Junior Dos Santos is a champion once again following Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 7.
Dos Santos, a former UFC heavyweight champ, was paired up with fellow UFC ex-pat Alan Belcher in the main event of the Florida-based card, which had the promotion’s inaugural heavyweight title on the line on Saturday night at the Kia Center.
If you knew your MMA history, you no doubt saw “Cigano” as the favorite coming in. Aside from Dos Santos’ championship pedigree, he defeated another fellow champ in Fabricio Werdum in his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA debut last September.
Belcher, meanwhile, earned a controversial split decision over Roy “Big Country” Nelson less than two months later to land in the title fight.
Saturday’s Dos Santos vs. Belcher was competitive early, with Belcher starting fast and hitting the body while doing a bit of damage up top as well — a much easier accomplishment in bareknuckle MMA. Dos Santos, however, was more effective with his boxing, footwork, and had the more varied arsenal, at one point connecting with a spinning back kick to the midsection.
It was the second round where things took a turn. Dos Santos, despite his reputation as a boxer, opted to take things to the ground. Belcher, already hurt, took some serious damage from ground strikes, while having to contend with JDS hunting a straight arm-bar.
And when Belcher managed to scramble to his feet, Junior Dos Santos clipped him with a well-placed punch, sending the American sprawling. Moments later, the fight was over, and Dos Santos was being awarded his latest title belt by promotion namesake Jorge Masvidal.
“It sounds so sweet, man. So sweet. It’s a lot of work to be here,” Dos Santos said following the win, asked how being a champ again sounded. He went on to thank god, his wife, and his team, before dropping a hint about who he wants next: Roy Nelson.
“In my humble opinion, I should be fighting him tonight,” stated Dos Santos, suggesting the judges got it wrong in the Nelson-Belcher fight. While JDS wouldn’t go as far as demanding the fight next, it’s likely one of the best match-ups Gamebred could make at this point, a rematch of the pair’s UFC 117 meeting in 2010, which Dos Santos won via decision.
As for Belcher, he called for a rematch following his loss to Dos Santos, suggesting he hadn’t been at his best. That, however, might be a bit of a harder sell given the definitive loss. Also an option would be Chase Sherman, a former BKFC champ who flatlined Alex Nicholson in the evening’s co-main event.
Official Result: Junior Dos Santos def. Alan Belcher by TKO, Round 2, 4:39
