UFC on Fox 13 Notebook: Litmus Test

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It will soon be revealed whether or not Stipe Miocic has the goods necessary to run with the big dogs in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division.

Miocic will square off with former champion Junior dos Santos in the UFC on Fox 13 headliner on Saturday at the US Airways Center in Phoenix. A victory over “Cigano” could conceivably thrust the 32-year-old Strong Style Fight Team representative into a title bout with the winner of the forthcoming Cain Velasquez-Fabricio Werdum showdown in 2015.

“I would love to get a title shot,” Miocic told Sherdog.com. “Right now, I’ve got to worry about [dos Santos], but after that, it’s whatever the UFC wants. They’re the ones that make the decisions on that.”

His stock on the rise, Miocic will carry a three-fight winning streak into the five-round main event. He last fought as the featured attraction at a UFC Fight Night event in May, when he wiped out Fabio Maldonado with punches in just 35 seconds. Miocic can hear opportunity knocking as he approaches his battle with dos Santos, a man widely regarded as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world.

“I think [with] every fight you have, the next fight is the biggest fight of your career,” he said. “Of course, it’s the main event of a main card, a huge card on Fox. I’m pumped. It’s awesome. It’s free TV, and everyone gets to watch it.”

Dos Santos has proven an impenetrable wall for everyone, save Velasquez. The 30-year-old Brazilian has compiled a stellar 10-2 record since touching down in the UFC a little more than six years ago.

“The guy is tough,” Miocic said. “He’s a former champ, No. 2 in the world. He hits hard and moves well. He’s an animal. He’s resilient. He comes to fight every time, no matter what. That’s what we signed up for. I’ve got a big man ahead of me trying to knock my head off, so I’m going to try and do the same to him.”

Dos Santos has recorded 12 of his 16 career victories by knockout or technical knockout, with polished and powerful boxing providing the backbone for his success.

“I think I’m right there with him,” Miocic said. “A lot of people underestimate me, and that’s fine. Keep thinking that. I’m right where I need to be. I’ve got great coaches, and we’ve got a great game plan.”

BACK TO BUSINESS

Absent from the mixed martial arts scene for more than a year, Nate Diaz plans to re-introduce himself to a captive audience.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner will return to the stage against a red-hot Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event, as he attempts to reclaim his place as one of the world’s top five lightweights. Diaz, 29, has not fought since he steamrolled Gray Maynard in their rematch at “The Ultimate Fighter 18” Finale on Nov. 30, 2013. Dos Anjos, meanwhile, has rattled off seven wins in eight outings, including an August knockout against former champion Benson Henderson.

“He’s good,” Diaz said. “He’s been in the game a long time, and he’s the No. 3 guy [in the UFC’s lightweight rankings]. He just knocked out the [former] champion, and he’s the guy to beat. He’s the highest-ranked [available] guy in the division right now, I believe.”

THIS & THAT

Dos Santos has scored more knockdowns (11) than any other heavyweight in modern Ultimate Fighting Championship history, according to FightMetric data ... The five men to whom dos Anjos has lost inside the Octagon -- Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gleison Tibau, Clay Guida, Tyson Griffin and Jeremy Stephens -- own a cumulative 124-43 record ... A staggering 38 of former Dream and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem’s 51 career fights have ended inside one round ... When Team Link’s Gabriel Gonzaga steps into the cage to battle Matt Mitrione, seven years, seven months and 22 days will have passed since he knocked out 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko Flipovic with the head kick heard ’round the world ... Reigning Tachi Palace Fights titleholder Willie Gates has finished each of his last five opponents in less than two minutes ... Nova Uniao export Claudia Gadelha was a three-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion as a brown belt. She now holds the rank of black belt under Andre Pederneiras ... Joe Riggs last competed in the UFC on Dec. 13, 2006. Tim Sylvia (heavyweight), Chuck Liddell (light heavyweight), Anderson Silva (middleweight) and Georges St. Pierre (welterweight) were divisional champions at the time ... Five of Drew Dober’s six career defeats have come by decision ... “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 finalist Ed Herman has scored 13 wins by submission: eight by armbar, two by rear-naked choke and one each by keylock, triangle choke and heel hook ... Newcomer Bryan Barberena trains under Royce Gracie disciple John Crouch at the MMA Lab in Arizona ... Garett Whitely is a member of the Indiana National Guard ... Henry Cejudo will become just the third Olympic gold medalist to compete inside the UFC, joining Kevin Jackson and Mark Schultz ... Anthony Birchak has held titles in the Rage in the Cage and Maximum Fighting Championship organizations.

INSIDE THE VENUE

The US Airways Center opened in 1992 at a cost of $90 million and serves as the current home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers.