 |
Throughout his time on The Ultimate Fighter, Dos Santos came off as personable and likable, and that "nice guy" image is something he relishes, even if it hurts his drawing power.
"I think that it might stand in my way a little bit, that I'm less aggressive than any other fighters, because a lot of the consuming public that likes fights and likes MMA tends to want to see the aggression," Dos Santos said in an interview with USA Today. "But I like being the nice guy. I think that the time for big, aggro, macho men has passed. Fighting now prioritizes intelligent fighters with a lot of strategy and a lot of preparation, who fight smart."
"I think of fighters like Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva as being smart fighters who utilize strategy to their advantage. I think that's the time we're in now. ... I believe in being respectful toward people. Fighting is my profession. It's my sport. It's my job. It doesn't mean I have to be a big, aggressive person to do it."
Dos Santos was initially scheduled to face Brock Lesnar on the card, but the former Champion suffered a recurrence of his diverticulitis, and the Brazilian now faces Carwin instead. While Dos Santos sees some similarities between the challenges he would have faced in Lesnar and what he faces in Carwin, he knows he's got a very different opponent overall.
"They're both similar in that they come from wrestling backgrounds," he said. "They're both very dangerous fighters. But in my opinion, Brock has a more dangerous takedown and better control on the ground game. So to me, Brock would be a more dangerous fighter because of his ground game.
"That said, Shane is extremely dangerous. Whereas with Brock, I could be a little edgier, take a few more risks in seeking a knockout through my boxing game, Shane is a little more equally matched to me in the boxing game, so I'm going to have to be a little more conservative in looking for that knockout."
Dos Santos thinks the speed in his striking will be a major factor in this fight, but he's had to change the strategy up from how he was planning on approaching the Lesnar fight.
"I do think it's possible to get Shane to crack in the same manner [as I was planning on doing to Lesnar]," he said. "Shane has a very good stand-up game, but that's my speciality, and I've got the speed, which could make a difference. The strategy of my fight has changed a little bit. Against Brock, I knew I could get him to crack under pressure by throwing a lot of punches and hitting a lot. My strategy was to really keep the pressure on in that manner.
"Against Shane, I know I'll have to be a little smarter about when I throw those punches. I might have to move around the Octagon a little bit more, and use my speed and agility as the best course to get the right hits in."
The fight takes place from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver this Saturday, June 11, and airs live on pay-per-view.
Link to Full Interview
Penick's Analysis: Dos Santos is right to realize that the "nice guy" image doesn't sell as well as the brash personalities, but that doesn't mean he needs to change anything to pander to a certain segment of the fanbase. His results will speak for themselves, and after getting over a million viewers watching him continuously during this season, a win over Carwin here could be a big deal for him. If he does that, and goes on to meet Cain Velasquez for the title later this year, he could really still break out as a major fighter for the UFC. Being a "nice guy" doesn't make that impossible.
Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai Mac Danzig Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik
No comments:
Post a Comment