UFC
UFC Champ Junior dos Santos wants Alistair Overeem over Cain Velasquez, targeted for Dec. 29 return
Aug 5, 2012 - 1:35:39 PM UFC Champ Junior dos Santos wants Alistair Overeem over Cain Velasquez, targeted for Dec. 29 return

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though the UFC had initially looked to book a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez as early as this September, it's looking like a possibility that Velasquez may not get the next shot at all.

According to a report from ESPN.com, citing UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, dos Santos has been penciled in to make his next title defense in Las Vegas on Dec. 29, and the bout could come against Alistair Overeem. UFC President Dana White revealed after the UFC on Fox 4 event on Saturday night that dos Santos has asked to fight Overeem next over Velasquez.

"I sat down with Junior dos Santos yesterday," White said. "He said, 'I have nothing but respect for Cain Velasquez. I like him as a person and as a fighter and he deserves this shot, but I do not want to fight him.'

"He said, 'Alistair Overeem is a punk. He's got a big mouth and he's been saying lots of bad things about me. I want to knock him out now.'"

Getting Overeem into the Dec. 29 event would be contingent on the Nevada State Athletic Commission taking the unprecedented step of ruling on whether to license Overeem prior to when he can even officially apply for one, which is Dec. 27, two days before that event.

"The best case scenario is he's licensed in enough time to put him on the December card," Fertitta said. "We can't commit to that because we don't know what the commission will do."

"I believe it is possible [Overeem] could [be available]. The commission could allow him to come forward before that."

Though Fertitta believes it to be a possibility, and Overeem himself has expressed confidence that they'd allow that, NSAC executive director Keith Kizer says that's not likely to be an option for Overeem.

"I don't think there is any truth to that and I would be against that," Kizer said. "That is not how our rules read."

Velasquez's camp has already taken dos Santos' stance as him ducking the man he took the belt from, but dos Santos reiterated afterward that he simply wants to fight Overeem, and if the UFC puts Velasquez in front of him that's the fight he'll take.

"Just to clarify: I will fight whoever UFC puts in front of me," dos Santos wrote on Twitter. "But when people talk to much I feel anxious to shut them up."

Penick's Analysis: It would be completely farcical for the NSAC to hold a special hearing for Overeem to allow him to fight on Dec. 29. I understand why dos Santos and the UFC would want to put the fight together, but in no way does Overeem deserve that type of special treatment, and it's a situation where they could have booked this fight with Velasquez prior to December and dealt with Overeem once he was officially able to return. Trying to squeeze it in to a spot it can't be squeezed into doesn't make sense right now, and it leaves the division in limbo through the end of Overeem's license denial, which in and of itself is a ridiculous notion. The handling of the Overeem situation is just unfortunate from all involved, but it looks like this is the route they're taking.

[Junior dos Santos art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]