Junior dos Santos explains how he’ll beat ‘the most dangerous man in MMA today’

Junior dos Santos is going to have his hands full in the UFC Minneapolis main event, where he will take on arguably the hardest puncher in MMA history in Francis Ngannou. He knows full well how dangerous the task at hand is.

“Ngannou is a really strong guy, has heavy hands,” dos Santos told MMA Fighting recently. “I think it’s no exaggeration to say he’s the most dangerous man in MMA today. A punch that connects, even if it only grazes, will knock you out. He’s a dangerous guy and I’m getting ready for that. I know his potential, the danger he offers in the fight, but that’s the type of challenge that excites me.

“I want to fight the best, always. I’ve fought three tough opponents in my last fights, guys who were coming off wins, and I went there and stopped them. That’s what I’m going for in this fight as well.”

As a former UFC heavyweight champion and long-time heavyweight contender, of course, Junior dos Santos is will accustomed to fighting dangerous foes. He believes that even against a destroyer like Francis Ngannou, his guile and ring craft will carry him to a victory — very possibly in the first round.

“It’s going to be my 12th main event in the UFC, so I’m used to fighting five rounds,” he said. “I’ve been training for five rounds for a while. Honestly, it doesn’t make much different adding more rounds, especially because I expect this to be a really quick fight. Ngannou moves forward a lot, goes full speed in the first round. My goal is to make him pay in his first mistake, so I don’t think this fight will go much longer.

“I think this fight has everything to end in the first round,” dos Santos added, explaining how movement will play a role in his planned triumph. “I move really well, so he can expect that from me. Moving a lot, but always attacking, being aggressive. He must be ready to dance. Muhammad Ali-style. Fly like a butterfly, sting like Cigano — not like a bee [laughs].”

Do you think Junior dos Santos can defeat Francis Ngannou on Saturday night?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/28/2019.