• TUF 13

Anderson Silva backs Dos Santos to be 'great coach'

ESPN staff
January 17, 2011
Junior Dos Santos has never been taken down in the UFC © UFC
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Anderson Silva has tipped Junior Dos Santos to be a "role model" when he coaches on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, and he has backed his compatriot to give Brock Lesnar problems when they square off in June.

Dos Santos is the UFC No.1 heavyweight contender, but his title shot will have to wait after Cain Velasquez underwent successful surgery. Instead the Brazilian will coach a batch of welterweights and middleweights against a team led by Lesnar before donning the mitts himself for a June war.

Silva trains with Dos Santos on a regular basis and warned the rest of the heavyweight division that the UFC has only seen a fraction of his colleague's talent. And he backed Dos Santos to do an excellent job for his team when he takes on the coaching role for TUF 13.

"He will make a great coach and role model in the gym for his entire team," Silva told ESPN. "He has only shown a percentage of what I know he has in the Octagon. His team will leave better fighters after training with him and the team.

"Brock is a tough opponent for anyone, but I believe Junior can beat Brock. His takedown defence is very good, and he is very athletic. I don't believe he has been taken down in the UFC yet.

"But Brock Lesnar has great takedowns and their fight will be very exciting for the fans."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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