Under the Microscope: Analyzing Heavyweight Greats

Junior dos Santos

* Heavyweight Record: 11-3
* Opponent Winning Percentage: .741
* Longest Winning Streak: 10
* Record in Major Heavyweight Title Fights: 2-2
* Finish Percentage: 73
* Finished Percentage: 67
* Notable Victories: Stipe Miocic, Mark Hunt, Frank Mir, Cain Velasquez, Mirko Filipovic, Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin
* Career Accomplishments: UFC heavyweight champion, with one successful defense; longest winning streak in UFC heavyweight history; second most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history; five-time “Performance of the Night” winner

CASE FOR: “Cigano” is that rare fighter who is equally impressive on paper as he is in the cage. His initial run in the UFC is far and away the greatest run in the promotion’s heavyweight division, a nine-fight romp that included wins over six former or future major-league champions. He finished all but two of them. Without question, there has never been a more effective heavyweight knockout artist to grace to Octagon, a feat made all the more unbelievable when one considers how tough his opponents were. In terms of pure skill and athleticism, dos Santos is one of the most technically gifted fighters the division has seen. The scariest part about “Cigano” is that he is still very much in the title picture in the UFC, and another hot streak will all but cement his legacy as the greatest fighter to rock four-ounce gloves above 205 pounds.

CASE AGAINST: Dos Santos has had a fine career thus far, but there is an unavoidable black eye on his resume, as he was utterly dominated twice by nemesis Velasquez. The blowback from those losses is twofold. First, the manner in which “Cigano” was dominated is unique: You will be hard-pressed to find other G.O.A.T. candidates who have succumbed to one such massive beatdown, let alone two of them. Secondly, those losses overshadow the Brazilian’s lone knockout win against Velasquez, meaning dos Santos is not even the premier fighter of his own era. Ultimately, dos Santos had all the early indicators of greatness, but with such a short championship stint, it is not reasonable to place him above others who have had longer, more dominant reigns. Maybe one day he will be considered the heavyweight G.O.A.T., but coming off of a tough win over Miocic and a devastating loss to Alistair Overeem, today is not that day.

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