• UFC 131

Dos Santos busts up Carwin to earn title shot

Junior Dos Santos' hands were far superior to Shane Carwin © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Dos Santos 'cool' with Velasquez takedown attempts
  
• News: Velasquez to fight Dos Santos in San Jose on Nov 19
  
• News: Liddell would have knocked Carwin out - Davis Jnr
  
• News: Carwin fooled doctor over ability to see at UFC 131
  
• News: Dos Santos issued Velasquez warning by White
  
• News: Featherweight Florian heading for Jose Aldo title shot
  
• News: Munoz accuses Maia of using voodoo against him
  
• News: Raging White calls for judge to be stood down
  

Junior Dos Santos handed Shane Carwin the biggest beating of his professional career to book a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

Carwin did what almost nobody expected by lasting three rounds, but he finished the UFC 131 main event with a broken nose, and a face covered in blood after being destroyed in the stand-up for 15 minutes. Dos Santos' world class boxing skills saw the Brazilian pepper his foe, almost finishing things in the first round en route to a 30-27 30-27 30-26 decision.

Carwin had never won a UFC fight that had gone past the first round, usually finishing things via knockout, but it was he who was hanging on as Dos Santos unloaded on the American. Utilising his jab and left hook, Dos Santos first dropped his opponent and then landed upwards of 15 follow-up shots as Carwin curled up against the cage.

Ref Herb Dean allowed the fight to continue into the second round, but Carwin was already a beaten man, unable to breathe out of a busted nose and clearly second best on his feet. When he attempted the takedown, Dos Santos had enough to stuff his advances, allowing him to continue the punishment - now moving to the body of an exhausted Carwin.

Only once was there danger for Dos Santos, who ate a big left hook in the second round, but he put a full stop on arguably the best performance of his career by executing two takedowns of his own in the third round, proving he had the measure of Carwin in all areas.

"I'm training wrestling now, be careful my opponents," warned the Brazilian, who has now won seven on the bounce in the UFC. "Much respect for Velasquez, but Cain I'm coming for you."

Reigning champion Velasquez was present in Vancouver, commenting: "[Dos Santos] showed awesome stand-up, he's a real contender and I'm excited to fight him."

In the co-main event, Kenny Florian recovered from a first-round knockdown, and a huge right in the final seconds, to triumph in his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes. Florian was twice saved by the bell in rounds one and three, but he did enough in the meat of the battle for a 29-28 29-28 30-27 decision.

Nunes was the faster and more accurate striker in round one, and he put his rival on the mat right at the death with a big left hook. However, Florian's cardio was impressive despite the weight cut, and he began to grind Nunes down with his wrestling and trademark elbows - cutting the Brazilian's head.

Sam Stout scored a huge KO © Getty Images

Enlarge

By the final bell, Florian had clearly done enough for the decision, but he entered into a slugfest in the final seconds, where Nunes dropped him for a second time. The bell came to Florian's rescue, and he later confessed that the cut to 145lbs was "the hardest thing I've ever done". UFC president Dana White admits a shot at Jose Aldo is likely to follow.

Demian Maia showed significantly improved hands but ultimately lost a tight decision to Mark Munoz in a well-contested middleweight encounter. Munoz was wobbled badly early on and ate a bunch of big left hands, but he ultimately found a way to land his blows whilst doing the better work on the mat.

Maia was much the better boxer in round one, and on more than one occasion he unbalanced his rival without capitalising with his renowned jiu-jitsu. When it did go to the mat, the Brazilian once threatened with a jaw lock, but Munoz was more active with ground-and-pound and he adjusted to Maia's boxing as the fight went on, finding the Brazilian's chin more regularly in a tight 29-28 29-28 30-27 decision.

In the lightweight division, Donald Cerrone negated the ground threat of Vagner Rocha to score a unanimous decision victory. Cerrone always had the striking advantage on paper, and so it proved as he punished the Brazilian debutant with leg kicks.

Elsewhere, in the heavyweight terrain, Dave Herman stopped Jon Olav Einemo by TKO during the second round for the Fight of the Night honours. Einemo, who was fighting for the first time in five years, rocked his foe with a knee/punch combination, but Herman answered impressively to drop his rival before raining down blows to force the the ref's intervention.

Knockout of the Night, and potentially of the year, went to Sam Stout, who flattened Yves Edwards with a huge left hook.

And England's Jason Young did plenty of damage to Dustin Poirier's leg on debut, but he ultimately dropped a decision against the world's No. 6 featherweight.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.