UFC on FOX: Junior dos Santos' Path to the Biggest Fight in UFC History

When Junior dos Santos steps into the Octagon this Saturday night, it will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of his life.

A UFC title is the ultimate goal for any fighter, but Dos Santos hit the title fight lottery when he drew a fight against Cain Velasquez on FOX and this is his chance to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport overnight.

JDS is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, with knockout power in both hands and a knack for finishing fights quickly, and with a win this weekend he can solidify his legacy as one of the most successful heavyweight fighters in MMA history.

However, unlike his opponent Velasquez, Dos Santos did not have a lot of hype when he made his UFC debut back at UFC 90, and he has fought some of the best the sport has to offer to get his shot at UFC gold.

This is a look back at Dos Santos’ Octagon career, and the seven fights that have made him into the highly regarded fighter he is today.

Fabricio Werdum

Dos Santos looked like he was being thrown to the wolves when he drew UFC veteran and top-ranked fighter Fabricio Werdum in his UFC debut.

Werdum may have been a fight away from a UFC title shot after wins over Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga, but he would first have to defeat a little-known boxer from Brazil.

One thunderous uppercut later and Werdum was laying on the mat wondering what happened while dos Santos celebrated around the cage, letting the world know that a new contender had arrived in the heavyweight division.

Stefan Struve

Looking to continue his momentum, dos Santos was matched up against dangerous newcomer Stefan Struve at UFC 95.

We now know just how good both of these fighters are, but Struve looked like a monster to most fans, and it seemed as if dos Santos was delivered to a tough opponent once again.

Junior opened up with his striking early in the fight, throwing over a dozen big shots and knocking out his opponent in less than a minute.

And just like that, Dos Santos has earned his first step up in competition.

Mirko Cro Cop

Dos Santos’ first real fight in the spotlight came against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103.

Cro Cop is a legend of the sport and had just signed a new contract with the UFC before the fight, so fans were amped to see the Croatian star back in action, but it didn’t take long to see that JDS was in a completely different league.

Dos Santos beat down the former PRIDE open weight champions for the majority of three rounds before Cro Cop tapped to strikes due to an eye injury.

Gilbert Yvel

A fight that was considered dangerous for dos Santos, seeing as he was taking a fight against a heavy-handed veteran making his UFC debut.

Yvel has quite a reputation for being a wild brawler, making fans excited for the fight, which was actually made on short notice after dos Santos’ original opponent, Gabriel Gonzaga, pulled out with an injury.

Dos Santos landed a huge right hand in the opening minutes of the fight, finishing yet another opponent with his boxing.

Gabriel Gonzaga

The fight between dos Santos and Gonzaga finally came together at UFC on Versus 1, where dos Santos was a considerable favorite over the former title challenger.

Gonzaga came out looking to take the fight to the mat, but JDS was having none of it and forced the BJJ black belt to stand and trade with him, and he landed the hard left hand that ended the fight just moments later.

Roy Nelson

The fight was called a No. 1 contender’s bout going in, with the winner set to get a title shot in early 2011, and dos Santos left little doubt as to who was the man deserving.

Nelson was a former Ultimate Fighter winner who had taken out media darling Kimbo Slice while on the show, so he was well known by a lot of fans and a win for dos Santos here would push him to a title fight.

JDS battered Nelson for a solid three rounds, hitting him with everything he had, but to Nelson’s credit, he was the first man to survive a fight with “Cigano.”

Shane Carwin

Junior was originally set to fight Brock Lesnar on this card after they were opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 13, but Lesnar had to pull out of the fight due to diverticulitis, and Carwin then stepped in.

Known as the one guy in the UFC’s heavyweight division that can match dos Santos’ power, Carwin was a threatening opponent for JDS, as he would constantly be in danger while he was on his feet trading punches with the big man.

However, dos Santos proved to the world how good his striking was once again, almost finishing Carwin in the first and beating him down for a solid 15 minutes to earn the victory and the shot at Cain Velasquez.