UFC 131: Could Fighting Brock Lesnar Be Better Than a Title Shot?

Junior Dos Santos has been on a roll in the UFC, winning all of his bouts decisively.  After his last victory he was granted a title shot.  In October 2010 Cain Velasquez became the UFC heavyweight champion by thoroughly beating Brock Lesnar. 

A fight had been projected for this spring, but Velasquez was sidelined with a rotator cuff injury.  It is unthinkable that a fight could be bigger than a title shot, but Dos Santos may have found such a fight.

Dos Santos, being the warrior that he is, chose not to wait for Velasquez to heal.  Instead, he took a job as a coach alongside Brock Lesnar on this season of the Ultimate Fighter.  He fights Lesnar in the main event of UFC 132 on June 11. 

Lesnar is a crossover success from the WWE and Dos Santos will be looking to capitalize on the exposure he will get on the Ultimate Fighter and by fighting such a polarizing figure. 

In an interview with MMAWeekly radio, Dos Santos' manager Ed Soares said, "To be 100 percent honest with you, I think the Brock Lesnar fight is actually a bigger fight. From the standpoint of how many people are going to buy the pay-per-view and watching it. Not taking anything away from Cain Velasquez nor Junior Dos Santos, but I think sometimes things work out for the best.”

If Dos Santos pulls off a victory at UFC 132 it will increase his stock even more, making a title fight with Cain Velasquez a bigger fight and a bigger payday.  Ed Soares admitted that the situation could work out even better for Junior in the end.  He stated that, "If he gets through Brock Lesnar, I can tell you that the fight with him and Cain is going to be a much bigger fight, simply because of the exposure he’s gotten from ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and if he beats Brock Lesnar, that’s just going to give him a lot more exposure."