By Raphael Garcia

Heavyweight mixed martial arts remains a compelling division within the sport. Last year's emergence of Fabricio Werdum as the UFC's heavyweight champion has introduced some interesting possibilities for the future.

One of those potential Werdum opponents is Junior dos Santos – a fighter who boasts a win over the current champion. But if dos Santos is going to earn another shot at the title, he must first get through Ben Rothwell in their UFC Fight Night 86 main event.

In 2011, the UFC announced a major broadcasting deal with FOX. The UFC's first-ever network television fight card featured just one fight: a heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and challenger dos Santos.


Promoted as the heavyweight the UFC could build on, Velasquez is an excellent fighter with heritage that would allow the organization to finally tap into the lucrative Mexican market.

But dos Santos only needed just 64 seconds to derail the UFC's plans. He tagged Velasquez with a vicious overhand right that sent the champion tumbling to the ground.

As the new heavyweight champion, dos Santos became the centerpiece of UFC promotion and branding, and his quick destruction of Velasquez gave onlookers the impression that he would remain champion for a long time. His win over former UFC champion Frank Mir further solidified that notion.

But dos Santos ran into Velasquez again at UFC 155, and this time, there wasn't a quick knockout. Velasquez battered the Brazilian to recapture the title, and then beat him badly in a rematch. Two of the three bouts with Velasquez saw dos Santos take the kind of severe beating that can impact a fighter's career in the worst of ways.

READ MORE: Ben Rothwell Keeps Winning With Underdog Label

Although dos Santos is 2-2 in his last four bouts, he’s still a force within the heavyweight division. He has the ability to land a powerful punch that can change a fight at any given moment, and holds a knockout victory over the current reigning champion. It is his boxing skill that makes him a constant threat. According to Luiz Dorea, the game plan against Rothwell includes embracing what made dos Santos so special in the first place.

“I understand his decision to improve his jiu-jitsu skills and spend time with master Andre Pederneiras at Nova Uniao,” Dorea told Sherdog. “But he can never forget that the main technique that made him a UFC heavyweight champion was boxing, and we are here to help him in that matter.”

In Rothwell, dos Santos faces another fighter known for his striking, but with a style that includes more brawling as opposed to technical boxing. Rothwell is riding an impressive four-fight win streak, all by finish. Rothwell is ranked third in the division, while dos Santos sits in fourth.

A victory for dos Santos puts him right back in the title hunt, and could earn him the long-awaited fourth bout with Velasquez or a rematch with Werdum. But for now, Rothwell is the main focus, and the fight community should be excited for a fight that will likely be contested entirely on the feet.