UFC Fight Night 133: dos Santos vs. Ivanov | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Conor McBragger
- May 20
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 133: dos Santos vs. Ivanov took place on Saturday, July 14, 2018 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 754,000 average viewers (840k peak, 572k FS1 prelims). The card drew a sold-out 5,648 fans for a gate of $591,575. It was the first UFC event in Idaho. The main event was a heavyweight bout between former UFC HW Champion Junior dos Santos and former WSOF and PFL champion Blagoy Ivanov.
Dos Santos won by unanimous decision in his first fight since a provisional USADA suspension that had kept him out for 13 months. Ivanov was making his UFC debut. Raoni Barcelos and Kurt Holobaugh earned Fight of the Night. Niko Price and Chad Mendes earned Performance of the Night. Mendes was also returning from a two-year USADA suspension. Alexander Volkanovski defeated Darren Elkins in a featherweight preliminary fight.
First UFC in Idaho — Two Returns from Suspension
Boise is Idaho’s capital and largest city. CenturyLink Arena holds approximately 5,700; the 5,648 sold-out attendance represented the arena’s near-capacity for a UFC debut market. The sold-out designation was commercially significant: the UFC’s first Idaho visit produced maximum capacity results. The $591,575 gate was proportionate to the venue’s size and Idaho’s purchasing market.
The card’s narrative centred on two returns from USADA suspension. JDS had been provisionally suspended after a routine test returned a positive result, which was subsequently traced to a tainted supplement. He was cleared of intentional doping and reinstated after approximately 13 months away. Chad Mendes had served a two-year USADA suspension for a different violation and was making his return fight. Both fighter returns on the same card gave Boise a unique narrative context for a debut market.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 14, 2018 (1st UFC in Idaho; SOLD OUT)
📍 Venue: CenturyLink Arena, Boise, Idaho
👥 Attendance: 5,648 (SOLD OUT)
💰 Gate: $591,575
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 754,000 avg. viewers (840k peak, 572k FS1 prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Junior dos Santos vs. Blagoy Ivanov — HW (5 rounds; JDS returning from 13-month USADA provisional suspension; Ivanov’s UFC debut)
✅ Result: dos Santos def. Ivanov via Unanimous Decision (5 rounds; JDS dominated; Ivanov’s only career loss entering was to Alexander Volkov)
Main Event: JDS Dominates Ivanov’s UFC Debut Over Five Rounds
Dos Santos’ return narrative — a former UFC HW Champion cleared of intentional doping returning to elite competition — was the card’s central commercial story. His last fight had been a first-round KO loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 in May 2017. His 13 months away had not eroded his technical boxing quality or his name recognition as a former champion. Ivanov’s career credentials — WSOF and PFL HW champion, sambo background, one career loss — were genuine.
Dos Santos’ boxing volume and technical quality dominated the five rounds. Ivanov’s sambo and grappling-based approach could not neutralise JDS’s striking range and combination quality. The unanimous decision was a comprehensive return performance that re-established JDS in the UFC HW top ten and positioned him for a continuation of his Miocic-era contendership cycle. Ivanov’s debut loss demonstrated the quality gap between WSOF/PFL-level HW competition and UFC top-ten HW.
Mendes’ Return PoN, Volkanovski’s Win & The Card
Chad Mendes’ Performance of the Night win over Myles Jury was a commercial celebration: Mendes had been the UFC’s most commercially prominent active FW contender when he received the USADA suspension. His two-year absence had produced significant discussion about the division’s development without him. His Boise win over Jury — a technically sound FW on a two-fight win streak — demonstrated that his physical and competitive quality had been maintained through the suspension period.
Niko Price’s Performance of the Night hammerfist finish was one of the year’s more unusual individual finishing techniques. Hammerfist strikes — delivered with the bottom of a closed fist rather than the knuckles — produce downward impact useful in ground-and-pound scenarios. Price’s hammerfist finish earned the distinction of being highlighted by MMA Junkie as the card’s most individually notable technique. Alexander Volkanovski’s decision over Darren Elkins was another step in his FW career build toward the championship.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Junior dos Santos def. Blagoy Ivanov — Unanimous Decision — HW (5 rounds; JDS returned from 13-month USADA provisional suspension; Ivanov’s UFC debut; JDS’ boxing dominated)
Sage Northcutt def. Zak Ottow — WW (Northcutt’s third attempt at WW after 2 LW losses; Ottow on alternating win/loss pattern)
Chad Mendes def. Myles Jury — FW (PoN $50k; Mendes RETURNED FROM 2-YEAR USADA SUSPENSION; win over FW veteran with two-fight win streak)
Niko Price def. [opponent] — WW (PoN $50k; HAMMERFIST FINISH; unusual technique)
Ricky Glenn def. Dennis Bermudez — FW (Bermudez on 4-fight losing streak)
Alejandro Perez def. Eddie Wineland — BW
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Alexander Volkanovski def. Darren Elkins — FW (Volkanovski building FW career; 13-0 overall; future UFC FW champion at UFC 245 December 2019!)
Raoni Barcelos def. Kurt Holobaugh — BW (FotN $50k each; competitive back-and-forth fight)
Sheymon Nurmagomedov def. J. Scoggins — BW
Macy De La Rosa def. Elias Garcia — Women’s FLW
JJ Aguilar def. Jodie Esquibel — Women’s SBW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Raoni Barcelos + Kurt Holobaugh — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Niko Price + Chad Mendes — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• First UFC event in Idaho (Boise) — sold-out debut.
• JDS and Chad Mendes both returned from USADA suspensions on the same card — a unique dual-return narrative.
• Alexander Volkanovski’s 13th consecutive professional win — building toward the UFC FW Championship at UFC 245 in December 2019.
Legacy & Impact
Dos Santos’ Boise return launched a 2018-2019 HW career phase that produced a KO win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Fight Night 142, setting up a third UFC HW title fight against Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 in January 2019. Volkanovski’s Boise win over Elkins — a UFC veteran with multiple bonus-earning performances — was one of the significant competence-validating wins in his pre-championship career. His Boise result was followed by a title shot-earning win over Jose Aldo at UFC 232 in December 2018.
Chad Mendes’ Boise return win over Jury demonstrated that his physical quality remained intact through the two-year suspension. His subsequent return career produced fights against Yair Rodriguez and Alexander Volkanovski before his eventual retirement. Niko Price’s hammerfist PoN was one of his most individually discussed bonus results — a technically unusual finish that became a clip-of-the-night in MMA media discussions of creative finishing techniques.
FAQ
What was dos Santos’ USADA situation?
JDS received a provisional USADA suspension after an out-of-competition test returned a positive result. The substance was traced to a contaminated supplement — a manufactured or tainted product containing a banned substance without the fighter’s knowledge. USADA’s supplement contamination investigations have cleared multiple fighters who ingested tainted products unknowingly. JDS was cleared of intentional doping and reinstated after approximately 13 months. His Boise return was the first fight after the clearance.
What was Chad Mendes’ USADA situation?
Mendes received a two-year USADA suspension in July 2016 for a different violation. He had been one of the UFC FW division’s most prominent active contenders before the suspension, with two-time UFC FW title challenge losses to Jose Aldo and a 12-1 professional record. The two-year suspension was longer than JDS’s clearance-resolved provisional suspension. His Boise return over Jury demonstrated his competitive quality remained relevant.
Who was Blagoy Ivanov before his UFC debut?
Ivanov was a 30-year-old Bulgarian sambo specialist who had competed in Bellator, WSOF (where he held the HW championship), and PFL. His only professional loss before Boise was to Alexander Volkov (who had also headlined UFC Fight Night 127 in London). His WSOF and PFL championship credentials made him a credible debut opponent for JDS rather than a UFC newcomer with an unknown competitive track record.
What was Alexander Volkanovski’s position after Boise?
Volkanovski was a 30-year-old Australian featherweight who had gone 13-0 professionally after Boise. His win over Darren Elkins — a UFC veteran who had won an Arlovsky-level fight come-from-behind bonus at the Atlantic City card — was a significant quality individual win. His subsequent UFC FW fights produced a win over Jose Aldo at UFC 232 in December 2018, which earned him the UFC FW Championship fight against Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019.
What was Niko Price’s hammerfist finish?
The hammerfist is a strike delivered by swinging the bottom of the closed fist — the little-finger side — downward or sideways, typically in ground-and-pound scenarios where the conventional punch angle is unavailable. Price’s hammerfist finish was notable enough that MMA Junkie’s post-event article specifically highlighted the technique. The unusual finishing method was referenced in Price’s bonus announcement, confirming it as the specific technique that earned the Performance of the Night recognition.
What was the Barcelos/Holobaugh Fight of the Night?
Raoni Barcelos was a 28-year-old Brazilian bantamweight making early UFC appearances; Kurt Holobaugh was a 31-year-old Arizona lightweight. Their Fight of the Night exchange produced the competitive quality that the FotN bonus rewards — two fighters committed to offensive engagement throughout the fight. Barcelos’ subsequent UFC BW career produced multiple wins and a top-fifteen ranking before his eventual title contendership challenges.
References
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