Junior Dos Santos took the gloves off to become a champion once again.
At Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on Satuday at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla., Dos Santos defeated fellow ex-UFC fighter Alan Belcher to become the promotion’s first-ever heavyweight champion.
Blood covered portions of the canvas, though the fight only lasted a little over nine minutes with the stoppage at 4:39 of Round 2.
Both men had their moments throughout the bout, but Dos Santos had the final one. As the clock wound down in Round 2, Dos Santos connected with a big left hook that floored Belcher. Dos Santos rained down right hands until the referee stepped in and saved Belcher from further damage.
Dos Santos, 40, was elated after the fight as he hinted at a potential next fight vs. Roy Nelson, a fellow heavyweight staple who he defeated at UFC 117 in August 2010. Dos Santos moves to 2-1 post-UFC. Following his UFC departure, Dos Santos lost by TKO due to injury against Yorgan De Castro under the Eagle FC banner before a successful bareknuckle MMA debut vs. Fabricio Werdum.
Belcher, 39, loses for the first time in combat sports in over a decade. His previous loss was at UFC 159 vs. Michael Bisping. The bout was his final in the UFC and preceded an eight-year hiatus from competition.
In 2021, Belcher, a former middleweight, returned as a heavyweight. Prior to Saturday, he went 5-0 in gloved boxing, 4-0 in bareknuckle boxing, and 1-0 in bareknuckle MMA.
The full Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA results include:
-
Junior Dos Santos def. Alan Belcher via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:39 – for heavyweight title
-
Chase Sherman def. Alex Nicholson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:57
-
Handesson Ferreira def. Karl Roberson via unanimous decision
-
TJ Brown def. Joshua Weems via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 0:22
-
Jesse Ronson def. Anthony Njokuani via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 2:46
-
Brandon Jenkins def. Tyler Hill via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:12
-
Anvar Boynazarov def. Marlon Gonzales via knockout (knee and punches) – Round 1, 0:13
-
Joe Penafiel def. Charles Bennett via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 3:49
