Junior Dos Santos' thought just prior to UFC 211 title defeat? 'It's working; I'm going to win'

DALLAS – For former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, his failed UFC 211 title bid was a lot more about what current champ Stipe Miocic did right than about what he did wrong.

Dos Santos (18-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) had previously employed a successful strategy against Miocic (17-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and came out of their grueling five-round UFC FOX 13 encounter in 2014 with a unanimous-decision win. Things, of course, were much different on Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas. But while the first-round TKO loss wasn’t the outcome Dos Santos anticipated, the challenger was pretty sure he had Miocic’s number before things went sour in the pay-per-view headliner.

He was so confident in his powerful kicks, in fact, that he could taste victory after the third one tagged the champ.

“I’m very disappointed, not because he won the fight, but because I lost,” Dos Santos said. “I didn’t do any mistakes. Actually, everything was working very well. I know he walks forward all the time. And I like to walk backward and enjoy the opportunities that my opponents give me. I was throwing some hard kicks, and they were working very well until – I remember, the last kick I threw at him, he felt a lot. And I felt I did well. ‘Now I have to move.’ And then I don’t remember anymore.

“After the third kick, I felt happy in my heart. I said, ‘Man, it’s working; I’m going to win.’ And then, you know – heavyweights.”

With a hazy memory of what happened, Dos Santos has to go back to the replays to see what exactly went wrong. And while his disappointment speaking to the media after the setback was palpable, the Brazilian heavyweight maintained the respectful approach he’s kept toward the champion throughout the entire process.

“I didn’t do any mistakes; it was on him,” Dos Santos said. “He did very well, actually. Heavyweights, man. I’m sad, of course. I’d like to win this. I’d like to become the champion again. But if I’m not the champion, I’m glad this guy is the champion. He’s a really nice guy. I still think the same. He deserves that. And tonight was his night.

“That’s the heavyweight division. I think I’ve already made many men feel like that. It’s terrible. I was prepared. I am prepared. And I had a lot to give there. And everything was working very well, the way we expected. We know he’s a tough guy who would walk forward all the time.”

While Miocic’s badly hurt shin confirmed that Dos Santos’ kicks were in fact powerful, what stays on the Brazilian heavyweight’s record is a first-round loss. It was his second failed attempt at recapturing heavyweight gold. The first was the tie-breaker with former champ Cain Velasquez, who finished Dos Santos in the fifth round of a UFC 166 encounter back in 2013.

Dos Santos isn’t done with his pursuit of the throne. After all, at 33, he said he’s still got “a long time to go” in the sport that he loves. But whether it’s him or somebody else to do it, he said dethroning Miocic will not be an easy task.

“It’s going to take a lot,” Dos Santos said. “This guy is the real deal, like I said during the week. He’s doing very well. He has really heavy hands. The way I see it, he’s going to continue to grow in this division … and become one of the greatest.”

Asked about a timetable for his return in light of the arrival of his first-born, Bento, a teary-eyed ex-champ paused before answering that he wants to come back as soon as possible. And while he’s not about to start handpicking his competition, Dos Santos remains excited about the road ahead.

“Now, I’m looking forward to my next fight already, because I want to delete this thing,” Dos Santos said. “I have to sit down and try to understand what kind of lesson God wants me to understand. But I’m here. I’m still looking forward to my future fights, because that’s what I love to do.

“Today it didn’t work well for me, but I felt good. I felt almost there. After the third kick, I felt winning – until lights out.”

For more on UFC 211, check out the UFC Events section of the site.