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Dos Santos 'cool' with Velasquez takedown attempts

Junior Dos Santos believes his takedown defence is good enough to stop Cain Velasquez © Getty Images

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Junior dos Santos is so confident that he will beat Cain Velasquez later this year, that he insists he feels "cool" about the prospect of the UFC heavyweight champion trying to take him to the mat.

Dos Santos booked a title shot with a seriously impressive victory over Shane Carwin, which saw the Brazilian dominate so much that one judge handed him a 30-26 when the final decision was rendered.

The aftermath of that win saw UFC president Dana White warn Dos Santos to work on far more than just his boxing skills, but the Brazilian is not concerned. In what appears to be a classic boxer vs wrestler contest, Dos Santos is convinced he can stuff Velasquez's takedowns.

"I train wrestling a lot, I like training takedown defences, and I consider myself good while defending takedown attempts," JDS told Tatame. "So, that's why I feel pretty much comfortable when the guys try to take me down, I feel comfortable, cool with it."

Asked if he would be as cautious as in the Carwin fight, when Dos Santos chose to maintain range even with his opponent well beaten, the Brazilian insisted his tactics will be vastly different due to Velasquez's exceptional cardiovascular capabilities.

"Much [more] aggressive, much [more] aggressive," he said. "Velasquez is a guy who has great conditioning, so he's a guy I want to go for the knockout or the submission. I can't give him time or space to work on what he likes, the takedowns and doing the ground and pound game.

"I was [cautious], I had to respect him (Carwin). A big guy like him, with the knockout power he has, must be respected. I tried to do my best, and I guess the outcome was good."

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