JUNIOR DOS SANTOS

Junior dos Santos "Cigano" Almedia is a Brazilian MMA fighter who competes in the Heavyweight division of the UFC.

A member of the Bad Boy Team, he trains under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva. He is currently ranked the number five Heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.com and number two by MMAfighting.com.

Born on September 14, 1984, dos Santos turned pro when he was just 21. He began by fighting in small promotions such as Minotauro Fights, the Extreme Fighting Championship and the likes, winning 6 of his first 7 fights. The only bout he lost was a rematch with Joaquim Ferreira.

Dos Santos' debut for the UFC in UFC 90 was indeed impressive. Going in as a heavy underdog, he knocked out top contender Fabricio Werdum with an uppercut in the very first round.

He followed that win up with yet another, defeating Stefan Struve in UFC 95 by TKO, again in round one.

But dos Santos' biggest victory would be over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. It happened at UFC 103 which took place in September of 2009 in Dallas, Texas. In the third round, dos Santos got Filipovic with knee strikes and punches. Then he finished up with a knee from the clinch and a right upperct left "Cro Cop" which caused Mirko to verbally submit.

The fourth victory came by way of Gilbert Yvel at UFC 108. It was a TKO in the first round making his fourth straight UFC win by way of stoppage.

On March 21, 2010 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones, he defeated Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga by knockout in the first round. Dos Santos went up against Roy Nelson from the Renzo Gracie Combat Team on August 7, 2010 at UFC 117. Dos Santos displayed impressive strikes and a first ever successful takedown. Nelson managed to stay keep the fight but dos Santos won by unanimous decision.

Holding a current record of 12 wins and 1 loss out of 13 matches, 8 of the victories are via knockout, 3 by submission and 1 by decision. Dos Santos holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is an avid kickboxer with an undefeated record of 18 wins out of 18 matches. Recently it was announced that Bad Boy "Cigano" will be coaching opposite of Brock Lesnar in The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 and that dos Santos and Lesnar are expected to face off at UFC 131 on June 11.

What does this Bad Boy wear? After the Yvel win, he introduced his signature walkout shirt from Bad Boy MMA. It is mineral washed and hand grinded for a soft feel yet rugged look. It sports an all-over print over a dark base with that Bad Boy logo on the front, sleeves and back and of course, his name for that personalized touch.

He also wears Bad Boy World Class Pro ll shorts in both black and white. Of course, in keeping with regulations for all UFC fights, Junior wears Official UFC gloves in the ring.

Dos Santos makes no bones about stating that Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is his all time hero.

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