that is almost too big. JDS has had a tumultuous last two years since defending his title against Frank Mir at UFC 160. He lost his belt to Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 in an unprecedented beating, came back and defeated Mark Hunt in impressive fashion at UFC 160, then fell to Velasquez again at UFC 166 in another brutal beating. JDS could very likely beat every heavyweight in the UFC besides Cain Velasquez at this point, but no one is ruling out a possible fourth meeting between the two. JDS certainly has all of the tools to get back to the top once again, especially now that he’s switched training camps and is with Nova Uniao’ with Jose Aldo and Renan Barao. And with a win over Miocic at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, he can prove his dominance once again. UFC Heavyweight Stipe Miocic (+260) A Golden Gloves winner and Division I wrestler, Stipe Miocic (11-1) may be the darkest horse in the UFC heavyweight division. He’s been around the Octagon for nearly 3 years, amassing a 5-1 record that includes the late Shane del Rosario, Gabriel Gonzaga and Roy Nelson amongst his victims, the latter two fights being especially dominant in fashion. Miocic is simply a sound fighter that not enough people know about. He has fantastic wrestling, technical boxing, and knockout power that stuns most fighters. He uses his range well and doesn’t put himself into too much trouble. While JDS will be by far his toughest challenge to date, Miocic is knocking on the door of elite status and if he can get by JDS he will enter the top five of the division. Opening TUF Brazil 3 Finale Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made JDS a -380 favorite (bet $380 to win $100) while Miocic opened as a +260 underdog (bet $100 to win $260) at Several Bookmakers. This fight has been set for five rounds but it’s very unlikely this matchup between two heavy hitters goes the full 25. JDS is coming off that brutal TKO loss at UFC 166 and there’s no telling how much that beating has taken out of his body and his brain. As for Miocic, he’s coming off of two-straight wins over “Big Country” and “Napao” and he’s been given a huge opportunity by the UFC here to jump into the top five. But while Miocic is a technically-sound fighter with excellent well-rounded ability, JDS is likely just as good in all areas of the game and the biggest difference here is likely dos Santos’ one-punch knockout power, something which he has proven time and time again. And that KO power combined with the fact Miocic was knocked out by Stefan Struve in his only career loss makes JDS the rightful favorite in this matchup. Profiles by Jason Nawara.
