Junior dos Santos discusses next move after Ngannou loss

Last weekend, former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos stepped into the cage with Francis Ngannou in a perceived number-one contender fight. Unfortunately for the Brazilian and his fans, this fight did not go as he planned. Instead, he was knocked out in just 71 seconds, and will now have to return to the drawing board to formulate his next move.

Dos Santos, of course, didn’t plan on losing, which means he didn’t give a ton of thought to what might be next if he came up short in Minneapolis.

“It wasn’t in my plans (to lose), so I don’t really know,” Junior dos Santos said at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Junkie). “I had a lot of plans in a different situation and a different result. It’s so hard to build your way up in this sport. Sometimes all of a sudden (everything) disappears from in front of you. I’m a positive guy and I’m ready to rebuild. I know how to do it. I’m made of truth and I’m truth. I know how to do it again and I will do it again. Congratulations to him.”

This setback clearly stings for Junior dos Santos, but he is determined to push it from his mind in the best way he knows how: by fighting again, and soon.

“Having another fight, it’s kind of a medicine for me to heal this injury defeat causes on you,” Dos Santos said. “I want to fight as soon as I’m able to fight again. Let’s go back home, think about everything that happened (and) get back to work. I believe I belong to this world of fighting.”

Who do you think Junior dos Santos should fight when he returns to the cage?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/1/2019.