UFC Adelaide: Junior dos Santos knocks out Tai Tuivasa

Brendan Bradford

UFC Adelaide: Junior dos Santos knocks out Tai Tuivasa image

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA  — It was a day for the Brazilian veterans against the Aussie upstarts as Junior dos Santos earned a second-round TKO over Tai Tuivasa and Mauricio Shogun Rua stopped Tyson Pedro in the third round at UFC Adelaide.

In his first UFC main event, Tuivasa bought the house down with his walkout, and took the fight to the former heavyweight champion from the opening siren.

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"Bam Bam" had dos Santos in serious trouble in the first round, but was dropped with a right hand in the third round. Referee Herb Dean stopped the action two minutes and 30 seconds into the round.

“This guy’s tough,” dos Santos said afterwards. “I knew he was tough, but not that tough. He kicked me in the leg and I’m still feeling it. My game plan is my boxing, I have knockout power and I can knock anyone out.”

 

 

The win was the Brazilian’s second in a row, and he called for a rematch with Alistair Overeem next.

After enjoying some success on the feet in the first round, Tuivasa said he couldn’t answer dos Santos’s ground and pound.

“I got rocked, I was on my back, but I felt like a turtle, and couldn’t get up,” he said. “I was pressing him. I was going forward, and I got f— hit. That’s the sport. It’s only up from here.”

Earlier in the day, American Justin Willis scored a unanimous decision win over Mark Hunt, and called out Tuivasa in the cage afterwards.

The pair had a close run-in at the weigh-ins on Friday.

After his defeat, Tuivasa responded: “Justin Willis, you little b—, I’m coming for you, boy. I’ll be back."

Tuivasa was up for it from the outset.

The Western Sydney fighter looked for the kind of low leg kicks Stipe Miocic had success with in his heavyweight title defense last year, and jumped in with a couple of menacing attacks. Dos Santos was able to split out of range, but the intent was there.

With 30 seconds remaining in the round, Tuivasa landed the low kick to dos Santos’s left leg that he was looking for. The Brazilian legend was immobilized and did well to make it to the end of the round.

Round two started in similar fashion, with Tuivasa sending a series of powerful overhand rights.

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It took three unanswered shots to Tuivasa’s chin for dos Santos to drop the 25-year-old and some brutal ground and pound finished it.

Brendan Bradford