Facing one of the most dangerous strikers in MMA in Mark Hunt, Junior dos Santos cemented his top contender status as he dominated the action on the feet and on the ground before landing a highlight reel spinning back kick to KO Hunt at 4:18 of the third round.
A tentative start marked the bout as Junior dos Santos was careful to engage in range with Hunt. That all changed with one shot as dos Santos uncorked an overhand right that landed flush and dropped Hunt. Dos Santos remained cautious as Hunt scrambled back to his feet and recovered as the round wore on. Hunt stalked forward with his jab, but it was Dos Santos that finally opened up, landing his jab and following up with his overhand right to end the opening round.
Hunt came forward to start the second, getting inside and landing with combinations. Dos Santos fired back with body shots, while continuing to land his powerful right hand. Hunt found success with his lead left hook as dos Santos crept closer and closer in the exchanges. Dos Santos turned up the heat with his jab halfway through the round, peppering Hunt to the body and face with his crisp left hand. Hunt kept coming forward, closing off the cage and landing with a flurry of left hands causing dos Santos to disengage. Dos Santos then took the fight to the mat, eliciting boos from the crowd. He then used a punishing, grinding attack to finish off a dominating round.
Dos Santos feinted with his jab to open up the final round to keep Hunt off balance. Hunt pursued his opponent throwing wide winging punches that failed to find their mark. Dos Santos stayed light on his feet, circling out of trouble and picking his spots landing his jab at will for much of the rest of the round. Hunt kept stalking and walked right into a stiff left hook that stopped him in his tracks. Dos Santos kept attacking launching a brutal spinning head kick that crumpled Hunt to the mat. A final right hand put the stamp on a highlight reel finish for the top-ranked Junior dos Santos.
The stunning KO finish for Junior dos Santos improves his record to 16-2 overall (10-1 UFC), keeping him firmly rooted as the UFC’s top contender at heavyweight.