PHOENIX – Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (17-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) returned from a 14-month layoff to earn a unanimous decision over top contender Stipe Miocic (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a brutal, bloody affair.

Dos Santos earned scores of 49-46 twice and 48-47 for a boxing-centered gameplan that relied upon attacking Miocic’s body and mixing in power strikes.

The heavyweight fight headlined today’s UFC on FOX 13 event at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. It aired on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Dos Santos, ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, fought another grueling fight after a second loss to champ Cain Velasquez in October 2013 rubber match.

Miocic, ranked No. 8, hoped to climb into title contention with a win over the Brazilian, but slowed down in later rounds as Dos Santos’ bodywork took its toll.

Both Dos Santos and Miocic, however, were swollen and bloody by the end of five rounds.

Although two judges’ scorecards reflected a dominant performance for Junior Dos Santos, the ex-champion struggled in early as Miocic took the center of the cage and threw combinations while keeping him off balance with pressure against the cage. Several times, he caught Dos Santos moving backward with right hooks.

However, Dos Santos found his spark in the third frame after he landed a left hook that dropped Miocic. He picked up his volume in subsequent rounds and resisted takedown attempts. In the fourth, he surprised Miocic with a sweep to the mat.

Dos Santos was lighter on his feet in the fifth round as Miocic struggled to keep up. The fighters embraced at the fight’s conclusion, though Miocic appeared shocked at the unanimous call for Dos Santos.

The ex-champ’s two losses to Velasquez, which followed a first-round knockout in 2011 that earned him the belt, remain his only setbacks in the octagon since his UFC debut in 2008. Miocic sees a three-fight win streak snapped.

Complete UFC on FOX 13 results include:

• Junior Dos Santos def. Stipe Miocic via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
• Rafael dos Anjos def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Alistair Overeem def. Stefan Struve via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:13
• Matt Mitrione def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:59
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• John Moraga def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:06
• Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs via submission (injury) – Round 1, 0:57
• Drew Dober def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:52
• Bryan Barberena def. Joe Ellenberger via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:24
• David Michaud def. Garett Whiteley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Henry Cejudo def. Dustin Kimura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on UFC on FOX 13, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson contributed to this story from on-site in Phoenix.)