Junior dos Santos predicted a second-round knockout and delivered just that to Frank Mir in his first title defense at the main event of UFC 146 Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Dos Santos hooked up his betting supporters as an enormous favorite north of minus-500. The ‘over’ 1.5 rounds prop, as suggested by my man GambLou, was a winner for a plus-145 payout (risk $100 to win $145).

Once again, Dos Santos put on a boxing display, using his speed and accuracy to pepper away at Mir’s face. Mir nearly completed a takedown early in the first round, but JDS wouldn’t allow it. The champ still hasn’t been taken down while going 9-0 in the Octagon.

In the co-main event, Cain Velasquez absolutely destroyed Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva as a minus-390 ‘chalk’ in his first fight since losing his belt to Dos Santos. Velasquez laid waste to Silva in the opening stanza, leaving the Brazilian a bloody mess.

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Afterward, UFC President Dana White confirmed that Dos Santos-Velaquez II would take place later this year in what’ll be a must-see event.

Roy Nelson improved his stock in the heavyweight division with an easy first-round KO of Dave Herman as a minus-180 favorite. Also, Stipe Miocic won by second-round KO over Shane del Rosario as a minus-170 ‘chalk.’

In the first fight on the pay-per-view card, Stefan Struve needed just 1:05 to finish Lavar Johnson with an armbar in a pick ‘em affair. Struve is now 8-3 in the UFC with his only losses coming to the champ (JDS) and a pair of top-10 guys in Travis Browne and Roy Nelson. Struve has won three in a row.

Johnson, who stepped in to fight on short notice, had won KO of the Night honors in his first two UFC bouts.

The four undercard fights on FX began with a big splash, as Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy ended his four-fight losing streak by beating Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig by first-round KO as a minus-130 favorite.

C.B. Dollaway won a unanimous decision over Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller as a plus-140 underdog. Dollaway put an end to Miller, a total clown, and his tenure with the promotion that includes three losses in as many Octagon appearances.

The biggest upset of the night was delivered by Jamie Varner, who scored a first-round KO of the much-hyped Edson Barbosa. Some betting shops had Varner as a generous underdog in the plus-500 range.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--There wasn’t a bonus given for Fight of the Night. Instead, a pair of fighters garnered an extra $70,000 for their efforts. Hardy and Nelson both got KO of the Night bonuses, while Struve and Paul Sass won Submission of the Night honors.

--Despite his recent DUI arrest, Dana White confirmed Saturday that light heavyweight kingpin Jon ‘Bones’ Jones will still defend his belt against Dan Henderson at UFC 151.

--Vitor Belfort has a broken hand and will not be able to fight Wanderlei Silva in the main event at UFC 147 in Brazil. The organization is actively looking for a fighter to replace Belfort against Silva.

--UFC Octagon girl Arianny Celeste was arrested Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. on charges of domestic violence. She wasn’t cageside for the early fights but was seen on camera by the time Roy Nelson and Dave Herman stepped into the cage for the third-to-last fight. Dana White told the media that “we have her back.” Celeste has worked for the promotion since 2006.

--Former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar attended UFC 146 and White hinted that a possible return by Lesnar to the UFC was a possibility. Lesnar returned to pro wrestling and signed a one-year contract five months ago.