Junior Dos Santos took the gloves off to become a champion once again.
At Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA on Saturday 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, saving Belcher from further damage.
Junior Dos Santos destroys Alan Belcher #Gamebred #GamebredBKMMA pic.twitter.com/Ov6ApTIwsK
— Haduucken (@Haduuuucken) March 3, 2024
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. Before 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
