If everything went according to plan, Junior dos Santos would be in the midst of a training camp for a fight with Stefan Struve scheduled to go down February 19th. Instead, he’ll be training a title shot against Stipe Miocic in May. Funny how the fight game works sometimes.
The long-rumored Miocic-dos Santos rematch now appears to be official, as reputable sources are reporting that Miocic-dos Santos 2 will headline UFC 211 on May 13th in Dallas. With Struve pulling out of the JDS fight due to injury, the former heavyweight champion found himself with a clear schedule. Which proved to be good timing, as the UFC was looking for an opponent for current champ Miocic.
JDS currently ranks 5th in The MMA Manifesto’s heavyweight rankings. He’s currently on a very impressive one-fight winning streak, with an even more impressive 3-3 record in his last six fights. But in today’s UFC, timing is everything – it doesn’t matter how worthy a fighter is for a title shot, just whether or not they are available when a title challenger is necessary.
However, JDS did best Miocic in part one of their battle, winning via decision in an absolute slobberknocker in December 2014. That proved to be Cleveland’s finest’s last taste of defeat, as he’s reeled off four-straight wins, and in the process snatched UFC gold. He’s also won post-fight bonuses in five of his last six fights. If Miocic-dos Santos 2 is half as good as part one (which won a Fight of the Night bonus), UFC 211 should be a fun card.
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