Off on a Comet
Author(s)	Jules Verne
Original title	Hector Servadac
Translator	unknown (1877), Ellen Frewer (1877), Edward Roth (1877-78), I. O. Evans (1965)
Illustrator	Paul Philippoteaux
Country	France
Language	French
Series	The Extraordinary Voyages #15
Genre(s)	Science fiction, adventure novel
Publisher	Pierre-Jules Hetzel
Publication date	1877
Published in English	1877
Media type	Print (Hardback)
ISBN	N/A
Preceded by	Michael Strogoff
Followed by	The Child of the Cavern

Off on a Comet (French: Hector Servadac) is an 1877 science fiction novel by Jules Verne.

Plot summary[link]

John Herschel observes Comet Halley from his observatory in Cape Town in 1835 (illustration from the book).

The story starts with a comet that touches the Earth in its flight and collects a few small chunks of it. Some forty people of various nations and ages are condemned to a two-year-long journey on the comet. They form a mini-society and cope with the hostile environment of the comet (mostly the cold). The size of the 'comet' is about 2300 kilometers in diameter - far larger than any comet or asteroid that actually exists.

Main characters[link]

The 36 inhabitants of Gallia include a German Jew, an Italian, three Frenchmen, eight Russians, 10 Spaniards, and 13 British soldiers. The main characters are:

• Captain Hector Servadac of the French Algerian army
• Laurent Ben Zoof, Servadac's aid
• Count Wassili Timascheff of Russia
• Lt. Procope, the commander of Timascheff's yacht, Dobrina
• Isaac Hakkabut, a German trader
• Nina
• Pablo
• Colonel Heneage Finch Murphy and Major Sir John Temple Oliphant of Britain's Gibraltar garrison. In the French original Murphy is actually a Brigadier (General), a rank too high to be the butt of Verne's joking description as playing an interminable game of chess without a pawn being taken. The translator accordingly demoted him to the rank of Colonel, a rank less likely to cause offense.
• Palmyrin Rosette, the French discoverer of the comet and previously Servadac's teacher.

Publication history[link]

The book was first published in France (Hetzel Edition, 1877).

The English translation by Ellen E. Frewer, was published in England by Sampson Low (November 1877), and the U.S. by Scribner Armstrong^[1] with the title Hector Servadac; Or the Career of a Comet. The Frewer translation alters the text considerably with additions and emendations, paraphrases dialogue, and rearranges material, although the general thread of the story is followed. The translation was made from the Magazin pre-publication version of the novel described below in Antisemitism.

At the same time George Munro^[2] in New York published an anonymous translation in a newspaper format as #43 of his Seaside Library books. This is the only literal translation containing all the dialogue and scientific discussions. Unfortunately the translation stops after Part II Chapter 10, and continues with the Frewer translation.

The same year a still different translation by Edward Roth was published in Philadelphia by Claxton, Remsen, and Heffelfinger^[3] in two parts. Part I (October, 1877) was entitled To the Sun and Part II (May, 1878) Off on a Comet. This was reprinted in 1895 by David McKay.

Occasional reprints of these books were published around 1900 by Norman L. Munro, F.M. Lupton, Street&Smith, Hurst and Co., and Federal Book Co.

In 1911, Vincent Parke and Company^[4] published a shortened version of the Frewer translation, omitting Part II, Chapter 3. Parke used the title Off on a Comet, and since that time the book has usually been referred to with that title instead of the correct one, Hector Servadac.

In 1926 the first two issues of Amazing Stories carried Off on a Comet in two parts. In 1959, Classics Illustrated released Off on a Comet as a graphic novel (issue #149).

In 1960 Dover (New York) re-published the Roth translations, unabridged, as Space Novels by Jules Verne, including reproductions of the original engravings from the first French editions. In 1965 the I. O. Evans condensation of the Frewer translation was published in two volumes as Anomalous Phenomena and Homeward Bound by ARCO, UK and Associated Booksellers, US. University Press of the Pacific, Honolulu, re-published the Frewer translation in 2000. In September, 2007, Solaris Books (U.K.) published Off on a Comet as an appendix to Splinter by Adam Roberts; a slightly edited version of the Parke edition.

In a September 11, 2007 blog post on The Guardian, Adam Roberts reviewed the 1877 translation. Roberts felt that the translation was inaccurate and incomplete.^[5] However Roberts' criticism is somewhat vitiated by the fact that the version of Hector Servadac he was criticizing was the corrupt version of the original Frewer translation found on Project Gutenberg (based on the Parke edition, above) made from a different French original than the one he was using.

In October, 2007, Choptank Press published an on-line version of Munro's 1877 Hector Servadac, Travels and Adventures through the Solar System ^[6] edited by Norman Wolcott, followed (December, 2007) by Hector Servadac: The Missing Ten Chapters from the Munro Translation^[7] newly translated by Norman Wolcott and Christian Sánchez. In 2008 the Choptank Press published a combined book version Hector Servadac: Travels and Adventures Through the Solar System containing (I) An enlarged replica of Seaside Library edition #43 as published by George Munro, New York, 1877; (II)A typeset version of the same in large readable type; (III) A new translation of the last 10 chapters from the original French by Norman Wolcott and Christian Sanchez in the literal style of the remainder of the book; and (IV) 100 illustrations from the original publications enlarged to 8½" × 11" format.^[8]

Antisemitism controversy[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

From the beginning Verne had problems with this novel.^[9] Originally he intended that Gallia would crash into the earth killing all on board. This may have been the motivation for his ghoulish and rather unfunny joke naming the hero "Servadac" with the mirror of the French word cadavres (="corpses"), predicting all would die on the "return". His publisher Hetzel would not accept this however, given the large juvenile readership in his monthly magazine, and Verne was forced to graft a rather unsatisfying ending onto the story, allowing the inhabitants of Gallia to escape the crash in a balloon.

The first appearance in French was in the serial magazine Magazine d'Éducation et de Récréation, commencing on 1 January 1877 and ending on 15 December 1877. It was in June, 1877 when chapter 18 appeared with the introduction and description of Isac Hakhabut — "He was a man of fifty years, who looked sixty. Small, weakly, with eyes bright and false, a busked nose, a yellowish beard and unkempt hair, large feet, hands long and hooked, he offered the well-known type of the German Jew, recognizable among all. This was the usurer with supple back-bone, flat-hearted, a clipper of coins and a skin-flint. Silver should attract such a being as the magnet attracts iron, and if this Shylock was allowed to pay himself from his debtor, he would certainly sell the flesh at retail. Besides, although a Jew originally, he made himself a Mahometan in Mahometan provinces, when his profit demanded it, and he would have been a pagan to gain more."

This prompted the chief rabbi of Paris, Zadoc Kahn, to write a letter to Hetzel, objecting that this material had no place in a magazine for young people. Hetzel and Verne co-signed a reply indicating they had no intention of offending anyone, and promising to make corrections in the next edition. However Verne left the salvage work to Hetzel, asking Hetzel at the end of the summer, "Have you arranged the affair of the Jews in Servadac?" The principal change was to replace "Jew" with "Isac" throughout, and to add "Christian countries" to those where Hakhabut plied his trade. The anti-semitic tone remained however, sales were lower than for other Verne books, and the American reprint houses saw little profit with only a single printing by George Munro in a newspaper format. Even the Hetzel revised version has never been translated into English, as both Victorian translations were made from the magazine version. This has caused some modern reviewers to unfairly criticize the early translators, assuming that they had inserted the anti-semitic material which Verne actually wrote.

Film Adaptations[link]

• Valley of the Dragons (1961) a Columbia Picture directed by Edward Bernds
• Valley of the Dragons at the Internet Movie Database

Na kometě (Off on a comet), directed by Karel Zeman, Czechoslovakia, 1970. The English language release was titled On the Comet.

• Na Komete at the Internet Movie Database

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Off on a Comet

• Hector Servadac, Travels and Adventures through the Solar System edited by Norman Wolcott (George Munro 1877 version). Choptank Press, 2007
• Hector Servadac: The Missing Ten Chapters of the Munro Translation by Norman Wolcott and Christian Sánchez. Choptank Press, 2007.
• Hector Servadac, page images of the Munro Translation from the Library of Congress..
• Hector Servadac, scanned copy of the Frewer translation (Charles Scribner's sons, 1906 printing).
• Off on a Comet, text of Parke edition from Project Gutenberg.
• Off on a Comet, edited by Adam Roberts, Solaris Books.
• Off on a Comet, English audio version from Project Gutenberg.
• Hector Servadac, French text.
• [2], a Polish site with detailed filmography of Karel Zeman.
• Hector Servadac and the Comets of Jules Verne has the most complete background on the science of the book, by astro-physicist Jacques Crovisier. (in French)

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (December 2008)

Alexander L. Gustafsson^[3] (born January 15, 1987) is a Swedish professional mixed martial artist who has competed for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, Shooto, FinnFight and UFC in his career. He is currently signed with the UFC fighting in their light heavyweight division. As of April 2012, Gustafsson is ranked the #7 light-heavyweight in the world by MMAWeekly^[4] and as #4 by Fight! Magazine ^[5]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Early career[link]

Gustafsson started training MMA in 2006, and before that he trained in boxing which he started when he was around 10 years old. Before signing with the UFC, Gustafsson fought mostly in smaller promotions in Sweden and other parts of Europe. By 2009, he had racked up a perfect pro-record of 8-0, with 6 wins coming by the way of KO/TKO.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

He made his UFC debut against Jared Hamman on November 14, 2009 at UFC 105.^[6] Gustafsson won the fight via KO at 0:41 in round 1.

His next fight was against Phil Davis at UFC 112 in the preliminary card.^[7] Gustafsson was defeated by Davis due to submission (anaconda choke) at 4:55 of the first round. Prior to this, Gustafsson showed good wrestling and takedown defense which Joe Rogan praised him for. Gustafsson even attempted a takedown of his own. Finally he succumbed to Davis' takedown and was submitted.

Gustafsson faced MMA veteran Cyrille Diabaté at UFC 120. In advance of this bout, Gustafsson traveled to San Diego, USA to train with Alliance MMA for a month. At the training camp, Gustafsson trained with notable UFC fighters like his former opponent Phil Davis, Brandon Vera, Joey Beltran and Travis Browne. He also took grappling tips from Phil Davis and worked to improve his strength and speed. After dominating the first round in stand up as well as on the ground, dropping Diabate twice, Gustafsson defeated Diabate via submission (rear-naked choke) in the second round.

Gustafsson won his second straight UFC fight after he defeated James Te-Huna via rear naked choke in round one at UFC 127.^[8][9]

Gustafsson was expected to face Vladimir Matyushenko on August 6, 2011 at UFC 133.^[10] But Matyushenko pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Matt Hamill.^[11] In the 2nd round, Gustafsson dropped Hamill with a straight punch followed by two uppercuts, finishing Hamill with punches and elbows from the mount. Hamill announced his retirement shortly after the fight.

Gustafsson eventually faced Matyushenko on December 30, 2011 at UFC 141.^[12] He defeated Matyushenko by TKO in the first round.

Gustafsson was expected to face Antônio Rogério Nogueira on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 2, but Nogueira pulled out of the fight citing an injury and was replaced by Thiago Silva.^[13] Gustafsson was able to effectively use his reach and jab to largely outstrike Silva and earned the unanimous decision victory.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Submission Grappling

Grapplers Paradise 4 -99kg winner ^[14]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional MMA record for Alexander Gustafsson from Sherdog
• Official website
• Alexander Gustafsson on Twitter
• Official UFC Profile

Cain Velasquez
Born	Cain Velasquez Ramirez (1982-07-28) July 28, 1982 (age 29) Salinas, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	77 in (196 cm)
Style	Boxing, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu
Fighting out of	San Jose, California
Team	American Kickboxing Academy
Trainer	Head Trainer: Javier Mendez Strategy Coach: Bob Cook Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Dave Camarillo Boxing Coach: Arturo "Huitzi" Mata Wrestling Coach: Daniel Cormier
Rank	Brown belt in Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu[1]
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	11
Wins	10
By knockout	9
By decision	1
Losses	1
By knockout	1
University	Arizona State University Iowa Central Community College
Spouse	Michelle Velásquez
Children	1
Notable school(s)	Kofa High School
Website	Official website
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: October 14, 2010

Cain Velasquez Ramirez^[2] (born July 28, 1982) is a Mexican American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.^[3] He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa Central Community College.^[4] He is a two-time 5A state champion in Arizona, compiling a record of 110–10 for Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona.^[5] Cain Velasquez is ranked #2 in the heavyweight division.

Early life[link]

Velasquez, a Mexican American,^[6] was born on July 28, 1982 in Salinas, California to Efrain and Isabel Velasquez. Velasquez's father, Efrain, came from Mexico to the United States illegally. Efrain met his wife Isabel, married her, and gained US citizenship.^[7] Velasquez has two siblings, Efrain, Jr., and Adela. He was raised in Yuma, Arizona.^[2] He graduated from Kofa High School, where he compiled a record of 110–10 in four years of wrestling, including winning the 5A Arizona Wrestling Championship twice. Velasquez also played football for three years. As a senior, he served as Captain of both his wrestling and football teams.^[2]

After high school, he attended Iowa Central Community College, where he earned an Associates degree. He also wrestled for one season and won the NJCAA National Championship. After Iowa Central Community College, Velasquez graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's degree in Education.^[2] He wrestled there for three seasons and compiled a record of 86–17, placing 5th in the country in 2005, and 4th in 2006. While at ASU, Velasquez also wrestled alongside future UFC fighters Ryan Bader and C.B. Dollaway.^[8]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Cain began his mixed martial arts career right after college, joining American Kickboxing Academy. Velasquez is a brown belt in Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu and a NCAA Division I Wrestler. He has notable wins over Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar.

Early career[link]

Velasquez made his MMA debut on October 7, 2006 against Jesse Fujarczyk at Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello, he won by TKO in the first round. Velasquez then faced Jeremiah Constant at BodogFight: St. Petersburg, he won via TKO in the first round at the 4 minute mark.^[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

Velasquez made his UFC debut against Brad Morris at UFC 83 and won due to strikes in the first round.^[10] In his next fight, Velasquez defeated Jake O'Brien at UFC Fight Night 14 by TKO in round one.^[11] Velasquez then faced Denis Stojnić at UFC Fight Night 17 and the fight was stopped in round two with Velasquez earning the victory by TKO. Velasquez also earned Knockout of the Night honors for his performance.^[12] Velasquez's next fight was in UFC 99 against former kickboxer and established UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was once again dominant, landing 251 strikes and winning the bout by unanimous decision (30–27 on all cards).^[13]

His next opponent was expected to be Shane Carwin^[14] with the winner likely challenging for the UFC Heavyweight Championship held by Brock Lesnar. However that bout was scrapped^[15] and Velasquez was instead told he would be fighting Ben Rothwell at UFC 104.^[16][17] He defeated Rothwell by second round TKO.^[18]

Velasquez faced former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on February 20, 2010 at UFC 110.^[19] Going into the fight, some commentators predicted that Nogueira would take the victory due to a supposed lack of striking power for Velasquez.^[20] They were proven wrong when Velasquez defeated Nogueira via first round knockout, earning Knockout of the Night honors.^[20]

UFC Heavyweight Champion[link]

Dana White announced via SportsNation that the UFC would be bringing back UFC Primetime to promote Lesnar vs. Velasquez.^[21] Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship via TKO in the first round, earning Knockout of the Night honors.^[22]

Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during his fight with Lesnar at UFC 121 and was expected to be sidelined for at least 6–8 months.^[23] Surgery on the shoulder was successful and Velasquez planned to return as early as Fall 2011.^[24]

Velasquez was expected to make his first title defense against Junior dos Santos, with a target date of November 19, 2011 at UFC 139,^[25] but the fight was later moved to November 12, 2011 to headline the first UFC on Fox 1.^[26]

Velasquez suffered his first loss via KO (punches) at 1 minute and 4 seconds of the first round at the hands of then title contender, Junior dos Santos.

Post title loss[link]

Velasquez was originally set to fight Frank Mir on May 26, 2012 at UFC 146.^[27] However, Mir was moved up to face Junior dos Santos after Alistair Overeem was pulled from the card. Velasquez instead faced Antonio Silva.^[28] Velasquez defeated Silva via first round TKO. Dana White strongly hinted after the fight that Velasquez will be the next fighter to challenge for the Heavyweight Title.^[29]

Personal life[link]

Velasquez speaks English and Spanish. He has been a guest star on the Spanish-language television networks Telemundo and Univision.^[30] In addition to his Spanish-language TV appearances, he was also a featured guest on the TBS late night TV show, Lopez Tonight, starring George Lopez.^[31]

Velasquez and his girlfriend, Michelle, welcomed a daughter on May 6, 2009. The couple married on May 28, 2011.^[32][33]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
  • Knockout of the Night Honors (Three times)

• Inside MMA
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award

• MMAFighting.com
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year

• MMAjunkie.com
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year^[34]

• Sherdog
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year
  • 2010 All-Violence 1st Team

• MMA Live
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year

[edit] Collegiate wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I All-American (2005, 2006)
  • Pac-10 Conference Championship (2005, 2006)
  • Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year (2005)
  • NCAA Division I 285 1b – 5th place out of Arizona State University (2005)^[35]
  • NCAA Division I 285 1b – 4th place out of Arizona State University (2006)^[35]
• National Junior College Athletic Association
  • NJCAA Junior Collegiate Championship (2002)
  • NJCAA All-American (2002)
• USA Wrestling
  • FILA Junior Freestyle World Team Trials Winner (2002)
  • ASICS Tiger High School All-American (2001)
  • Western Junior Freestyle Regional Championship (2001)
  • Western Junior Greco-Roman Regional Championship (2001)
• Arizona Interscholastic Association
  • AIA Division I High School State Championship (2000, 2001)
  • AIA 5A Conference Championship (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

See also[link]

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official UFC Profile
• Cain Velasquez's profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Arizona State Wrestling Bio
• Cain Velasquez on Twitter
• Cain Velasquez at the Internet Movie Database
• Professional MMA record for Cain Velasquez from Sherdog
• Cain Velasquez Heavy Weight Belt Loss

Junior dos Santos
Born	(1984-09-12) September 12, 1984 (age 27) Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Other names	Cigano ("Gypsy") JDS
Residence	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	108.4 kg (239 lb; 17 st 1 lb)
Division	Heavyweight (265 lb)
Reach	77 in (196 cm)
Style	Mixed Martial Arts
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Team	Team Nogueira
Rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active	2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	16
Wins	15
By knockout	11
By submission	2
By decision	2
Losses	1
By submission	1
Website	http://www.juniordossantos.com.br/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: November 23, 2011

Junior dos Santos Almeida (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒũnjoʁ dus ˈsɐ̃tus]), also known as Junior Cigano ("Gipsy"; born September 12, 1984), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is ranked as the number one heavyweight fighter in the world by numerous media outlets.^[2][3][4]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Dos Santos started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Yuri Carlton for fitness reasons. After some time he was invited to join an MMA practice, where he met his boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dórea, and after roughly a year he made his debut fight.^[5][6]

Early career[link]

Dos Santos became professional in 2006 at the age of 21. He fought in small promotions in Brazil, such as Demo Fight, Extreme Fighting Championship, Minotauro Fights and Mo Team League. He won 6 out of his first 7 bouts, suffering his only loss to Joaquim Ferreira, a fighter he'd previously beaten.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2008–present)[link]

Debut (2008–2010)[link]

Dos Santos debuted for the UFC on October 25, 2008 at UFC 90. Considered a major underdog,^[7] dos Santos knocked out top contender Fabricio Werdum at a minute and twenty-one seconds of the first round with a strong uppercut,^[8][9] earning himself a "Knockout of the Night" award.^[10]

Dos Santos returned on February 21, 2009 at UFC 95 and fought promotional newcomer Stefan Struve defeating him at fifty-four seconds of the first round by TKO.^[11]

On September 19, 2009, Dos Santos continued his winning streak and defeated Mirko Filipović at UFC 103.^[12] During the third round, dos Santos dominated Filipović in the clinch with knee strikes and punches. A knee from the clinch and a right uppercut left Cro Cop unable to see causing him to verbally submit.^[13]

Dos Santos was supposed to fight Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108. However, Gonzaga pulled out of the bout on November 25, 2009, due to a staph infection.^[14] Instead on January 2, 2010, dos Santos fought Gilbert Yvel,^[15] winning the fight via TKO at two minutes and seven seconds of the first round.^[16]

Dos Santos defeated Gabriel Gonzaga on March 21, 2010, at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones by knockout in the first round.^[17] Earning Dos Santos his second "Knockout of the Night" award.^[18]

Heavyweight title contender (2010–2011)[link]

Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson on August 7, 2010, at UFC 117.^[19] The fight saw Dos Santos use a variety of strikes and, for the first time, a successful takedown.^[20] Despite dos Santos' striking ability, Nelson was able to stay in the fight,^[21] resulting in the fight going to decision.^[22] Dos Santos won via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).^[23] Following the win Dos Santos was expected to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title. However a torn rotator cuff suffered by Velasquez sidelined the champion for nearly a year.^[24]

Junior Dos Santos in action against Shane Carwin in the main event of UFC 131.

On January 11, 2011, it was revealed that Dos Santos would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite to Brock Lesnar.^[25] They were scheduled to face each other on June 11, 2011, at UFC 131,^[26] but Lesnar pulled out of the bout due to a recurrence of diverticulitis and was replaced by Shane Carwin.^[27] Dos Santos dominated Carwin and defeated him via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26),^[28] relying predominantly on his boxing skills,^[29] but showed more variety in his game by landing a couple of kicks and completing two takedowns in the third round.^[30][31]

UFC Heavyweight Champion (2011–present)[link]

Junior Dos Santos with the UFC Heavyweight Title Belt.

Dos Santos faced Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on November 12, 2011.^[32] Dos Santos defeated Velasquez in 1 minute and 4 seconds of the first round via KO to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship title.^[33] Dos Santos dropped Velasquez with an overhand right and finished him off with a series of punches.^[34] The performance also earned Dos Santos his third "Knockout of the Night" award.^[35] After the fight, it was revealed that he had a torn meniscus in his knee,^[36] he subsequently underwent a successful knee surgery.^[37]

Dos Santos was scheduled to face Alistair Overeem on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at UFC 146.^[38] On April 4, 2012, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced Overeem had failed a pre-fight drug test.^[39] Overeem's "A" sample was found to have a elevated T/E ratio of 14:1, the NSAC's allowable ratio is 6:1, Overeem had the opportunity to request a test on his "B" sample.^[40][41] A NSAC hearing on the issue was held on April 24, 2012.^[42] At the hearing Overeem's request for a license was denied.^[43] On April 20, 2012, Dana White the UFC president announced Frank Mir would be replacing Overeem.^[44] Junior dos Santos dominated the fight showing his superior boxing skills, resulting in a TKO in the second round.

Personal life[link]

Dos Santos is married. Moreover, he states that Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is his hero.^[45] In addition to his native Portuguese, Dos Santos speaks English and has stated his intention to learn Spanish.^[46] He received his nickname "Cigano" by showing up to practice with long hair placed in a ponytail,^[47] Cigano meaning Gypsy in Portuguese.^[45] The name is an allusion to a character from an old Brazilian soap opera, addressing the culture of the gypsies in Brazil.^[47] He is a Roman Catholic.^[7] He has also stated that as a child he hated soccer.^[48]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed Martial Arts[link]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time; Current)
  • Knockout of the Night (Three times)^[10][18][35]

• FIGHT! Magazine
  • 2008 Upset of the Year vs. Fabricio Werdum on October 25

Mixed martial arts record[link]

See also[link]

• List of current mixed martial arts champions
• List of UFC champions
• List of current UFC fighters

References[link]