UFC Wichita: Junior dos Santos Says He’s Got Derrick Lewis Beat Everywhere

Junior dos Santos acknowledges that Derrick Lewis is a ridiculously, dangerous fighter, but the former heavyweight champ is extremely confident that he’ll be getting his hand raised at UFC Wichita.

The fighters are going to battle in the headliner of Saturday’s card, which will be hosted by the city’s Intrust Bank Arena. As the fight approaches, dos Santos (20-5) is coming off consecutive wins over Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov. Lewis (21-6), meanwhile, hasn’t competed since he was submitted by reigning champ, Daniel Cormier in November. Lewis was tapped for that fight after winning three in a row.

Well, recently dos Santos spoke with the media about Saturday’s fight, and here’s some of what “Cigano” had to say about Lewis (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“I can dominate this fight anywhere this fight goes,” dos Santos said. “I’m better than him. On my feet I’m better than him, on the ground. That’s what I believe, and that’s what I’m going to impose during the fight. I know he’s dangerous, I respect that, and I’m not taking anything away from that. He’s dangerous, and I’m not underestimating that, but I have to be confident in my skills and my ability to win fights. I believe I have everything to beat him.”

“I know this guy is big, he has a lot of power, but he’s also a big target. I’m ready to throw a lot of punches against him, and I’m sure I’m going to connect them. I’m a complete fighter. I can fight anywhere this fight goes. He hits very hard. He has a lot of knockout power, but he can’t hit what he can’t catch. I’m much more faster than him, and I’m going to use that for sure.”

If you’ve followed Lewis during his UFC run you know that he can turn around, and or end a fight with one punch. Lewis is also extremely rugged and has a ton of heart. So, JDS is wise to not look past the massive heavyweight,

But, there’s a reason dos Santos is the betting lines favorite heading into this contest, and that’s because he is faster than Lewis and he also hits extremely hard. “Cigano’s” also been known to bust out some nasty kicks as well.

Here is the line-up for UFC Wichita.

MAIN CARD (ESPN+/8 p.m. ET)

Heavyweight: Derrick Lewis vs. Junior dos Santos

Welterweight: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Curtis Millender

Welterweight: Tim Means vs. Niko Price

Heavyweight: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Ben Rothwell

Lightweight: Beneil Dariush vs. Drew Dober

Middleweight: Tim Boetsch vs. Omari Akhmedov

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+/5 p.m. ET)

Welterweight: Anthony Rocco Martin vs. Sergio Moraes

Female Bantamweight: Yana Kunitskaya vs. Marion Reneau

Featherweight: Grant Dawson vs. Julian Erosa