UFC champ defends title against Velasquez

The lure of the money and the opportunity to raise his family out of poverty was a major factor in the lofty goal, but the aspiration was much more personal to dos Santos.

He hoped one day to be able to operate on his mother to rid her of the varicose veins he blames on himself for being a “very heavy baby.”

“I’m not a doctor, but I paid for that surgery to happen, and I’m happy for that,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion said. “It was one of my proudest moments. It was very special to me.

“She’s really happy now because her legs are even more beautiful.”

Dos Santos smiles as he recounts the story, but then again, he almost always appears happy, an observation bolstered by the image of the 6-foot-4-inch Brazilian strolling along Hollywood Boulevard singing the chorus of the YouTube hit “Gangnam Style,” while mimicking the famous dance.

A year after winning the belt with a 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez, dos Santos is grinning ear to ear even while in the midst of a two-day press tour in Los Angeles, the kind of tedious event that can make most star athletes surly.

“I’m just a very happy guy. Especially living the way I’m living now, I have no reason to be sad,” dos Santos said while sitting in the lobby of a swank Hollywood hotel. “I have a lot of good reasons to be very happy, and I am. It’s very natural to me.”

So is knocking people out.

The 28-year-old has knocked out 11 of 16 opponents on his way to a 15-1 mark, finishing Frank Mir in the second round of his first title defense in May.

His rise to stardom and the heavyweight title have provided dos Santos with a lifestyle far beyond what he ever imagined, or could have hoped for as a doctor.

But that hasn’t hindered his work ethic as he prepares for a rematch with Velasquez at the MGM Grand Garden in the main event of UFC 155 on Dec. 29.

“I never imagined any of this before. Even now, before I became champion, I didn’t dream about stuff like this. I really do enjoy it. Who wouldn’t like things like this? It’s really nice,” he said, looking around his surroundings. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to enjoy things like this. That’s part of my motivation to get better every time I fight.

“My motivation is to keep everything going the way it is. I’m living my dream. I don’t know why, but God gave me an amazing life and an amazing career, and I’m just trying to enjoy life the best way I can.”

Dos Santos knows the rematch might be tougher than the first fight against Velasquez last November in the first UFC fight on Fox. He took the title when Velasquez crumpled to the ground on the first punch dos Santos landed.

“That was a really important fight, but it was really fast,” dos Santos said. “I don’t think he made a mistake; I just think I did well. For sure he is sad because he lost that fight, and it’s motivation for him to come in hungrier, but to keep this belt is really good motivation for me, too.”

Like most observers, dos Santos believed Velasquez’s last fight represented the best performance of his career. Velasquez rebounded from his first loss by demolishing Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in May.

“He came out with a very good strategy, and he did very well against Bigfoot. Cain Velasquez is very talented and very dangerous,” dos Santos said. “I think he will try to do something like that with me this time.”

With his dreams of practicing medicine long since passed and his goal of winning a belt already accomplished at a young age, dos Santos again has had to adjust his mindset.

“I think my dream now is to break records,” he said. “I want to keep my belt with me for a long, long time and keep getting a better life for me and my family.”

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.