Brock Lesnar Wishes Junior Dos Santos Good Luck in Title Defense

Following the final fight of Brock Lesnar's mixed-martial-arts career, which came just days ago when he was stopped in the first round by former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, the former UFC heavyweight champion wished reigning champion Junior dos Santos good luck in his first title defense, according to the Brazilian himself in an interview with Tatame.com.

“I thought Brock would move forward. I hoped more of him," said dos Santos, who knocked out Cain Velasquez to win the title in November. "But he told me on the Octagon he felt the knees and kicks of Overeem and that he thought he broke his rib. I saw it and it was really red. He told me the last coup destabilized him, and then he wished me good luck on this title defense and that was it."

Overeem, a former K-1 kickboxing champion, was able to utilize his stand-up in victory against arguably his toughest opponent in years. Before Lesnar could even get into the fight, he had already been taken out of it due to a liver kick, which made him turn away and crouch against the cage. Overeem followed up with punches, forcing the referee to halt the bout.

Lesnar announced his retirement after the bout, and although the former WWE superstar left the sport with a 5-3 record, he was able to win, defend and lose the heavyweight championship. His wins include those over standout fighters like Frank Mir, Randy Couture and Shane Carwin.

“He’s completely right to retire since he doesn’t feel fine when fighting anymore," continued dos Santos. "He said he promised it to his wife and kids. I guess everybody knows when it’s time to stop."

Dos Santos will defend his title against Overeem in the summer, and he will bring an undefeated UFC record of 8-0 to the anticipated striker vs. striker matchup. Overeem is currently riding an 11-fight win streak with wins over Lesnar, Brett Rogers and Fabricio Werdum.

“Each fight is different and you gotta be prepared for your next opponent the best way you can," said dos Santos. "I got to the title with much effort and I’ll do my best to remain as the champion. Overeem is a very strong fighter, but there’s no easy fight when you’re fighting a title fight. He’s big, but he ain’t two."