Heavyweight makes light work of victory
Stipe Miocic made light work of Junior Dos Santos with a first-round technical knockout to defend his heavyweight title at UFC 211 in Texas.
In the co-main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk scored a unanimous, fiveround decision over third-ranked Jessica Andrade to defend her women’s strawweight championship yesterday.
Since the heavyweight division was formed in 1997, only Miocic, Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Cain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar have won two title defenses.
Miocic stunned Dos Santos midway through the round with a series of punches ending with a right to Dos Santos’ left cheek that dropped his opponent. Miocic then fired away with a series of lefts that ended the fight.
Miocic (17-2) avenged his loss to Dos Santos in December 2014 in Phoenix, which was a five-round match that left both fighters bloodied.
The 34-year-old Miocic claimed his crown with a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum in May 2016 in Brazil. He defended against Alistair Overeem last September at Cleveland with a first-round knockout.
Jedrzejczyk (14-0) has defended her title five times since defeating Carla Esparza in March 2015.
Fourth-ranked Dos Santos (18-5) is 3-4 since his championship loss in a rematch with Velasquez in December 2012. He returned to the octagon following a 13-month absence that included surgery on his right shoulder.
In the women’s title fight, the explosive Andrade (16-6) came out aggressively and took down the champion in the first two minutes after landing a left hook, though Jedrzejczyk escaped. Jedrzejczyk finished the opening round with a welt above her right eye that grew worse through the balance of the fight.
Jedrzejczyk landed hard punches and kicks in the second round, including a left knee to the head in the closing seconds. But Andrade countered with a late takedown.
Jedrzejczyk scored with multiple punches and kicks through three rounds, bruising Andrade’s legs. Andrade ducked under a 360 right kick late in the third round. In the fourth, Jedrzejczyk’s advantage in total contact included a left jab to the head followed by a left kick to the head.
Demian Maia, the third-ranked welterweight, won a split decision over No 5 Jorge Masvidal.
Frankie Edgar, the 35-year-old former lightweight champion and secondranked featherweight, beat seventhranked 24-year-old Yair Rodriguez in a second-round TKO.