Junior Dos Santos Ready To Go Through War To Bring The Belt To Brazil

Junior dos Santos is on deck to challenge for Cain Velasquez's UFC heavyweight title, with the two dynamic big men slated to do battle this Saturday night in Anaheim, California.

In Velasquez, dos Santos faces a fierce and tireless competitor, with a stout wrestling pedigree to bolster his increasingly potent stand up skills. Much like dos Santos, Velasquez battled his way through the heavyweight ranks to achieve his spot at the top of the heap, keeping his undefeated record intact all the while. His performances and his record culminate to make what dos Santos pegs as the best heavyweight in the world - until Saturday night.

"I think in this case, Cain Velasquez is the number one heavyweight now," says Cigano. "I want to change this on Saturday."

The 27-year-old Brazilian believes that his adept counter-wrestling and technically vicious boxing prowess will overcome Velasquez's all-around game, but he knows that victory won't come easy inside the Honda Center on November 12.

"It's going to be a great fight and a war," he predicts. "I think a lot of people are going to be rooting for him on Saturday night, but I know I'll have a lot of people rooting for me around the world. I'll use that energy on Saturday night."

In their twenty-three shared professional fights, only three have gone the distance. Dos Santos doesn't see either man breaking that pattern this weekend, calling the battle to end well ahead of the final bell.

"I will give my best to make this belt a Brazilian belt," says dos Santos. "I'm ready to go five rounds, but I think this fight finishes before."

Velasquez and dos Santos will meet in the main event of UFC on Fox 1, an event which will kick off the UFC's landmark seven-year broadcasting deal with Fox networks. FightLine will be back on Saturday beginning around 4:45pm ET with our live, ongoing coverage of what should be a night that lives on in the annals of MMA.

Mark Wayne is the head writer for FightLine.com. He can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/_MarkWayne.