Dos Santos expects stiff challenge from Mir

LAS VEGAS ? The theme for the Ultimate Fighting Championship lately seems to have been built around bumpy roads to title fights.

And UFC 146 Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas is no different. Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos puts his title on the line for the first time when he meets two-time former champion Frank Mir. But Mir's path to a shot at his third title is steeped in controversy not of his making.

Dos Santos (14-1, 8-0 UFC), a heavy-handed Brazilian with 12 knockouts on his resume, was scheduled to fight former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem, the top contender after beating Brock Lesnar in December. But when Overeem failed a random drug test in April with elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone level at more than twice what the Nevada Athletic Commission allows, he was yanked from the fight.

Mir (16-2, 14-2 UFC), already booked for a fight on the same card, moved up a spot for a chance to add to his legacy just a month before the fight.

"I guess people are looking for me to say something special about it, but a fight's a fight," said Mir, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt regarded as one of the best submission-savvy heavyweights in history. "I was glad I was in good enough shape to take the opportunity."

Dos Santos, for his part, said he doesn't care who he fights as long as it's a level playing field, alluding to Overeem's failed test that has him out until at least December.

"Mir is a really dangerous opponent because he's really good on the ground, he has good striking skills," dos Santos said. "He's a good challenge for me.

"I don't care who is going to be my opponent, but I hope they are fighting like me ? clean."

UFC 146 is the first all-heavyweight main card in UFC history. The preliminary card features a featherweight bout between Diego Brandao, winner of Season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, and Darren Elkins, a two-time Indiana state wrestling champion from Hobart who goes after his third straight victory in the division after dropping down from lightweight.

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