Junior dos Santos Blanks Blagoy Ivanov to Earn Unanimous Decision in UFC Boise Main Event

Junior dos Santos had a long wait to get back into the Octagon but it was all worth it to get a win in the main event at UFC Fight Night in Boise.

Taking on former World Series of Fighting champion Blagoy Ivanov, dos Santos had a ton of pressure on his shoulders to get the job done after suffering a brutal knockout to former champion Stipe Miocic in his last fight in May 2017.

Not only did dos Santos get the win but he pitched a shutout as he earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory while handing Ivanov his first loss since 2014.

After being out for over a year, dos Santos quickly got his footing back as he was the aggressor going after Ivanov with an aggressive game plan, stalking him across the Octagon.

Dos Santos was looking to keep at a striking range, hopping in and out with quick combinations including several kicks to the body. In return, Ivanov fired back with some stiff counter right hands that opened a cut on dos Santos’ head but otherwise didn’t do much damage.

As the second round got underway, dos Santos seemed to gain even more confidence as he was landing with more regularity while putting a little more power behind his punches.

Solid combo from the former champ! #UFCBoise pic.twitter.com/2K6avbOwMm

— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2018

Ivanov wasn’t backing down, however, as he was throwing with more volume and not sitting back on his heels as much as he was during the opening round.

As time ticked away, dos Santos was landing with better accuracy while keeping Ivanov at range so he couldn’t find a way inside his reach.

Following the advice of his coaches between rounds, Ivanov came out more aggressive in the third but that only resulted in leaving his head open for a stiff jab from dos Santos that continuously popped him directly in the eye.

Dos Santos had landed that same punch earlier in the fight and he began to find a home for it more and more as the action moved forward.

In return, Ivanov came back with a huge right hand that snapped dos Santos’ head back, which was by far his best punch up to that point in the fight.

Still, Ivanov just couldn’t seem to find a home for his power punches with dos Santos using good footwork and head movement to stay out of danger.

While he wasn’t landing with fight ending power, dos Santos was definitely hitting his target with straight punches and a left jab that was clipping Ivanov almost every time he threw it.

Between rounds, Ivanov’s corner was telling him that he needed a knockout with only five minutes remaining but there was only so much urgency he could show as his gas tank was definitely depleted.

With the clock beginning to run short, dos Santos and Ivanov both started to engage more with each fighter unleashing a couple of haymakers before settling back into the same rhythm that dominated the majority of this fight.

As the final horn sounded it was clear that dos Santos had done more than enough to win and the judges agreed with scores coming back 50-45 all in favor of the former heavyweight champion.

Following a long absence from the cage, dos Santos got back on track with a dominant performance against a game newcomer in Ivanov. Afterwards, dos Santos was mostly just happy to get back in the win column after such a long layoff, although he did mention one fight that would interest him next.

“Rematch with [Stipe] Miocic would be very welcome,” dos Santos said.

JDS vs Stipe 3? #UFCBoise pic.twitter.com/lHeMZ9lBdu

— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2018

It’s tough to imagine the UFC would run that fight back again so soon but now dos Santos is back in the win column as the former champion jumps right back into the deep end of the heavyweight division.