MMA News: Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Diego Sanchez, Jake Ellenberger and More

Junior dos Santos told Brazilian website Tatame.com that he’s going to knockout Alistair Overeem this summer.

“Overeem is really a tough, dangerous, heavy and really strong guy. I see him as a good challenge. Probably he’s accepting the stand-up fight. To me, it can go to the floor or on our feet. He’s very dangerous, but I gotta use my speed. I really believe in me, I’m always confident about my attitudes. I guess one of the secrets is: believing in yourself is half way. I really believe I can beat him. And as any fight, I’ll get there to knock him out. It won’t be different this time, I’m going there to knock him out…I really believe my stand-up. I believe i can knock anyone out doing the right work. He’s as dangerous as me on the stand-up, there’s a reason why he became the champion at K-1. It’ll be a hard fight, it’s gonna come down to who hits the other first. The impact of a heavyweight punch can knock one out in a second.”

This is another one of those fights that could in 10 seconds, so don’t blink. JDS is going to use his speed and handwork to negate Overeem’s size and kickboxing skills, and if you ask me, will succeed. But, that being said, Overeem has all the tools to get the job done. I eagerly await the month of May.

In an interview with USAToday.com, Diego Sanchez discussed his upcoming fight with fast-rising star Jake Ellenberger. “I think that my biggest edge in this fight is my experience and my wisdom that I take into the cage. The battles that I’ve been in and just my experience makes me the fighter I am now. I’m in good condition. I’m not going to have a hard weight cut this time. It’s all going to come together real well for me…This is a true mixed martial arts fight. I’m not going to say I think I have him here or I have him there. I think we’re both mixed martial artists and you guys are going to have to wait and find out what we’re going to do. I’m always evolving and getting better…I know I’m in for a war.”

I foresee a war as well. Sanchez is going to press the pace and it will be interesting to see Ellenberger deal with that. Overall, Ellenberger is the bigger, stronger, fighter, but there’s something to be said for aggression. Guess we’ll find out in two days.

UFC President Dana White announced two major additions to the UFC on Fox 3 card. First, a welterweight contender bout between Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks was added. Then a matchup between Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares was announced. UFC on Fox 3 takes place on May 5 from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ, and is headlined by the lightweight bout between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz.

These are big, big fights for their respective divisions. Add that to the headliner between Diaz and Miller and you have an excellent fight card. This event may not have “huge” names, but it’s right on par with the first two Fox shows.

In an interview with MMAWeekly.com, Alistair Overeem revealed that he has joined Glenn Robinson’s Authentic Sports Management, and he will now call the Blackzilians fight camp in South Florida his home since splitting with Golden Glory. “Since I signed my UFC contract, I knew I needed to be in the States more and, therefore, I visited several gyms, training camps, managers and other interesting people in the industry. When I came to South Florida, with ASM, I saw right away they are not only a management company, but an organization that makes sure that everything besides fighting is being taken care of…I knew I needed a base where I can always go when I need proper training. I found that place in South Florida…If you want to perform at the highest level you should only focus on training and with this step I can do so. That means everything in this championship fight.”

I can’t say much about the management team, but joining up with the Blackzilians is a great move. There’s a ton of talent under that roof and it should help Overeem round out his skills.

According to multiple reports, Mike Kyle has been forced out of a March 3 bout with Gegard Mousasi in Strikeforce due to injury. A replacement is being sought after, but according to one source, Mousasi will most likely be scratched from the card entirely.

This is horrible news. I was really looking forward to watching Mousasi fight again. But he should really be in the UFC already.