• UFC 160

Dos Santos happy to turn back on 'joke' Overeem

ESPN staff
March 12, 2013
Alistair Overeem has been branded a "joke" by Junior dos Santos © Getty Images
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Junior dos Santos has expressed his delight at getting to fight Mark Hunt at UFC 160, after initial opponent Alistair Overeem was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Dos Santos branded Overeem, who suffered a quadriceps tear in preparation for the scheduled May 25 meeting, a "joke" - revealing his relief not to be made to wait for the Dutchman to recover his fitness before getting to step into the Octagon again.

The Brazilian paid tribute to Hunt for stepping into the breach at relatively short notice.

"I think it was great the UFC have scheduled Mark Hunt. I admire him very much for having accepted because he just fought," Dos Santos told a Brazilian radio station. "I admire and appreciate because I want to fight May 25 and this will happen thanks to him.

"When Overeem jumped off I thought it was great that the UFC came by with another opponent. [Overeem] isn't a champion, he's nothing. If he was a champion, I would wait."

Dos Santos had previously been scheduled to fight Overeem last year, before the latter was suspended following a failed drugs test. With that in mind, Dos Santos has little sympathy for Overeem's current plight.

"I think he is a joke," Dos Santos added. "He is very big, he's on steroids and he talks a lot of ****. But I don't care about him. He can go on with his career and do what he thinks is the best for him, I will do the same.

"If some day we face each other and he runs out of problems, we fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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