gusman
08-08-2010, 08:04 AM
from ufc.com
It was inevitable that heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos would eventually run into the man he couldn’t finish in the UFC. Tonight, Roy Nelson was that man, and the result was a grueling three round battle that may have been one-sided on the scorecards, but that was anything but in reality, as Dos Santos drilled out an impressive three round unanimous decision over the courageous Nelson.
Scores were 30-27 twice, and 30-26 for Dos Santos, who will face the winner of the upcoming UFC heavyweight title bout between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez.
“Man this guy is tough,” said Dos Santos, who had finished his previous five Octagon opponents. “Incredible.”
At the bell, Nelson came forward behind a high guard, with Dos Santos disregarding his foe’s defense as he swung for the fences. Nelson closed the gap and was able to bull Dos Santos into the fence, but eventually abandoned his takedown. With a little more than three minutes left, an uppercut rocked Nelson. Dos Santos opened fire with both hands, but Nelson was able to weather the storm and survive. A minute later, Dos Santos scored big a second time, but again, Nelson showed off great resilience in remaining upright under the Brazilian’s attack. Eventually, Dos Santos took his foot off the gas to conserve energy, but he ended the round with another blistering barrage.
Barely breathing heavy, Dos Santos continued to drop bombs on Nelson in round two, but “Big Country” wasn’t going anywhere, and he marched forward fearlessly, throwing the occasional looping haymaker to keep his foe honest. Midway through the round, Nelson looked for the takedown, but the defense of Dos Santos, who was bleeding from a cut under his right eye, was solid, and he broke free. With under a minute left, Dos Santos landed with a flurry and then took his first deep breath when Nelson wouldn’t go down, but by the end of the round, “Cigano” had put another one in the bank.
Fatigue was going to be the enemy of both men in the third and final round, but neither stopped pushing forward. Dos Santos even hit a brief takedown to add to his scoring tally, but Nelson’s continued presence in front of him made it clear that he was still there and still dangerous, as evidenced by a looping right hand that would have finished matters had it landed. But it didn’t, and Dos Santos continued to pound away as Nelson refused to give in, earning both fighters a well-deserved ovation at the end of the bout.
With the win, Dos Santos improved to 12-1; Nelson falls to 16-5.
It was inevitable that heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos would eventually run into the man he couldn’t finish in the UFC. Tonight, Roy Nelson was that man, and the result was a grueling three round battle that may have been one-sided on the scorecards, but that was anything but in reality, as Dos Santos drilled out an impressive three round unanimous decision over the courageous Nelson.
Scores were 30-27 twice, and 30-26 for Dos Santos, who will face the winner of the upcoming UFC heavyweight title bout between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez.
“Man this guy is tough,” said Dos Santos, who had finished his previous five Octagon opponents. “Incredible.”
At the bell, Nelson came forward behind a high guard, with Dos Santos disregarding his foe’s defense as he swung for the fences. Nelson closed the gap and was able to bull Dos Santos into the fence, but eventually abandoned his takedown. With a little more than three minutes left, an uppercut rocked Nelson. Dos Santos opened fire with both hands, but Nelson was able to weather the storm and survive. A minute later, Dos Santos scored big a second time, but again, Nelson showed off great resilience in remaining upright under the Brazilian’s attack. Eventually, Dos Santos took his foot off the gas to conserve energy, but he ended the round with another blistering barrage.
Barely breathing heavy, Dos Santos continued to drop bombs on Nelson in round two, but “Big Country” wasn’t going anywhere, and he marched forward fearlessly, throwing the occasional looping haymaker to keep his foe honest. Midway through the round, Nelson looked for the takedown, but the defense of Dos Santos, who was bleeding from a cut under his right eye, was solid, and he broke free. With under a minute left, Dos Santos landed with a flurry and then took his first deep breath when Nelson wouldn’t go down, but by the end of the round, “Cigano” had put another one in the bank.
Fatigue was going to be the enemy of both men in the third and final round, but neither stopped pushing forward. Dos Santos even hit a brief takedown to add to his scoring tally, but Nelson’s continued presence in front of him made it clear that he was still there and still dangerous, as evidenced by a looping right hand that would have finished matters had it landed. But it didn’t, and Dos Santos continued to pound away as Nelson refused to give in, earning both fighters a well-deserved ovation at the end of the bout.
With the win, Dos Santos improved to 12-1; Nelson falls to 16-5.