MMA Fighting

Junior Dos Santos didn't get the knockout, but he did just about everything else Saturday to reaffirm his status as the leading heavyweight challenger in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Dos Santos (13-1) won a unanimous decision against fellow top-five heavyweight Shane Carwin (12-2) in the main event of UFC 131 in Vancouver, before a crowd of more than 14,600 people. Now Dos Santos will get a bout with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, probably later this year.

The jab set up a right hook-left-hook combination late in the first round that floored Carwin. Dos Santos pounced on his fallen opponent immediately and fired punches for nearly 50 seconds while Carwin turtled or otherwise covered up until the round ended. Carwin went to his corner with deep cuts under his left eye and on the bridge of his broken nose.

Compustrike statistics indicate Dos Santos outstruck Carwin 24-4 in the first round during the stand-up action. Dos Santos also landed 22 ground strikes.

Although Carwin recovered in the second round to avoid further knockdowns, Dos Santos' jab continued to find a home. Clearly behind on the scorecards after two rounds, Carwin started swinging with less caution in the final five minutes, which left him open for Dos Santos' wrestling, a facet of his game heretofore unseen in UFC. Dos Santos took down Carwin twice in the last minute, including a successful shot in the final seconds.

Carwin was a relatively late entry to the main event. Less than a month before the fight, former champion Brock Lesnar withdrew from UFC 131 after a flare-up of an intestinal infection. Carwin, who was already scheduled to compete on the Vancouver show, agreed to step in for Lesnar.