Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: 5 Questions We Still Have About JDS

UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos is a bad man.

Since he first stormed the UFC in 2008 by knocking Fabricio Werdum senseless, we've been treated to a fighter who is not only a highly skilled, professional athlete, but a heck of a nice guy to boot.

But in nine UFC fights, Dos Santos has only answered the obvious questions: Can he fight? Check. Is he marketable? Check.

But what about the not-so-obvious questions that really peel away the layers of an athlete?

Let's take a look.

Can He Wrestle?

Whenever a great striker comes along, the first thought is: Well, he can punch, but can he wrestle?

Dos Santos wasn't even confronted with that question until UFC 131 when he faced Shane Carwin. He busted Carwin up so bad that the wrestling question barely even surfaced. 

Next up was Cain Velasquez. It was the UFC's FOX debut, and Junior would go on to knock Cain out in about a minute.

The wrestling question remained unanswered.

At UFC 146, Frank Mir did attempt a shot, and it was a somewhat deep attempt, but it hardly answered the question considering how Mir is not a top level wrestler.

This is a lingering question that should get addressed if Cain Velasquez is granted a rematch.

Can Junior Really Box Professionally?

Just how good of a boxer is Junior dos Santos?

Junior actually fancies himself a pretty phenomenal boxer.

But is he really that good?

In MMA, yes, he is. Dos Santos is far superior to any opponent he's faced. He busts guys up and takes little damage himself.

But against seasoned, professional heavyweight boxers like the Klitschko brothers, it's not so clear how Junior would fare.

Ultimately, comparing boxing to MMA, even though they're both combat sports, is like comparing football to hockey. They're different sports that require different skill sets and different training.

But holding the common ground of punching someone in the head, they'll likely always be closely associated.

There's no way to discern if Dos Santos is a top-flight boxer or not unless he crosses over, and while that may answer certain questions, he's such a great MMA fighter that let's hope that day never comes.

Is He Really That Nice?

The first thing anyone who meets Junior dos Santos notices about him is how genuinely sweet he is.

Considering that as the UFC heavyweight champion he's pretty much the baddest dude on the planet, it's refreshing and reassuring to humanity that the guy is such a down-to-earth, kind human being.

It's no secret that the UFC enjoys a little fight build-up, aka smack talk. They couldn't get the mild-mannered Junior to do that so they focused on his kindness—showcasing him on the Countdown show flying a poor Brazilian kid and his family to the U.S. to sit cage-side to watch the fight.

That sort of publicity will only serve to skyrocket Junior's popularity. But will it last forever?

I'm guessing it will. It's just in his eyes. You can tell that, some people, nice as they may be,  have ulterior motives. Junior, he just seems like a genuine sweetheart.

What the Heck Happened to That Ear?

Grappling is killer on the human ear. This is well known throughout wrestling rooms and BJJ academies.

Since the popularity of MMA, fans have been both mesmerized and disgusted by the grossness of fighter's ears.

Normally, it's a simple case of "cauliflower ear," where the trauma to the ear causes the bodies nutrients to veer from the natural vitamin providing path, thus resulting in an aesthetically grotesque, physically deformed ear.

But note the hanging effect of Junior's ear in the above photo. It's highly irregular and not indicative of the normal trauma.

We must assume that long hours in the BJJ academy are the cause, but considering the peculiarity of the deformity, it's not unreasonable to ask some sensitive questions.

Just make sure you ask with sensitivity.

How Does It Feel to Be the Toughest Guy in the World?

Since MMA overtook boxing in the sporting consciousness, it's been a widely accepted fact that the UFC Heavyweight Champion is the toughest documented man in the world.

Sure, there's probably some guy somewhere in the bush, fighting lions off with his bare hands, but we don't know about him.

We know about Junior dos Santos.

And he's a bad mama jama.

Like most aspiring alpha males, I'd love to know what it feels like to be the toughest guy around. But it's not in the cards for me, so I'm forced to live vicariously through guys like Junior.

But that's OK, because when the toughest guy around is such a gigantic sweetheart, you don't mind the naturally subservient you are forced by evolution to assume.

Most guys would probably slap you to validate their status. Junior would probably take you out for an ice cream cone, and pay.

That's exactly what makes him such a tough guy.