UFC on FOX 17: Dos Anjos blitzes Cerrone; Overeem knocks out Dos Santos

10 years ago

Two years ago, Rafael dos Anjos needed three rounds to get the better of Donald Cerrone.

On Saturday night, he barely needed a minute.

Dos Santos used a brutal body kick and dozens of pinpoint punches to snuff out Cerrone's title hopes at 1:06 of the first round in the main event of UFC on FOX 17.

In the co-headliner, Alistair Overeem put to rest any questions that he is still a force in the heavyweight division by knocking out Junior dos Santos. An otherwise dreary contest ended in stunning fashion when Overeem drilled Dos Santos with a counter left to set up the finish.

Full event results below:

Rafael dos Anjos def. Donald Cerrone via 1st-round TKO

In his first defense of the UFC lightweight title, Rafael dos Anjos denied Donald Cerrone with authority. Cerrone was badly rocked by a knee to the body and dos Anjos capitalized on the moment with frightening precision. He buried Cerrone under an avalanche of punches, leaving his opponent with no recourse but to turtle up. Dos Anjos took him down to the mat and swung piston fists at him from behind until referee Herb Dean called it off.

Alistair Overeem def. Junior dos Santos via 2nd-round TKO

Finally face-to-face in the Octagon, Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos refused to engage in a brawl. That approach proved to be justified when one left hook from Overeem turned dos Santos' legs to jelly. Following a pair of fast-paced fights, the Orlando crowd grew restless watching the two heavyweight contenders dance around each other with almost zero activity in the first round. Mid-way through the second, Overeem caught dos Santos with a clean shot to the chin. A wobbly dos Santos tried to recover, but Overeem clobbered him with hammer fists to seal the TKO victory.

Nate Diaz def. Michael Johnson via unanimous decision

"Diaz" chants rang through the Amway Center and the man himself delivered with a performance that ranks among the best of his career. Nate Diaz threw hands with impunity and they landed on Michael Johnson's face more often than not. With every 1-2 combination, Johnson became more and more flustered. The "Menace" fired back with everything he had, but could not overpower Diaz, who looked as loose as ever. When he wasn't unloading every strike in his arsenal, Diaz flexed, posed, and pointed at Johnson to leave no doubt as to wh the winner of this one.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Randa Markos via unanimous decision

Karolina Kowalkiewicz is on her way to following in the footsteps of fellow Polish strawweight standout Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She battled Randa Markos on the feet and on the ground, keeping a constant output while working her way out of some bad positions. The third round was the most decisive for Kowalkiewicz. She achieved top position, and then moved to full mount to wallop Markos with punches. The closing onslaught clinched the decision for Kowalkiewicz.

Charles Oliveira def. Myles Jury via 1st-round submission (guillotine choke)

Charles Oliveira didn't even break a sweat. Flashing the trademark venomous grappling that's seen him bag 13 career submissions, Oliveira ran game on Myles Jury during their brief encounter on Saturday night, following up a failed rear-naked choke attempt with a much more successful standing guillotine. Jury briefly fought to try and free himself from Oliveira's clutches only to tap out at 3:05 of the opening frame.

Nate Marquardt def. C.B. Dollaway via 2nd-round KO

Sometimes is doesn't matter how you start it, it's all about the finish. Nate Marquardt had been rocked a few times during the opening stages of his bout against C.B. Dollaway on Saturday night, but he violently turned things around with a single, perfectly placed right hand. Avoiding Dollaway's predatory onslaught along the fence, Marquardt sent his sneering opponent on an unscheduled trip to dreamland, crushing "The Doberman" with a blistering, fight-ending right hook. Yikes.

Valentina Shevchenko def. Sarah Kaufman via split decision

It was a classic example of too little, too late for Sarah Kaufman. Kaufman was completely handled by newcomer Valentina Shevchenko in the opening 10 minutes, as "Bullet" easily bullied the Canadian in the clinch and on the floor. Fighting on eight days notice, Shevchenko slowed in the final stanza, allowing Kaufman to come back and dominate for the remaining five minutes with heavy top control and a steady stream of ground-and-pound. Ultimately, Kaufman's late burst of offense wasn't enough, and the 27-year-old Peruvian escaped with her hand raised.

Tamdan McCrory def. Josh Samman via 3rd-round submission (triangle choke)

Welcome back, "Barn Cat." For any sane individuals who love their MMA bouts packed with mad scrambles, slick sub attempts, and grappling wizardry, Tamdan McCrory and Josh Samman delivered on Saturday night. After a relatively even opening round, McCrory, fighting under the UFC banner for the first time since 2009, started to take over in the second stanza, getting the better of Samman in the grappling exchanges while blasting him with punches along the cage. It was more of the same in the third, as McCrory capped off an impressive performance by locking in a slick triangle choke. The leather-tough Samman fought to survive for a ridiculously long time before being forced to tap at 4:10 of the round.

Nik Lentz def. Danny Castillo via split decision

It was ugly, exhausting, sloppy, and surprisingly entertaining. Nik Lentz battled Danny Castillo for 15 grueling minutes, with Lentz's higher volume striking, massive throws, and dogged pursuit of a guillotine choke earning him the nod on two of three judges' scorecards. Gulping for air, Castillo looked completely gassed heading into the second round, so his ability to survive to a decision proved that he's tougher than a $3 steak.

Cole Miller vs. Jim Alers ruled a no contest (eye poke)

Some Three Stooges-like shenanigans brought the Cole Miller versus Jim Alers bout to a screeching halt. After a scrappy back-and-forth opening round, Miller, who was starting to find his range and rhythm, was poked in the eye by a pawing Alers. "Magrinho" wasn't able to open his clearly damaged eye, and after a discussion with the ringside doctor, the fight was ruled a no contest.

Kamaru Usman def. Leon Edwards via unanimous decision

After a relatively slow start, Usman grew stronger and stronger as his fight with Edwards rolled into deep waters. Surviving a first-round triangle choke attempt, Usman exhaustingly ground Edwards down on the floor, and in the clinch along the fence, used his superior wrestling to completely neutralize the 24-year-old Englishman. Later in the third round, Usman started bludgeoning Edwards with heavy punches next to the cage, but "Rocky" was able to survive the assault.

Vincent Luque def. Hayder Hassan via 1st-round technical submission (anaconda choke)

Luque made Hassan take a nap. Two minutes into the opening stanza, Luque stunned Hassan with a crushing right hand, forcing "Hulk" to desperately shoot for a takedown. Smelling blood in the water, Luque immediately locked up an anaconda choke, sending his opponent into unconsciousness at 2:13 of the frame.

Francis Ngannou def. Luis Henrique via 2nd-round KO

Ngannou is a terrifying human being. In a matchup of debuting heavyweights, Ngannou tagged Henrique with some heavy combinations before liquefying his stunned foe with a blistering uppercut. From there, it was academic, as Ngannou landed a massive hammerfist, forcing referee John Hosegood to mercifully put an end to the onslaught.

Main Card

Rafael dos Anjos (154.5) vs. Donald Cerrone (154.5)
Junior dos Santos (239) vs. Alistair Overeem (243)
Michael Johnson (155.5) vs. Nate Diaz (156)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (114.5) vs. Randa Markos (116)

Fox Sports 1 prelims

Myles Jury (146) vs. Charles Oliveira (150.5)
C.B. Dollaway (185.5) vs. Nate Marquardt (186)
Sarah Kaufman (136) vs. Valentina Shevchenko (134)
Tamdan McCrory (185) vs. Josh Samman (186)
Nik Lentz (156) vs. Danny Castillo (156)
Jim Alers (145) vs. Cole Miller (146)