Junior Dos Santos vs Roy Nelson — Fight recap

Junior Dos Santos defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision over three rounds at UFC 117 on August 7, 2010, with referee Marcos Rosales overseeing the bout. Dos Santos landed 130 significant strikes at 46% accuracy while Nelson managed only 40 at 39%, establishing clear striking superiority throughout the fight.

The Brazilian heavyweight secured one knockdown and connected on 96 head strikes, demonstrating his superior precision and power in the stand-up exchanges. Nelson's wrestling proved ineffective, failing to convert any of his seven takedown attempts while Dos Santos successfully landed one of two attempts.

Though Nelson controlled cage time with 1:31 compared to Dos Santos's 0:20, the striking disparity and knockdown proved decisive with all three judges favoring the Brazilian. The victory positioned Dos Santos as a legitimate heavyweight contender moving forward in the division.