Dos Anjos knocks out Cerrone

Overeem wins by way of TKO

ORLANDO, Florida, Dec 20, (AP): Rafael dos Anjos stopped Donald Cerrone at 1:06 of the first round Saturday night to retain the UFC lightweight title.

Dos Anjos hurt Cerrone with a left kick to the midsection, moved in and unleashed a flurry of shots against the fence. Cerrone managed to escape and get back to the center of the octagon, but the fight went to the ground and dos Anjos finished it there.

Dos Anjos improved to 35-7 in his first title defense and second victory of Cerrone.

“I just proved that I am here to stay,” dos Anjos said. “I’m here with my belt. It’s just the beginning.” that would be a smart decision for him, but I would be happy to welcome him.

Earlier, Alistair Overeem (40-14) scored a technical knockout win over former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos (17-4) in a heavyweight fight.

The two combined to land just 11 strikes in the first round, with Overeem managing seven to Dos Santos’ four, but the action picked up late in the second. After Dos Santos pressed Overeem against the cage with a combination, the two moved back across the octagon where Overeem dropped Dos Santos with a left hook. Overeem, who picked up his third consecutive win, pounced on his downed opponent and landed four hammer fists before the

Dos Anjos

fight was stopped.

“Junior is a very dangerous opponent,” Overeem said. “He throws bombs. He throws strong, so we had to have game plan and figure out his rhythm then slowly pick him apart.”

In a lightweight fight, Nate Diaz (18-10) picked up a unanimous decision over Michael Johnson (16-10) in a standup battle.