Junior Dos Santos (20-5) defeated Tai Tuivasa (8-1) by second-round knockout in the main event of UFC Fight Night 142 in Adelaide, Australia.
This fight seemed like the perfect storm for Tuivasa, the younger man, to take out a legend and cement himself as a true contender in the division. Dos Santos, however, proved that, at even at 34 years of age, he is still a force.
There was absolutely no feeling-out process between these two—bombs away from the opening bell.
Tuivasa was aggressive, pressing forward and stayed in his opponent’s face. Early on, Dos Santos tried to use his boxing ability to stay out of harm’s way but to no avail.
Tuivasa continued finding success plodding forward. He forced Dos Santos against the fence and seemed to have him genuinely hurt. While Tuivasa’s attack may have been paying dividends, there were occasions where Dos Santos used his man’s momentum to his advantage by making Tuivasa miss and pay for his over-aggressiveness.
In the second period it was much of the same. Tuivasa came rushing in, putting his opponent back on his heels. But Dos Santos did began to adapt. He managed to get his opponent off balance and down to the mat with a right hook. From there it was all “JDS” from full-mount. The ensuing ground-and-pound forced the referee to call an end to the contest at 2:30 of Round 2.
Dos Santos has been near the top of the heavyweight class for years. Now nearing his mid-3os and coming off a layoff, it seemed as though the Dos Santos of old was gone.
Yet he refuses to relinquish his top-contender status, looking rejuvenated on the back of two consecutive victories, and poised to make another run for the title.
So this latest win doesn’t mark Dos Santos’ return. It reaffirmed his rightful place among the world’s best heavyweights, where he’s been all along.
