Cigano's title shot in sight. Photo: Josh Hedges
Recently chubby knockout artist Roy Nelson stated he would love to face Junior “Cigano” dos Santos in the UFC. Riding a series of five wins in the organization, all before the final bell, the Brazilian admits the matchup is not in his plans. According to Cigano, his shot at the UFC heavyweight belt is nigh.
“He’s a tough guy, who works hard. But as the UFC told me, I’m close to getting a shot at the title. So to me this fight doesn’t make much sense. But if they pencil it, I’ll fight him for sure. I feel he’s a dangerous guy, who has been doing good work,” the fighter tells GRACIEMAG.com.
On a chance at the title in the near future he says:
“They told me Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin are going to fight now and that Cain Velasquez awaits the winner between those two. I’ll have one more fight and, if I win, I’ll get a shot at the belt. Something like that,” he explains.
While he awaits word on his next opponent, the Brazilian’s attention is on the fight between Anderson Silva and Demian Maia this weekend.
“I think Anderson has an 80% chance of winning and Demian 20%. But a fight’s a fight, and you never know how it will go. If Demian is successful in getting the takedown or keeping Anderson on the ground, he can surely get the submission. I’ve trained with him too, and Demian’s Jiu-Jitsu is really, really good. Nevertheless, it’s really hard to take Anderson down, and we know he’s the pound-for-pound best in the world. Demian will be a handful, but I think Anderson wins it,” he wagers.