Safeguarding UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic went deuces wild Saturday night in Dallas, gaining a measure of retribution against previous champion Junior dos Santos by hammering a jostling punch into the Brazilian's left ear. The power behind the strike caved in Dos Santos along the octagon fencing. He turtled up on the canvas and consumed a few more shots until ref Herb Dean bounced into stop the battle at the 2:22 characteristic of the opening round.
The triumph denoted Miocic's second title protection since catching the belt against Fabricio Werdum a year ago, tying the record for sequential triumphs by a guarding champion in the UFC since the title was built up in 1997.
"He's resembling the man," said UFC president Dana White. "Cleveland's executing it at this moment. He's clearly not a similar contender who battled JDS the first run through. Super athletic. He remains in the pocket and punches with huge folks. Extremely quick. He's an entire contender and an okay competitor."
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On the off chance that heavyweight equality has turned into the account of the division throughout the years, Miocic is looking to change that when the UFC class appears to be ready for ruling.
"I am the best on the planet," announced Miocic taking after his fourteenth stoppage in 17 profession wins.
Miocic's fast complete punctuated the purpose of his change since losing a consistent choice to Dos Santos in 2014. A redux of their exhausting challenge did not emerge on Saturday. Rather, the opening round KO denoted Miocic's fourth straight first-round stoppage win, the best current dash of any warrior on the UFC program.
The heavyweights appeared to be all around coordinated in light of the aftereffect of their first challenge. The five-round undertaking three years prior emerged among the most aggressive heavyweight fights in late memory and it was Miocic's goal to demonstrate that a wide inlet had created between the champion and the last man to beat him.
Dos Santos (18-5) directed Miocic's lead left leg with low kicks in the opening couple minutes. A few arrived with full compel and had the impact of obstructing the 34-year-old champion's development.
"Everything was working extremely well the way we expected," said Dos Santos, who felt he was a few minutes from terminating it. "We knew he's an extremely intense person who might stroll forward without fail."
Miocic's shin and left thigh took the brunt of the harm, inciting the Cleveland warrior to weight looking for a correct straight as opposed to stay at separation and ingest all the more harming leg kicks. Miocic (17-2) squeezed the issue before finding a home for the battle finishing right, which he clarified was a concentration of his readiness for the rematch.
"He did really," said the challenger. "Heavyweights, man, it's intense. I'm tragic, obviously. I'd get a kick out of the chance to end up plainly the champion. Be that as it may, in case I'm not the champion I'm happy this person is the champion. He's a truly pleasant person. He merits that. Today was his night. He's the genuine article. He has truly overwhelming hands. So the way I see, he will keep on growing in this division and end up noticeably one of the best.
"He's en route to being the best ever. I appreciate him. He speaks to extremely well the soul of the game."
Miocic's speedy knockout topped an effective and rough come back to Dallas for the UFC, where the night's compensation per-see card played out before 17-834 fans inside the American Airlines Center.
Two years back at UFC 185, the advancement's strawweight title was challenged for in Dallas. Poland's Joanna Jędrzejczyk ruled Carla Esparza that night to catch the belt, and she has not verged on giving up it since. That remained constant as Joanna Champion held the belt for the fifth time in high style, cruising past Brazil's Jessica Andrade to catch an unbalanced consistent choice (50-45, 50-45, 50-44).
"I said I would safeguard this title and nobody would take this," said the 29-year-old specialist. "Here we go. We impacting the world forever.
"There's just strawweight champion. Joanna Jędrzejczyk from Poland. That is me. Nobody is removing this belt from me. No one."
Andrade endeavored to overpower Jędrzejczyk with her energy and cleverness, and in the opening edge the challenger's offense incited a transcending the champion's correct eye, however past surging assaults she scarcely tried the taller, longer, more gifted titleholder.
"A portion of the contenders have a major mouth before the battle and they think they know the most ideal approach to beat the champion," JJ said. "Each camp I'm centered around what I can improve and I'm continually attempting to change something. Give them a chance to beat me. That is the thing."
In a much needed development of pace for the champion, she caught the opening two rounds. Behind on the cards early is a horrible place for adversaries to get themselves in light of the fact that as she has demonstrated over and over she surges in the second 50% of battles. This was the same. Andrade ate pokes and low kicks, taking more than 200 strikes over the 25-minute challenge.
Andrade was short on reach and restricted as far as alternatives against a far more tasteful champion, who is one win from tying Ronda Rousey for the most successive title barriers for ladies in the UFC.
"It's decent when individuals call you the best warrior on the planet, or the best striker in the UFC," said the 29-year-old Jędrzejczyk, "however I know there's work to do."
Joanna Champion, 14-0, called the exertion the best of her vocation.
"I would envision what she would do is break Ronda Rousey's record at 115 and go for the 125lb weight class," White said.
Looking for his own title opportunity against Tyron Woodley, scholarly Demian Maia (25-6) did it once more. The 39-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu master closed down another hazardous welterweight on the way to his seventh back to back triumph, hardening a title shot for the 170lb belt.
Maia's capacity to trap Jorge Masvidal in hooking situations paid off as it typically does: killing, controlling and imperiling.
"He came truly arranged and I was truly astounded," Maia said. "I thought it would have been difficult to manage his standup and to perhaps bring him down. In any case, I felt that once I had him on the ground I would have the capacity to submit him. He was truly all around prepared and extremely prepared for my entries. Dana said after that I have the following title battle, so I'm truly upbeat and I will now prepare to battle for the title. I might want to rest a bit, take a few months off and afterward we'll make sense of when that battle will be."
Frankie "The Answer" Edgar left most likely about his status among the UFC world class by taking youthful Mexican Yair Rodriguez to class for 10 minutes. Taking after two unbalanced rounds that highlighted Edgar on top of the dynamic striker, the cageside doctor ended the challenge pursuing noteworthy swelling around Rodriguez's left eye.
Rodriguez will have make a stride back and regroup taking after Saturday's fizzled test. The energy that had been developed around him amid a six-battle winning streak was totally overwhelmed by one of the stoutest contenders ever to enter the octagon.
"There's levels to this diversion," Edgar said. "Prior to the battle I said regardless of what happens Yair will be a whiz. Just not yet. Now and again misfortunes like that can help take them to the following level. He will be okay."
Edgar (22-5-1) is more than okay. The 5ft 6in warrior from Toms River, New Jersey, has stood tall as a contender and champion in the UFC for the most recent decade. Since dropping to the 145lb class in 2013, Edgar is 7-2, his lone misfortunes to the featherweight incredible Jose Aldo. The aftereffect of Aldo's UFC featherweight title challenge with Max Holloway on 3 June could decide Edgar's next title opportunity.
Opening the compensation per-see, middleweight Dave Branch won a split ruling against streaking Polish contender Krzysztof Jotko. Coming back to the UFC interestingly since 2011, Branch (21-3) set up together a triumphant strategy that was more brilliant than engaging.
On the undercard, previous UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez strolled into the octagon surprisingly since losing to Conor McGregor against another casualty of the Irishman, Dustin Poirier. Alvarez was harmed early, aroused, then landed what had all the earmarks of being unmistakably unlawful knees as Porier ought to have been viewed as a grounded adversary. Arbitrator Herb Dean called the outcome a no-challenge as opposed to an exclusion. Both warriors said they would meet once more.
