UFC on FOX: dos Santos vs. Miocic (UFC on FOX 13) took place on December 13, 2014 from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
UFC on FOX 13 was headlined by a pivotal 5-round main event between two of the top five heavyweights in the world as the former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos took on Stipe Miocic. The co-main event saw the return of the controversial Nate Diaz taking on the red-hot Rafael dos Anjos.
Check out our biggest winners and losers from UFC on FOX 13 below.
Winners:
Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic:
The main event was a 5-round war between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos and the #4 ranked heavyweight in the world Stipe Miocic. Many believed that Miocic may be outmatched, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. In what was probably the best heavyweight fight since Silva vs. Hunt, Miocic and dos Santos made sure the fans went home happy. The fight was almost completely contested on the feet and both guys hurt each other badly. Although he takes way more punches than many would like, dos Santos proved once again why he is the second best heavyweight in the world with a unanimous decision win. Miocic, on the other hand, proved that he is among the very best and can compete with anyone in the division. Overall, it was a spectacular showing from both guys and a fight where you don’t want to see either of them lose.
Rafael dos Anjos:
Rafael dos Anjos entered UFC on FOX 13 coming off of his most impressive performance to date as he knocked out the former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson in less than three minutes. Dos Anjos was set to take on the ultra-popular Nate Diaz. The Brazilian had a fantastic game plan and executed it to perfection. Diaz had his legs brutalized by dos Anjos and was struggling to do much offensively for the majority of the fight. Dos Anjos has now had the two most impressive performances of his career in back-to-back fights and is riding a three fight win streak and his next fight could potentially be for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Henry Cejudo:
Henry Cejudo is one of very few Olympians to enter the UFC let alone being a gold medalist. At just 21-years-old, Cejudo became the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal when he did it in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Cejudo was originally supposed to take on Scott Jorgensen in the flyweight division at UFC 177, but pulled out of the fight on the day of weigh-ins because of his issues making weight. This resulted in the UFC making him move up to the bantamweight division. ‘The Messenger’ made weight and was set to take on the 12-2 Dustin Kimura. The 27-year-old Cejudo looked absolutely spectacular and dominated the fight from start to finish. Many believed that Cejudo may control the fight, but it was expected that he would do it with his wrestling, but that was the furthest thing from what actually happened. The Arizona native put on a beautiful striking display that impressed everyone. After being heavily criticized for his weight issues as well as being questioned on whether or not he was dedicated to MMA, Cejudo silenced all the critics on his way to improving his record to 7-0.
Losers:
Nate Diaz:
Nate Diaz is one of the most beloved and one of the most hated lightweights to ever compete in MMA. There was a new controversy almost everyday involving Diaz in the week leading up to his fight with Rafael dos Anjos. Diaz who sat out for a year due to contractual issues was very vocal during fight week and none of it was anything good about the UFC. Diaz also missed weight by over four pounds, which is almost unheard of. Diaz could have silenced the majority of his critics with an impressive performance and win against dos Anjos, but that was not the case. Diaz was thoroughly dominated and lost the unanimous decision. Whatever is next for Diaz will certainly be highly covered, but it is almost a complete unknown as to what his career will hold next.
Stefan Struve:
Stefan Struve finally made his return to the octagon after over a year away due to heart issues. Struve made his return against one of the more aggressive strikers the division has to offer in Alistair Overeem. ‘Skyscraper’ had the huge reach advantage but it was nullified when Overeem decided to take the fight to the ground and that was where it would stay. In a rather lackluster performance, Struve was being controlled and was defeated via TKO by way of ground and pound at 4:13 of Round 1. Still only 25-years-old, it is important for Struve to decide whether or not he can still do this. Although a highly entertaining fighter, Struve’s health is of the utmost importance.
Cláudia Gadelha:
Cláudia Gadelha was set to take on Joanna Jędrzejczyk in what would likely crown the number one contender to Cara Esparza’s newly won UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship. Gadelha was originally supposed to face Carla Esparza in Invicta FC on two separate occasions, but both fights fell through. Gadelha was the favorite going into her fight with Jędrzejczyk, but she would not come out victorious. The Nova União strawweight was able to take Jędrzejczyk down multiple times, but was not doing very much. The bell at the end of the first round essentially saved Gadelha after being knocked down by a vicious uppercut from Jędrzejczyk. After the final bell at the end of the third round, Gadelha landed a punch that was way after the bell and reminded many of what Paul Daley did back in 2010. The Brazilian ultimately suffered her first career loss via split-decision and her hopes of challenging Carla Esparza have taken a big step back for now.
