Ben Rothwell hit his ceiling on Sunday in Zagreb, Croatia. In the main event of UFC Fight Night 86, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos dismantled Rothwell en route to an easy unanimous-decision victory (50-45x3).
Dos Santos used a variety of strikes, constant movement and a disciplined approach to befuddle his opponent. An unorthodox attack has been Rothwell's best weapon during a recent four-fight win streak. On Sunday, dos Santos just made him look clumsy.
The Brazilian kept Rothwell off balance with a steady assault on the midsection. Jabs, straight right hands and a few spinning back kicks shook Rothwell's girth on several occasions.
In the third round, dos Santos landed a hard overhand right that wobbled the titanic American. Rothwell had no answer for dos Santos' overall skill set. Rothwell couldn't have fought any better. If that version of dos Santos shows up, Rothwell would never beat him.
When it was over, Fox Sports' Damon Martin was complimentary of dos Santos:
The win puts dos Santos back on track to earn a title shot within the next year. It looked as if he was done after his loss to Alistair Overeem in his last fight in December 2015. Not many people would be excited to see him face Cain Velasquez for a fourth time, but a rematch with current champion Fabricio Werdum might be appealing.
He beat Werdum by KO back in 2008, but there's no doubt his countryman is a different fighter these days. Werdum faces Stipe Miocic (whom dos Santos also beat in December 2014) in May at UFC 198. Suddenly, the UFC heavyweight division is a little more interesting.
The Black Beast Sleeps Gonzaga
Huge performance for Junior Dos Santos. Surgical precision, fast on his feet. May have helped Overeem get a title shot if he beats Arlovski
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) April 10, 2016
Derrick Lewis is smashing his way into the top 15 in the UFC's heavyweight division. He came into the fight with Gabriel Gonzaga unranked, but that may change on Monday. In the first round, he caught Lewis with a destructive right hand against the cage, and the Brazilian was out before he fell to the canvas.
Lewis followed up with two punches, but the fight was already over.
Lewis now has six wins by knockout since 2014. Only Conor McGregor has more in the UFC. When the fight was over, Lewis made his intentions known. Per MMAFighting.com, he shared his high hopes:
Lewis: I want to be top 15. I’m on the hunt for that title.
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 10, 2016
There was some talk from Fox Sports' Jon Anik about Lewis possibly facing Roy Nelson in his next fight. That would be an interesting scrap, but you'd have to give Lewis the edge at this point in both men's careers.
Here's a look at all of the results from Zagreb.
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
- Bojan Velickovic def. Alessio Di Chirico (unanimous decision, 29-28x2, 30-27)
- Jared Cannonier def. Cyril Asker (TKO in first round)
- Lucas Martins def. Rob Whiteford (split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Fox Sports Prelims
- Damian Stasiak def. Filip Pejic (submission, rear-naked choke in first round)
- Mairbek Taisumov def. Damir Hadzovic (KO in first round)
- Alejandro Perez def. Ian Entwistle (verbal submission in first round)
- Zak Cummings def. Nicolas Dalby (unanimous decision, 30-27x3)
Fox Sports 1 Main Card
- Maryna Moroz def. Cristina Stanciu (Moroz by unanimous decision, 30-27x3)
- Jan Blachowicz def. Igor Pokrajac (unanimous decision, 29-28x3)
- Timothy Johnson def. Marcin Tybura (unanimous decision, 29-28x3)
- Francis Ngannou def. Curtis Blaydes (TKO, doctor stoppage before third round)
- Derrick Lewis def. Gabriel Gonzaga (Lewis by KO, first round)
- Junior dos Santos def. Ben Rothwell (unanimous decision, 50-45)
The Finishes
Cannonier Smashes Asker
Jared "The Killa Gorilla" Cannonier showed off his tremendous striking power and finishing prowess on Sunday. He punished Cyril Asker with a big left hook and then finished him with a series of elbows in the first round.
The UFC had a look at Cannonier's finish:
Goodnight ... #UFCZagreb https://t.co/hISfainRmQ
— #UFCZagreb (@ufc) April 10, 2016
Cannonier rebounded well from his KO loss to Shawn Jordan in January 2015. After a layoff that lasted over a year, Cannonier showed he made strides since UFC fans last saw him. During his post-fight interview on UFC Fight Pass, Cannonier said he planned to move to light heavyweight in the future.
With a body frame that is similar to current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, it's clear to see that with a more stringent conditioning program, Cannonier could probably make 205 without an issue.
Stasiak Ruins Pejic's Homecoming
Filip Pejic was eager to impress his hometown crowd in Croatia, but Damian Stasiak was a party pooper. Early in the first round, Stasiak took Pejic down and proved himself to be superior.
Pejic made his way to his feet initially, but Stasiak would secure a trip along the cage moments later. From there, Stasiak locked in the rear-naked choke that forced Pejic to tap.
Stasiak's performance drew compliments from the UFC:
This was another good bounce-back performance. In his UFC debut, Stasiak dropped a unanimous decision to Yaotzin Meza in April 2015. His impressive display against Pejic evens up his UFC record.
Taisumov is a Future Lightweight Title Contender
WOW @StasiakMMA!! Ground game ??!!! #UFCZagreb
— #UFCZagreb (@ufc) April 10, 2016
Mairbek Taisumov is a man with a ton of weapons. He unleashed a myriad of them on Damir Hadzovic on Sunday. Taisumov's speed and a variety of strikes put Hadzovic in peril. In the very first round, a left hook wobbled Hadzovic and Taisumov was able to finish a short while after with a crushing right uppercut.
Hadzovic crumbled and the referee stepped in to stop the bout. There was light a complaint from Hadzovic, but he was in trouble and the stoppage was just. The UFC tweeted this quote from the up-and-coming 155-pound star:
He'll likely need a few more fights before he gets a title shot, but he should get his wish for a top-10 opponent sooner rather than later.
Perez Too Much for One-Dimensional Entwistle
"I want to be number one" - @Taisumov155 #UFCZagreb pic.twitter.com/wa267r7vcu
— #UFCZagreb (@ufc) April 10, 2016
Ian Entwistle is a tough guy to fight because he has one primary skill set and he chases it with proficiency and a relentless approach. Entwistle is adept at finishing opponents with leg locks. He's won three fights by heel hook in his career.
Alejandro Perez was prepared for Entwistle's attack. He fought off several attempts to make him submit via leg lock and he landed several shots to Entwistle's head.
Ultimately, Entwistle was forced to submit verbally as Perez was pounding away from top position. Early in the fight, Entwistle complained to referee Grant Waterman that Perez had greased his lower legs to help him avoid the submissions.
Waterman removed his glove and checked Perez's leg and told Entwistle "he's not greased."
Shortly after the stoppage, Entwistle resumed his complaint and refused to shake hands with Perez. Instead of worrying about the amount of lubrication on Perez's legs, Entwistle would be better served diversifying his game.
Perez has now won two fights in a row and he'll be looking to take another step in his next fight.
Ngannou Stope Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes put up a good fight, but the referee chose to call an end to things after Francis Ngannou had closed his right eye with a steady stream of huge punches.
Ngannou is a massive striker who showed some excellent grappling and takedown defense. Blaydes' wrestling prowess was all but nullified as Ngannou was able to shake off most of the attempts to take him down.
The big Frenchman got the best of the striking exchanges and that's what forced the stoppage. MMAFighting.com implies that no other heavyweight in the UFC will be too eager to face Ngannou:
Joe Silva: “Got a fight for you. How about Francis Ngannou next?” Random UFC heavyweight: “Nah, I’m good, bruh."
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 10, 2016
There's no question he's a dangerous fighter. The ability to slow down the ground game was especially impressive. Perhaps he can take on one of the other heavyweight winners from Sunday's card.
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