Junior dos Santos: 5 Defining Moments

His resume measures up to any of his contemporaries, ensuring Junior dos Santos will be remembered as one of the top 10 heavyweights of all-time.

Dos Santos will attempt to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown when he meets Stipe Miocic in a five-round rematch atop UFC 211 on Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. There, he can join archrival Cain Velasquez, Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia as the only men to capture the undisputed title on multiple occasions. Dos Santos arrived on the global scene in 2008 and has gone on to compile a stellar 12-3 record in the UFC, with wins over Miocic, Shane Carwin, Gabriel Gonzaga, Stefan Struve, onetime UFC champion Frank Mir, former International Fight League titleholder Roy Nelson and 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko Filipovic. A ferocious boxer who has secured 12 of his 18 professional victories by knockout or technical knockout, “Cigano” has trained out of the powerhouse American Top Team and Nova Uniao camps.

In a remarkable career replete with defining moments, here are five that stand out (online betting):

1. Unknown No More

Dos Santos was a virtual unknown when he made his promotional debut opposite Fabricio Werdum in a UFC 90 heavyweight showcase on Oct. 25, 2008 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. He needed a little more than a minute to introduce himself to the 15,359 fans in attendance. Dos Santos circled on the outside, probed with punches to the body and head, threw in a leg kick and freed himself from an attempted clinch, all with the calculated precision that has become a hallmark. He then countered a looping overhand from Werdum with a devastating right uppercut to the face, the impact wobbling the ears of the two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist. A bloodied “Vai Cavalo” hit the deck on all fours in a semi-conscious state, as Dos Santos prompted the stoppage with a volley of kneeling power punches 1:21 into the first round.

2. Baddest Man on the Planet

All dos Santos needed was one punch, and he landed it. The Brazilian cracked Velasquez with a brutal overhand right behind the ear, followed him to the canvas, finished him with a slew of strikes on the ground and captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in devastating fashion in the UFC on Fox 1 main event on Nov. 12, 2011 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It was over in 64 seconds. Velasquez, who underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff earlier in the year, seemed content to keep the fight standing against the superior boxer, as he tagged dos Santos’ lead leg with kicks and exchanged when the distance between the two closed. A clubbing overhand right countered a left jab from Velasquez, put the champion on all fours and forced him to retreat to his back. He found no refuge there. Dos Santos closed with patience, unleashing first with lefts and ending it with hard rights to the unguarded head of his fallen counterpart. Suddenly, he was the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”

3. Bludgeoned

Hunger can drive a man to terrible heights. Case in point: Velasquez. The American Kickboxing Academy ace blitzed, battered and bludgeoned a bewildered dos Santos for five rounds in the UFC 155 headliner on Dec. 29, 2012, as he recaptured the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown with a one-sided unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. So thorough was the beating that Velasquez elicited three 10-8 rounds from the judges: 50-45, 50-43 and 50-44. The victory came a little less than 14 months after Velasquez surrendered the championship to dos Santos in a 64-second knockout loss at UFC on Fox 1. He cited a knee injury as a potential source for his poor performance, even as doubters scoffed. Perhaps he had a point. Heavy on aggression and light on caution, Velasquez answered the bell with conviction and beat the champion at his own game. A crushing overhand right drove dos Santos to the mat in the first round and left him damaged for the remainder of the 25-minute battle. He weathered a subsequent onslaught from Velasquez but only delayed the inevitable: his first defeat since November 2007. Rounds 2 through 5 -- which featured soul-sapping clinches, dirty boxing and a steady diet of takedowns from the challenger -- just prolonged the Brazilian’s plight. According to FightMetric data, Velasquez was successful on 11 of his 33 takedown attempts, all while outlanding dos Santos 210-66 in total strikes and 111-57 in significant strikes. Moreover, he became the first man in UFC history to deliver at least 100 significant strikes and secure at least 10 takedowns in the same fight. Velasquez later defeated dos Santos in their rubber match, stopping him in the fifth round.

4. Spin Cycle

Dos Santos remains best known for his educated hands, but in the UFC 160 co-main event on May 25, 2013, he knocked out 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner Mark Hunt with a sensational spinning hook kick and a follow-up standing-to-ground punch 4:18 into the third round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Dos Santos leveled the notoriously durable Kiwi with a ringing overhand right in the first round, paired a series of jabs with a takedown in the second and staggered Hunt with a left hook in the third. He survived more than one encounter with Hunt’s ruthless left hook, the same punch that left Dutchman Stefan Struve with a broken jaw two months earlier. The kick came out of nowhere and sent Hunt careening to the canvas. Dos Santos then drove his right hand straight down into his defenseless counterpart’s face, briefly separating him from consciousness.

5. A Return to Form

“Cigano” came through with the performance he desperately needed, as the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder beat up Ben Rothwell for five rounds and recorded a unanimous decision in the UFC Fight Night 86 headliner on April 10, 2016 at Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia. Dos Santos swept the scorecards with 50-45 marks from all three judges. Rothwell boxed with a superior boxer, and it did not go well for the Kenosha, Wisconsin, native. Dos Santos targeted the head and body with equal aplomb, slowly chipping away at his monstrous opponent. Rothwell spent the majority of his time chasing the Brazilian around the cage, unable to contend with dos Santos’ superior quickness, technique and footwork. “Cigano” landed a crushing overhand right in the second round and followed up with a front kick to the body that sent Rothwell careening into the cage. It was a sign of things to come. Dos Santos stayed true to his game plan in the third, fourth and fifth rounds, as he mangled Rothwell’s face with a punishing jab while continuing to zero in on the body. Despite repeated pleas from his corner, Rothwell never attempted to get the fight to the ground and looked on as his four-fight winning streak came to an end.