He was originally the next-in-line for a crack at Cain Velasquez’s UFC Heavyweight Championship, but with the champ injured, Junior dos Santos agreed to a number one contendership bout with Brock Lesnar.
They hyped the fight over the course of an “Ultimate Fighter” season, but as the season came to a close, news broke that Lesnar had been sidelined with the re-emergence of his diverticulitis. Heavy-handed Shane Carwin was asked to fill-in, putting two of the most dangerous strikers in the Octagon for a chance to fight Cain Velasquez.
Who will win the UFC 131 main-event? Who gets the next shot at the title? The result follows:
Story of the fight:
Junior dos Santos b. Shane Carwin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Round one opened in favor of Junior dos Santos. It was a strategically-brilliant round for Dos, who repeatedly connected with his jab as a way to open Carwin up for a vicious onslaught. Late in the round, Dos Santos brought a bloodied Carwin to the mat with a barrage of punches, and though Carwin withstood the punishment well enough to avoid a stoppage, he blatantly lost the round. Dos, additionally, had no trouble fighting off Carwin’s takedown attempts.
Round two was a bit more even, but Dos Santos still, on the whole, seemed to be beating Carwin to the punch. Carwin, however, was definitely more competitive, and he did connect with a very big shot midway through the round. Dos fired back with a solid head kick (that almost landed perfectly-cleanly) a little while later.
Dos looked a lot better going into round three, but someone with Carwin’s power is never out of it. Carwin went for an early takedown, and he succeeded, but Dos Santos got back to his feet with ease. As they separated, Dos Santos resumed his striking advantage, simply picking Carwin apart from a comfortable range. Lacking the speed or technical prowess, Carwin simply didn’t know where to find an opening.
With a minute left, the fight was paused as a bloody Carwin was checked for vision issues. Confirmed as okay, the action resumed, and Carwin walked right into a surprise Dos Santos takedown. Carwin got right back up, but the takedown would even the score and assure Dos Santos wins the round. Dos Santos scored another takedown as the final bell sounded, and it should be a decision in favor of Junior.