It was a make-or-break moment for former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos on Sunday at UFC Fight Night 86 in Zagreb, Croatia. Dos Santos had to face and get past surging contender Ben Rothwell if he was to ever live up to his statements that he'd rise to the top of the division again.
And, lucky for the man known as "Cigano," he did just that, earning a hard-fought but dominant unanimous decision win over Rothwell in the night's main event.
While there's no guarantee he'll get a title shot from the victory, it was a massively important fight to prove he belongs at the top of the division after many speculated wars with Cain Velasquez and Stipe Miocic had taken the Brazilian's best from him.