‘TUF 13’ Coaches Lesnar, Dos Santos Official for UFC 131
Mike Whitman Mar 3, 2011
Brock Lesnar (above) and Junior dos Santos’ June 11 fight is on.
| Sherdog.com
The speculated No. 1 contender’s bout for Cain Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight title was today made official, as the promotion announced that “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 coaches Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos will meet in the main event of UFC 131.
The announcement was made during the most recent episode of the UFC’s “Ultimate Insider” web series. UFC 131 will go down June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Though not yet confirmed by the promotion, Kenny Florian is also expected to make his featherweight debut at the event against Diego Nunes.
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Lesnar was last seen losing his title to Velasquez in a one-sided and bloody October bout. One of the sport’s most recognizable faces, Lesnar’s still-young MMA career began in 2007 following his departure from professional wrestling.
A former NCAA national wrestling champion at the University of Minnesota, Lesnar jumped into the deep waters of the UFC in just his second MMA bout, losing to former champ Frank Mir by kneebar in 2008. The 33-year-old rebounded from the loss by rattling off four straight victories, winning the title and twice defending it before running into Velasquez.
A knockout specialist, Dos Santos has not lost in over three years. The heavy-handed Brazilian is undefeated since joining the UFC in 2008, having finished all but one of his Octagon opponents. Dos Santos burst onto the scene against submission ace Fabricio Werdum at UFC 90, earning a first-round knockout over his favored countryman.
Since that time, “Cigano” has finished Stefan Struve, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gilbert Yvel, and Gabriel Gonzaga. He most recently earned a unanimous nod over former International Fight League champ Roy Nelson in August.
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