In the main event of UFC Fight Night 86, Junior dos Santos looked great while taking a wide decision win over Ben Rothwell.
Junior dos Santosis back. He may have never really left – after all, he’s still one of the best heavyweights in the world. But after a few fights were he didn’t look like the same guy, it was vital that he returned to form in the main event of UFC Zagreb against Ben Rothwell.
That’s exactly what he did.
Cigano rolled out an excellent boxing game over the full 25 minutes, tenderizing Rothwell’s body with relentless shots. He landed nearly 50% of his total punches to the body, which is pretty unbelievable. His speed advantage always left Rothwell a step behind, and he was never really in the fight.
Dos Santos did a masterful job of circling away from Rothwell’s power, especially after a close first round. Rothwell had a few moments of offense, but he wasn’t able to connect with any huge shots. Dos Santos wobbled Rothwell once, then used a front/push kick to launch Rothwell halfway across the cage in one of the cooler visuals in the octagon this year.
When it was all said and done, Dos Santos picked up his 12th UFC win with three 50-45 cards. And he’s right back into contention in the UFC heavyweight division.
You can check out the crazy push kick below:
WOW! Big Ben eats a MONSTER overhand and gets push-kicked to the ground! What a chin on Rothwell! #UFCZagreb https://t.co/HSsV0VeJ1c
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) April 10, 2016