We've all heard the news by now - Brock Lesnar has pulled out of his UFC 131 fight with Junior dos Santos, and Shane Carwin has stepped up to face Cigano on June 11th in Vancouver. This new fight is still a number one contender's matchup, with the winner getting a shot at Cain Velasquez later this year. Sherdog was able to speak to dos Santos after the change was announced, and dos Santos was complimentary towards his new opponent:
"I got a little upset about this change, but I’m happy that the UFC got another opponent for me," Dos Santos told Sherdog.com Thursday evening. "Carwin is an excellent fighter and deserves all my respect."
Junior has endured two opponent changes in the recent past, with a title fight against Velasquez being scrapped due to an injury to the champ, and now this Lesnar situation. Dos Santos knows what skills Carwin brings to the cage, and he anticipates a definitive finish on June 11th:
"His boxing skills are great," said Dos Santos of Carwin, who has secured all four of his UFC wins by first-round stoppage. "It’s gonna be a great fight with tough blows from both sides. I would say that it will end by knockout."
A month isn't very long to prepare for a new opponent, but dos Santos takes it in stride:
"I want to fight," Dos Santos said. "I’m in the best moment of my career and I want to make my dream of being a UFC champion come true."
