Junior Dos Santos wants to rematch Alistair Overeem, but will happily fight Stipe Miocic

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos hasn’t been too successful in getting his next fight.

Mark Hunt turned down a rematch with a fight against the UFC first on his mind. Josh Barnett couldn’t accept because of a knee injury. Alistair Overeem turned down a rematch, Dos Santos said, because he simply didn’t want the matchup.

So Dos Santos is waiting for someone to step up, and he hopes it will be champ Stipe Miocic. Unlike those other names, he wouldn’t be fighting to avenge a loss. Two years ago, beat Miocic via decision at UFC on FOX 13

Plus, he’d be winning back the belt.

“I’m coming from a good victory against Ben Rothwell,” Dos Santos, the No. 4 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, told MMAjunkie Radio. “I was the last guy to beat Stipe Miocic.”

After defending his belt this past December against No. 6 Overeem, No. 1 ranked Miocic said he’s in a New York state of mind for his next bout. That suits Dos Santos just fine.

“If the UFC wants to see a really good fight between the standup heavyweights, they will make that fight happen,” he said.

In April, Dos Santos got back on track after bouncing between wins and losses since the loss of his title to now ex-champ Cain Velasquez. He put a the title run of Ben Rothwell, getting back on track after a knockout loss to Overeem this past December.

Although the Brazilian vet might have gone straight to calling out Miocic, he instead sought another fight with Overeem.

“I don’t think it’s going to add anything for my career,” Dos Santos said. “But I lost to him, so I need to prove to people that I am the better fighter. I would enjoy fighting against him again, but it seems like he doesn’t want to.”

With No. 3 Velasquez booked to meet ex-champ and No. 2 fighter Fabricio Werdum at next month’s UFC 207, Dos Santos could wind up waiting for a fight that would close the gap between the champ and him. Check out the above video to get Dos Santos’ story on his next fight.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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