“Eight days before the fight, Luiz Fernando Lima [director of Globo's sports department] called me up and asked what I thought of the idea of commentating a UFC,” recalls Galvão in the interview. “I said, ‘Let’s do it right now!’ I have a background in boxing commentating. I commentated on fights with Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Acelino Freitas. I always enjoyed it. They wanted the outset to be worthy of the UFC, and I was ready and willing. I never expected something new with such great repercussions to come up. Our chat came on a Friday. On Tuesday, I was officially notified. That very night I was already on that so-called Twitter trending topics. So I got cracking with my preparations.”

Galvão Bueno and Vitor Belfort on maiden Globo broadcast / Publicity photo

The commentator, who confessed that he only knows how to be an impassioned announcer who cheers publicly, admitted to having watched the very first UFC events.

“I was really into the sport when it first started back in 1993, but I was studying the subject. I was fortunate that there was a rerun of the UFC in Birmingham on Italian TV [Galvão lives in Monaco] and I got to see the fights. Thank God I don’t just have enemies but friends as well; they started sending me information, like a glossary of terms currently in use, so I could translate the expressions. I read everything on the way from Paris to São Paulo. I was stoked!” he admits in the interview, adding that he was overjoyed with the success of his induction into MMA commenting and was grateful to the old MMA fans for their affections.

“I hadn’t had a gig that I felt could generate such great expectations and repercussions since the great races of [Ayrton] Senna. I still enjoy taking on challenges. There’ll be another one in January, on the 14th. Imagine how packed the arena will be,” he says with enthusiasm.

“I felt the vibe as I entered the arena to commentate on the UFC, and the feeling was exactly the way I said it, the expression coming up spur of the moment, which was ‘gladiators of the third millennium.’ That’s just what they were! Of course gladiators used to be, for the most part, slaves who fought for survival. That’s not the case with the UFC, a sport with 32 rules. So it was spectacular. I even told Cigano that the fight should have lasted a bit longer because the audience was just starting to grow. The numbers were significant for that time slot. It rose 40% from the moment we hit the air. Cigano could have let it go on another three minutes,” quips Galvão.

This Wednesday, Cigano underwent surgery at São Paulo’s Albert Einstein hospital, one of the South American nation’s finest, and everything went according to plan. Junior is already recuperating in his room, and his recovery time is estimated to take 30 days. Luiz Dórea, the fighter’s boxing coach, commented on the surgical procedure as soon as it was over, and posted a photo: “The operation was a success. Thank you, Lord.”

GRACIEMAG.com joins the fans wishing for Cigano’s speedy recovery.

“It took me some time to believe it. And when I saw Velasquez falling, I couldn’t  believe it, you can notice it took me a while to go after him”, said Junior dos Santos, who commented on other, less sweet moments in the UFC, like his debut, when he was more nervous, and the night Cro Cop hit him below the belt and he couldn’t even open his eyes.

To Cigano, a good fighter knows how to take a hit. “I get hit in the face and don’t get upset because I have years of boxing training. A good fighter knows how to take a hit. I think in my case to be punched on the face works to make me more alert”, he laughs, while explains the importance of the only loss of his career (see the video below).

“Before that fight I was one, and then I became another. After my defeat (against Joaquim Mamute), I became a totally different fighter”, he admits. “That submission freed me of the responsibility of being undefeated, and I stopped being afraid there. I had no fear in my next challenges”, he said.

Cigano also recalled how his trademark gesture of pointing to the ground came about. “It happened when I faced Werdum. It was spontaneous, but it ended as a sign to call the responsibility”.

Junior dos Santos after taking the belt from Cain Velasquez. Now he plans to stay with it for a long time. Photo: UFC.

The new UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos is having magical days on his return to Brazil.

Besides the pain in the meniscus, and concerns about whether or not having a knee operation done, the fighter who made ​​his living as a waiter when he began to practice boxing, continues reaping the laurels of victory, but without forgetting his next mission: not to let the belt slip off his waist.

The heavyweight class is by far the division with the biggest number of champions in the UFC. There were already 16 champions – alternating among beasts such as Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez.

“I’ll only defend my title when I’m feeling well. UFC is very comprehensive about injuries. Dana White (UFC president) even wanted me to stay in the U.S. for a treatment, but I told her I wanted to come back and solve the issue here. I’ll only come back when I’m 100%”, said Cigano yesterday, during a sponsor’s press conference, in São Paulo.

For his coach, Luiz Dórea, this alternation in the heavyweight division is easy to explain:

“Besides the fighter’s high level, there is a preponderance of the blows. When a blow gets on the target, it practically ends the fight, or the guy gets groggy. Cigano wants to end this situation and keep the belt for a long time. He’s young, and he knows he’s still getting better each day”, the coach says by phone, from São Paulo, before returning to Bahia and then going to Belém, where he should help to sharpen Lyoto Machida’s hands for Jon Jones’s fight.

“And Cigano has an essential feature to stop this title alternation: humbleness. Like I say, there can’t be a peak in a fighter’s career. He can’t think he’s at the top, he has to seek progress every day. Junior is just like that”, explains Dórea,

About the punch that gave the title to Dos Santos, Dorea speaks calmly.

“It’s really a hard punch for a layperson, the hand breaks. But not for the him, who trains for a long time and improves this kind of cross every day at our gym. He trains boxing from Monday to Saturday, and his practice always begins or ends with boxing. For this reason, his hand is OK after the blow”, said Dórea.

Also Yesterday, Chael Sonnen accepted, via Twitter, Anderson Silva’s challange to fight in Brazil. As Anderson is still recovering from shoulder pain and isn’t training hard, the fight must be after January, when the UFC Rio 142 happens. The rematch might be in June, at the TUF finals, in São Paulo. Chael will probably coach new TUF in US, on Fox channel.

If the dispute of the middleweight title is at Morumbi, São Paulo FC’s stadium, as speculated, the show for soccer fans is also ready: Anderson will enter with a Corinthians jersey on and Chael Sonnen confirmed that will wear a Palmeiras one, just to tease.  The directors of Palmeiras, main rival of Anderson’s team, have already sent Sonnen a kit with shirt and material on the history of the club.

Party in Dedé's honor at Nova União, in Rio / Photo: Carlos Ozório

A Carlson Gracie black belt and one of the most respected MMA coaches around, having produced the likes of UFC champ José Aldo, André Pederneiras unabashedly made a declaration over Twitter after watching Junior Cigano crowned champion: “If Brazil would invest in MMA, we’d have all the UFC belts.”

GRACIEMAG.com contacted the Nova União commander-in-chief to find out about his thinking in more than 140 characters.

“In Brazil, wherever there’s investment, return is guaranteed. The country today is already a breeding ground for great fighters, with three UFC belts. If we would invest more in fighting from now on we could soon have hegemony over all the divisions,” he said. “Cigano’s knockout was perfect. The moment that hand landed it was over, there’s nothing more to say about it.”

Indeed, now Brazil holds the featherweight, middleweight and heavyweight crowns. The United States holds another three – the bantam, light and light heavyweight titles –, while Canada owns the welterweight belt.

As for the UFC broadcast on Rede Globo television network, the coach sees only cause for celebration. “I see it as a huge deal for teachers, fighters and anyone who just likes the sport. It’s something that will make a huge difference for MMA.”

Pederneiras also touched on José Aldo’s preparations for UFC 142/Rio on January 14. “We’re going at a frenetic pace over here, believe me. He’s been training right, three times a day, resting only on weekends – in other words, he’s going strong,” said Pederneiras in finishing.

Early in his career, Cigano training with Minotauro / Photo: Carlos Ozório

In 2007, during my first interview with Cigano (check out the never-before scene photo gallery below), the future UFC champ was getting his feet wet in MMA at Brazilian events. He was already training with the Nogueira brothers and beasts like Fabio Maldonado; with Luiz Alves, Amaury Bitetti, Kelson Pinto and Rodrigo Artilheiro overseeing his development. The Team Nogueira training center was still under construction, and they’d throw down in a ring set up at a friend of Minotauro’s house in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. Modestly dressed and just as laid back as he is today, Cigano was a rookie full of dreams and hope. The former waiter, who left the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina for the northeastern state of Bahia, put all his chips on a career in fighting.

Possessed of natural talent for the trade, it took him just six years of training to go from rock bottom to the pinnacle of professional fighting, becoming heavyweight champion of the world. On the way, he had the chance to coach a team on “The Ultimate Fighter” and win the first UFC fight ever broadcast on network television in the USA and on Brazil’s most popular TV station. According to UFC president Dana White, it was the most important fight in the promotion’s history.

With just six years of training, Cigano becomes UFC champion. Photo: UFC.

Both GRACIEMAG.com and GRACIEMAG kept up with the course of Cigano’s career up close. What we didn’t get to see, the fighter revealed on our pages. Check out a bit of what he had to say.

What was your childhood in Santa Catarina like?

It was very modest. My father was a mechanic and my mother a cleaning lady. My parents split up early and my two brothers and I stayed with my mother. There are five of us in all, but the other two are stepbrothers from my father’s side. My brothers were younger than me and my mother had to be away the whole day, so we had to get by on our own. And what did you do to “get by” before becoming a fighter?

And what did you do to “get by” before becoming a fighter?

I sold popsicles, delivered newspapers, worked as a bricklayer’s assistant… I did a lot of things. Then I went to Bahia and worked as a waiter for a while. That’s where I met my wife, Vilsana Piccoli. We had a toy store. After a while, the shop started doing kind of poorly and that was when I decided to drop everything and just train.

Fighting made a definitive change in your life. These days you’re known for your knockouts, but the truth is that you got your start in Jiu-Jitsu, isn’t it?

My first contact with martial arts was when I was twenty-one, in Jiu-Jitsu. I worked out at a gym that had Jiu-Jitsu classes and I decided to practice with Professor Iuri Calton. It was really cool from the start, I learned quickly and enjoyed practice. I trained with a group that was already doing MMA and Iuri invited me to participate. I liked it so much I continued.

What about boxing, how did you get started in that?

After my first MMA fight, after practicing Jiu-Jitsu for a little over a year, I started doing boxing. I had won my first fight by knockout, soccer kicks were still allowed then! Iuri introduced me to Luiz Dórea and I was well received.

So I started practicing boxing from Monday to Saturday and the academy had the greatest champions in Brazil. It was really exciting; everyone was really dedicated and wanted to fight, too. That kept me going and I progressed in boxing really quickly. Now it’s my mainstay, the weapon I rely on and can decide a fight with.

We spoke of two important people in your life, Iuri and Dórea. But the Nogueira brothers are also key. How did you meet them?

First contact was made through Iuri Calton. They’re from Bahia, they go to Salvador a lot and needed people to train with. Iuri called me to let me know they were going to train at the gym and I was already a big fan of theirs, so I rushed over! I remember training with Rogério that time. I was still a white belt but I was always strong, so I could at least help out a bit. When I met Dórea, who already worked with the Nogueira’s, we started talking about going to Rio de Janeiro to train.

What was it like to drop everything in Bahia and go to Rio to train with some of the biggest MMA stars around?

That phase was really heavy. My wife believed in me and financed me. She said, “Go after your dream.” Now I’m very well positioned in the MMA world, thank God, but I had to be really dedicated to get here. It was rough, I didn’t have much experience in the martial arts and things happened quickly. Before I knew it, I was training with the Nogueiras and the rest — guys who were major stars. I didn’t have enough technique or physical conditioning. My body was definitely not used to it. I got really beat up, it was painful! There were days I couldn’t sleep from so much pain. I had to be at training the next day, and I’d go. I didn’t want to squander the chance, I had to make the most of it. I wanted to help in any way I could and I learned the whole time. I quickly became a real fighter, but it was painful. Things are rough, but with determination and patience, opportunities arise, and I always made as much of them as I could.

Then came the UFC …

Right, and my life changed. Now I have unbelievable prospects, my dreams changed, the way I struggle in life and even the way I think about certain things are different. It was a huge blessing. I made it through high school, but I worked in professions where there was no upward mobility. I managed to do well in sport, a really tough area to work in in Brazil. You have to be a warrior and be really dedicated. I can’t even believe my life now. Now I am financially stable and I believe everything will get even better.

Cigano training with Dórea / Photo: UFC

The tears he cried after his lightning-quick knockout of Cain Velasquez summed up Junior Cigano’s feelings. In just a few years, Cigano went from serving tables to delivering knockouts as the number one heavyweight in the world.

“I have no words to express what I’m feeling. It’s incredible! I want to thank my team, my family. I have a lot of great people around me,” said Cigano while still in the octagon, before making a surprising announcement.

“Cain is the toughest guy I’ve ever faced. I was afraid to fight him; he’s really tough. I wasn’t 100% for this fight,” admitted the new champion, who suffered a knee injury just days before the showdown.

Later, at the press conference, Cigano remarked:

“I always go for the knockout in my fights. I was wary of his kicks, which are strong.”

On the fight between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, to decide against whom the Brazilian will make his first title defense, the Brazilian wasn’t sitting on the fence:

“I think Brock Lesnar takes it.”

His first defense will only come in 2012, and before returning to training, the new champion wants to celebrate.

“I just want to get back to Brazil and have a barbecue!” he said in finishing.

The new champion rejoices. Photo: UFC.

Saturday saw the UFC pitch tent at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. For the historic first broadcast on Fox, as well as on Brazil’s most popular station, Globo, Junior Cigano took his post at the top of the heavyweight heap. Check out the results to arise from the card:

New champion

For the first UFC broadcast not just on network TV in the USA but on Brazil’s most popular TV station, Globo, Junior Cigano defeated Cain Velazquez and is now the UFC heavyweight champion. From the outset, the Brazilian took control of the ring and threw his fists menacingly. A right cross behind the ear knocked Cain to the ground and a few follow-up strikes left referee Big John no choice but to call an end to the encounter. The knockout came at 1:04 minutes of the opening round.

The win marks Cigano’s 14th in 15 fights, his eighth in a row in the UFC. Six years ago Cigano was serving tables. In a meteoric rise, he joins Anderson Silva and José Aldo as Brazil’s current UFC champions.

Henderson vs. Guida

Three action-packed rounds played out in the contest between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida. Henderson did well to control Guida’s momentum and used his ground game to good effect, passing guard and reaching back mount. Clay did throw some danger Henderson’s way in the third round with a snug guillotine, but Henderson worked through it to win the unanimous decision, and now he’s setting his sights on lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar.

Submission swap

In the first round, Pablo Garza risked going for a tight kneebar on Dustin Poirier. Seeking his fourth win in a row, Poirier was already seeing the better of the action when he sunk a tight arm-triangle choke to end the action at 1:32 minutes of the second round.

In the first round, Ricardo Lamas had his work cut out for him against Cub Swanson but managed to work his way free from a tight guillotine. In the second, Lamas came up with his own choke hold, finishing Swanson with an arm-and-neck choke 2:43 minutes in.

Quick knockout

Damarques Johnson recovered his winning ways by laying out Clay Harvison with an upper cut and following up with another strike before referee Herb Dean separated the two 1:34 minutes into the first round. At bantamweight, Darren Uyenoyama controlled the action against Kid Yamamoto throughout the three rounds, winning the unanimous decision after the final bell.

Prelims serve up Jiu-Jitsu show

Alex Caceres had back-to-back losses leading in to his fight with former WEC champion Cole Escovedo. Caceres controlled the center of the ring and put on a sightly striking display, but the highlight came in the third round, when he landed in bottom position. “Bruce Leroy” did well in using his gentle art skills to get out of the jam, sinking a triangle, extending his opponents arm in an armbar, and even slapping on an omoplata. Escovedo managed to untangle himself but, once the three rounds had played out, he was the one to suffer a third loss in a row.

Check out the complete results:

UFC on Fox
Anaheim, California, USA
Saturday, November 12, 2011

Junior Cigano defeated Cain Velasquez via TKO at 104 min of R1;
Ben Henderson defeated Clay Guida via unanimous decision;
Dustin Poirier subbed Pablo Garza via arm-triangle at 1:32 min of R2;
Ricardo Lama subbed Cub Swanson via arm-and-neck choke at 2:43 min of R2;
DaMarques Johnson defeated Clay Harvison via KO at 1:43 min of R2;
Darren Uyenoyama defeated Kid Yamamoto via unanimous decision;
Robert Peralta defeated Makens Semerzier via TKO at 1:53 min of R3;
Alex Caceres defeated Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision;
Mike Pierce defeated Paul Bradley via split decision;
Aaron Rosa defeated Matt Lucas via split decision.

But the showdown between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Cigano, as clever readers know, involves a lot more than throwing bombs, even if they and up dictating the pace. Boxing for boxing, Junior Cigano is better, the one who “hits the hardest.” But the champion has his own set of weapons, like his speed and wrestling, to take the Brazilian down and keep him there.

In December 2010, your GRACIE magazine put Saturday’s matchup under the microscope – further proof how GRACIE readers are ahead of the game. If you’re a collector, grab the issue off the shelf and give it a full read. GRACIEMAG.com the website will take the opportunity to remind you of the fight predictions and post some of the better snippets from the article.

Cain is the hero of the world's greatest striker, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. How do you cover the champion? GRACIEMAG provided a lead, in December 2010.

“How do you stop ‘El Paredón’ Velasquez?”

After nine-straight MMA wins, eight of them by knockout, Cain Velasquez reached the pinnacle of the sport, becoming undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. Along the way he toppled established athletes like Rodrigo Minotauro and solved some truly daunting dilemmas, as he did with the stunning win over the bigger Brock Lesnar that conquered him the belt.

At twenty-eight years of age, Velasquez’s mission is to stay on top, putting an end to the round-robin of champions in the heavyweight division. Lesnar, Frank Mir, and Minotauro, for instance, were unable to hold on to the title for long. It’s hard work, but of the recent champions, none has garnered such praise. Cain seems to be a unanimous favorite. “He’s complete,” they say. His results and performances confirm it: six wins while still in the first round, like the one over Lesnar.

With enviable physical conditioning, first-rate wrestling, brutal boxing and, perhaps most significant of all, his coolheadedness, some might feel there’s no answer to this labyrinth. Even more so when we recall how Cain is well versed in Jiu-Jitsu, too. This American-born son of Mexican immigrants has been training with Dave Camarillo for four years and won the 2007 No- Gi World Championship as a blue belt. With no apparent holes in his game, beating him is a tricky puzzle indeed.

What would be the right strategy specifically for Junior Cigano to take out a force like Cain Velasquez? Can he hold out for five rounds with the UFC champ, a monster whose coaches guarantee he is one of the best conditioned fighters in the organization’s ranks? Well, Cain has only ever gone a whole three rounds once How would he do in a 25-minute fight? And what do you do to get a guy like that down to use your Jiu-Jitsu on him? The experts interviewed for this article do their best to answer these questions. (Watch the following video game simulation of Cain vs. Cigano.)

RODRIGO COMPRIDO (two-time absolute world champion and coach to Brock Lesnar, Cain’s last opponent)

I truly believe Jiu-Jitsu is the most complete martial artin existence and that a good black belt with the right strategy can beat anyone out there. Cain does indeed have good base and a very offensive, non-stop style of punching. Nevertheless, from what I saw of him in his prior fights, he opens up when he

attacks, which makes it possible to replace guard. We should also note how fighters who punch a lot extend their arm, and a good Jiu-Jitsu player can take advantage of that. Another possibility is going for his back immediately following a sweep, because the champion will probably turn to all fours to avoid being on bottom. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I see these openings in his game.

I feel pulling guard could be a good option. I know most folks will say it’s ugly or that it doesn’t work in MMA, but the reality is that if Minotauro had pulled guard, there’d have been a different outcome to the fight. A good Jiu-Jitsu fighter should never be afraid of pulling guard. There’s Demian Maia as an example for anyone who cares to see. Like I said, putting a wrestler of Velasquez’s level with his back to the ground is really hard to do, but each fighter has his own characteristics. If he’s good at armbars, perhaps it would be good to try for the finish that way. But if he has a good sweep, why wouldn’t he try that? I, in particular, learned a lot from his fight against Lesnar, and I’m going to be sure that next time I’m in the corner opposite him my fighter’s arm will be the one raised.

FABRICIO WERDUM (two-time Jiu-Jitsu World and ADCC champion)

The right tactic for facing Velasquez is doing what we call here at our team the “progressive guard.” Or in other words, attacking from the bottom with triangles, kimura locks, omoplatas, armbars, and at the same time, knowing how to defend against strikes. After all, he has really powerful ground and pound. Aside from that, there are several ways to get him to the ground and, believe it or not, I don’t feel trying to take him down is a crazy idea. Nobody has tried it and it’s something he won’t expect. A well-placed move may catch him by surprise. Jiu-Jitsu produces a series of possibilities and is always an

efficient weapon. In a fight, opportunities arise all the time and there’s a Jiu-Jitsu technique for every situation. All you need to know how to do is apply it.

RENZO GRACIE (UFC and Pride FC STAR, coach to GSP and Ricardo Cachorrão)

The truth is that Cain is good at Jiu-Jitsu too. When Lesnar took him down, he was perfectly comfortable. I feel that to beat Velasquez the opponent has to be good at all the essentials. Cain can take the fight where he wants it, like he did against Brock and Ben Rothwell. He did to Rothwell what no one had ever done before. The Jiu-Jitsu fighter who faces him will have to strengthen his standup to be able to use his ground game. Who knows? There’s always a chance in Jiu-Jitsu, something always comes up. But you have to be ready and in great shape, especially against Cain.

Getting him to the ground is a problem. Pulling guard in MMA is no easy task because the guy gets up and out of it. From the bottom the fighter has to play open guard to defend the strikes and, when the strikes come in, escape. Everything was easy when opponents didn’t know anything. These days, though, you have to know how to box, kick, and do takedowns.

I don’t know how great an idea it would be to go all out and try and finish it quickly. There are a lot of factors in a fight. In the case of Werdum against Fedor, for instance, you have to take into account how Fabrício is a big guy with great Jiu-Jitsu. Fedor accepted going to the ground because he thought Werdum was dazed from strikes. Everyone thought the fight was over. But there aren’t many heavyweights with that kind of ability. Gabriel Gonzaga’s Jiu-Jitsu is out of this world as well, but he couldn’t get his game to click on a number of occasions. Look, I believe Cain is going to be the champion for a long time. At heavyweight, I don’t see many with his kind of pace.

MURILO BUSTAMANTE (Former UFC middleweight champion)

You have to know the right way to block, getting the takedown. If you do that with the right timing, anyone will go down; that’s been proven. The guy could be a wrestling champion, time it right and he’ll go down. Another way is to shoot for his legs and, when Cain sprawls, take the chance to pull guard.

Ideally you would put Velasquez with his back to the ground either by takedown or sweep. But if you’re the one who ends up on the bottom, the important thing is to move a lot to not give him room to punch. You can’t let someone who hits hard punch. You need to go for omoplatas, armbars, sweeps… You can’t stop, and you have to have a really good defensive guard with good blocking to avoid the ground and pound. You can even close guard, but only to quickly attack. If you wait around things will get ugly. To sink a triangle, for example, you have to have long legs because Cain has broad shoulders. Now an armbar would be effective against him.

DEMIAN MAIA (UFC fighter, ADCC 2007 champion)

I’d work a lot on the guard and ways to stay safe on the bottom to defend the strikes and launch attacks. As he’s good at takedowns, being prepared in that department is key, which isn’t a problem – he’s got really dangerous ground and pound, but he throws his weight forward. That opens up possibilities. If you end up on the bottom, I feel the thing that would work best is to go for the submission or sweep from half-guard.

Velasquez can be taken down, namely by judo throws we call sacrifices, when you pull guard going for the throw. Wrestlers are used to throwing their weight forward, and that makes these types of throws easier to perform. When I took down Chael Sonnen, another wrestling specialist, that’s how I did it. But I also fooled him. I pulled guard at the start of the fight. After that he didn’t expect me to try and take him down, and I made a meal of it.

Cain on the attack in photo by Josh Hedges/UFC

Could Saturday’s fight end on the ground, with a well-timed submission? Most don’t think so. But Jiu-Jitsu, as always, will be a vital piece in the war between heavyweights Cain Velasquez, a brown belt and the champion, and challenger Junior Cigano, a Nogueira brothers brown belt.

Cain (Guerrilla JJ) has been through the ropes on the ground. He won the No-Gi Worlds absolute as a blue belt in 2007. He won the ultra heavy division, too. No small feat.

“I started Jiu-Jitsu when I started MMA, in 2007. he told GRACIEMAG.com reporter Nalty Jr. in conversation. “I don’t feel much difference between Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling. But once I learned Jiu-Jitsu my wrestling improved considerably. I have more control over positions. I feel the blend of Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling is great,” he adds.

Our GMA in Mexico and Renzo Gracie black belt Mario Delgado often trains with Cain; he told us what he thinks of the heavyweight’s Jiu-Jitsu. “He’s always looking to pass guard and mount to use his ground and pound. His Jiu-Jitsu game is really great and, with his wrestling pedigree, he’s always looking for top position.”

What about you, dear reader: will it end on the ground or start from there this Saturday?

Cigano's thoughts are with the title alone. Photo: Josh Hedges.

The only thing on Junior “Cigano” dos Santos Almeida’s mind is the belt. The challenger to the heavyweight throne at the UFC next Saturday, Cigano (13w, 1l) isn’t thinking about getting revenge for his master and guru Rodrigo Minotauro. The only thing in the former waiter now a Jiu-Jitsu brown’s sights is defeating the unbeaten Cain Velasquez and becoming the best in the world.

That’s what Cigano said on the last episode of Brazilian television show “Sensei Sportv,” when interviewed by Mario Filho between sessions at his training camp in Bahia state. “Who am I to get revenge for a name like Minotauro? I have a different motivation for this fight. Cain is the champ and I want to be the champion, too. And the best part is that he has never lost. I want to be the first to beat him,” added Cigano, considered the best boxer in the UFC heavyweight division, and with only one career loss – by submission. He did, however, remember that he has been knocked out before: in training, sparring with Rafael Feijão. But he said his chin isn’t all it’s cracked up to be:

“My chin isn’t as strong as, say, Minotauro’s; but I fight with my soul, with my heart. In getting to where I am today, things went quickly for someone who started less than six years ago and is already fighting for the title. I suffered a lot, trained a lot, and took a lot of beatings to get here. I learned plenty about hitting, as well as about dealing with a tight spot during a fight. I still haven’t been in one of those bad situations in the UFC, but I have in training, sparring with Rodrigo (Minotauro) or Rogério (Minotouro),” said Cigano.

Another fight promising fireworks on the card is between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida. Check out the full card:

UFC on Fox 1
Anaheim, California
Saturday, November 12, 2011

Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos
Under card (on the UFC Facebook page and on FoxSports.com)
Clay Guida vs Ben Henderson
Dustin Poirier vs Pablo Garza
Cub Swanson vs Ricardo Lamas
DaMarques Johnson vs Clay Harvison
Norifumi Yamamoto vs Darren Uyenoyama
Mackens Semerzier vs Robert Peralta
Alex Caceres vs Cole Escovedo
Mike Pierce vs Paul Bradley
Aaron Rosa vs Matt Lucas

Big John in Rio de Janeiro / Photo: Carlos Ozório

Having left the UFC in 2007, with a brief return in 2010, Big John was the California Athletic Commission’s pick to referee the main event in Anaheim. “The UFC was informed that there’s a 99% chance Big John will referee the main event,” Athletic Comission exec George Dodd told MMAJunkie.com.

Now UFC president Dana White issued statements backing Herb Dean as the man for the occasion, because he’s the “best ref in MMA today.”

Photo: Josh Hedges

Ever more accustomed to the cameras, having appeared on pretty much every Brazilian media outlet in the wake of the August UFC Rio show, Anderson Silva looks likely to take up an important venture for the small screen in his country. According to the column “Olá” in this Tuesday’s issue of “Agora São Paulo” newspaper, the UFC middleweight champion will be the official commentator for the UFC broadcast on the Globo network.

The “Spider” should debut in this new role of his on November 12 during the UFC on Fox 1 event featuring Cain Velasquez’s title defense against Junior Cigano. The event will be broadcast live by Globo in Brazil from Anaheim, California.