Junior "Cigano" dos Santos made his UFC debut at UFC 90 with an upset of Fabricio Werdum via first round knockout, and has followed his initial success with three more victories against tough opponents, most recently Gilbert Yvel at UFC 108. Dos Santos has a career record of 11-1, and of his 11 wins, only two have made it out of the first round with none going to decision.

Although relatively unknown among UFC fans even a year ago, dos Santos is now commonly talked about as a contender for the heavyweight title. His fast hands and impressive knockout power have started to garner a lot of attention among his peers and the fans alike.

"Cigano" recently sat down with noted Brazilian website portaldovaletudo.uol.com.br to discuss his latest win against Gilbert Yvel, his training for his upcoming bout with Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on Versus, and share his thoughts about the interim UFC title.

You can view the transcribed version of the interview in English below:

Your next fight against Gabriel Gonzaga is confirmed, is that correct?

Yes, it is. I just signed the contract and I'm preparing for the match, which will take place on March 21.

Did you expect to come back and fight a little over two months after beating Yvel?

At the end of last year, the UFC management told me I would be very busy this year. I'm ready for anyone. Gonzaga is a great fighter, very strong. I'm going to prepare for this fight with complete focus, and get there at 100%.

You have won your fourth fight in the UFC, most recently against Gilbert Yvel, all by knockout or technical knockout. How does that make you feel?

I feel great!  Thank God that I've been 100% successful. My training went well again. Our strategy was to get a feel for the fight through the striking, knowing that if I connected he would be in trouble. It went exactly the way we had trained for.

Did you ever think about the possibility of taking the fight to the mat, or were your tactics  focused on striking from the start?

The strategy was to feel him out in the standup at first, because although he is very good at striking, that is also the area which I am more confident in. So we could not dismiss the area I'm stronger in, for any reason, but if things got complicated I would have taken it to the mat. Thank God, my hands did their job, I knew that he would feel them. My hands are heavy, and I rocked him.

What is the importance of Luiz Dorea in your training?

People who spend as much time together as we do, start to do everything together, as trainer and student, and as friends. He advises me to train a lot mentally, because if you are strong there, that will strengthen your other parts.

Everyone knows about your striking ability, but what about your ground training?

I started training with Rogerio Minotouro, I watched his fight (with Luiz Cane), and then I went back to Bahia. It was the first time I started all of my training here, and finished it here as well. Demian Maia also came here to train in boxing, and I took advantage of it to improve my technique as well. Lula Molusco stayed with me for sparring, even though he...