The 3 stars of ‘UFC Fight Night 86: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos' in Croatia

Derrick Lewis

The UFC plans to stage at least 40 events in 2016, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.

While pre-fight hype is an enjoyable aspect of the sport, it’s ultimately the in-cage performances that speak most to fans. For the majority of fighters, the opportunity to present their skills to the world only comes along a few times per year.

A total of 26 fighters got the chance on Sunday as part of UFC Fight Night 86 at Zagreb Arena in Croatia. Now that the event is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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Third star: Mairbek Taisumov

Mairbek Taisumov (25-5 MMA, 5-1 UFC) challenged UFC matchmaker Joe Silva to give him a top-15 opponent following his first-round knockout of Damir Hadzovic (10-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Considering it was his fourth consecutive finish due to strikes, it’s difficult to ague he doesn’t deserve it.

Despite coming into the fight with four victories in five UFC appearances, Taisumov was booked against a promotional newcomer in Hadzovic. He did what he was supposed to do, and he finished the fight with a walk-off uppercut knockout in the opening round. After that, he called for UFC officials to give him stiffer competition.

Once upon a time Taisumov was booked against a ranked lightweight in Beneil Dariush, but visa issues unfortunately prevented the fight from happening. After his win over Hadzovic, he definitely deserves to be placed in another fight on that level.

Second star: Derrick Lewis

Heavyweight knockout specialist Derrick Lewis (15-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) delivered in the biggest fight of his career when he knocked out former UFC title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga (17-11 MMA, 12-10 UFC) in the first round, which gave him his third consecutive win.

The pre-fight narrative suggested that if Lewis could keep the fight standing, he would have a good chance at victory. If it went to the ground, however, Gonzaga’s grappling advantage would supposedly be too much to overcome. Lewis proved that wasn’t the case, and after being stuck on his back by Gonzaga early, he fought back to his feet and scored the knockout.

When Lewis enters the octagon, a knockout is almost a sure thing, more so than any other fighter on the roster. All eight of his fights with the promotion have ended due to strikes, with “The Black Beast” coming out on the right side six times.

First star: Junior Dos Santos

Junior dos Santos (18-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) has struggled to rediscover his championship form since losing the heavyweight title and suffering two damage-filled losses to Cain Velasquez. He found it against Ben Rothwell (36-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC), however, and dominated his way to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory in his seventh UFC main event.

Dos Santos looked sharper inside the octagon than he has in several years. He completely shut down Rothwell’s offensive for five rounds with a high output of strikes, including a new UFC record 92 significant body strikes landed.

“Cigano” moved to train at Florida’s American Top Team two fights ago, and while the change didn’t pay off in a December loss to Alistair Overeem, it most certainly did against Rothwell.

Although Dos Santos promised after the victory that the UFC belt will again be his, he still has more work to do to get that opportunity. The 32-year-old has alternated wins and losses over his past seven fights, and breaking out of that trend with consistent winning results is the only way to get back on top.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 86, check out the UFC Events section of the site.