Imagining an MMA Hall of Fame: Borderline Candidates, Part 1
Junior dos Santos
Junior dos Santos will likely go down as the second best
heavyweight of his generation. | Photo: D.
Mandel/Sherdog.com
“Cigano”
CASE FOR: Few fighters have utilized boxing so effectively in MMA. Dos Santos snuck up on the fighting world with a quick knockout of Fabricio Werdum at UFC 90, which came as a shock at the time. With hindsight, it should not have been so stunning. Mirko Filipovic, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Mark Hunt and even the great Cain Velasquez fell to the amiable Brazilian. That remains Velasquez’s only loss and came on the biggest of stages, in front of a huge audience for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title at the first UFC on Fox show. Dos Santos has also become a major star in his country of Brazil. CASE AGAINST: He did ultimately lose out in his three-fight series with Velasquez. That likely will be the defining moment of his career, as it came against a fellow all-time great with dos Santos showing tremendous heart. VERDICT: Should he go in? Yes.
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