UFC 166: Cain Velasquez Stops Junior dos Santos

UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos III took place on October 19, 2013, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Cain Velasquez stopped Junior dos Santos in the fifth round to retain the UFC heavyweight championship and win their trilogy two fights to one. Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez produced an all-action lightweight fight, Daniel Cormier outpointed Roy Nelson, and the card included an official result that was later overturned.

Event video: Velasquez versus dos Santos III.

Velasquez closes the trilogy

Dos Santos had won the first fight by knockout, while Velasquez dominated the rematch by decision. In Houston, Velasquez again forced dos Santos backward with constant pressure, clinch work, takedowns, and short punches.

In round five, dos Santos attempted a throw while trapped near the fence and fell awkwardly to the canvas. Velasquez followed with punches, and the fight was stopped at 3:09. The result gave Velasquez the trilogy and another successful heavyweight title defense.

Melendez and Sanchez steal the show

Gilbert Melendez controlled most of his fight with Diego Sanchez using sharper boxing, but Sanchez refused to fade. In the third round, Sanchez dropped Melendez with an uppercut and surged forward, turning a clear Melendez win into one of the most memorable rounds of the year.

Melendez won by unanimous decision, while both men earned Fight of the Night honors.

Jessica Eye–Sarah Kaufman is officially a no contest

Jessica Eye originally received a split-decision victory over Sarah Kaufman. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation later overturned the result after Eye tested positive for marijuana metabolites. The official record is therefore a no contest.

Elsewhere, Daniel Cormier defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision, Gabriel Gonzaga knocked out Shawn Jordan in 1:33, John Dodson stopped Darrell Montague, Hector Lombard knocked out Nate Marquardt, and Tony Ferguson submitted Mike Rio in his return to the Octagon.

Complete UFC 166 results

• Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos — TKO (slam and punch); round 5, 3:09. Velasquez retained the UFC heavyweight championship.
• Daniel Cormier def. Roy Nelson — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Gabriel Gonzaga def. Shawn Jordan — KO (punches); round 1, 1:33.
• John Dodson def. Darrell Montague — KO (punch); round 1, 4:13.
• Tim Boetsch def. C.B. Dollaway — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt — KO (punches); round 1, 1:48.
• Jessica Eye vs. Sarah Kaufman — no contest; original split decision for Eye overturned by the Texas commission.
• K.J. Noons def. George Sotiropoulos — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Adlan Amagov def. T.J. Waldburger — KO (punches); round 1, 3:00.
• Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio — submission (D’Arce choke); round 1, 1:52.
• Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen — TKO (punches); round 2, 0:53. Catchweight bout.
• Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague — TKO (punches); round 2, 3:51.

UFC 166 settled a heavyweight trilogy, delivered a classic in Melendez–Sanchez, and requires a modern historical recap to reflect the later Eye–Kaufman no-contest ruling.

Sources

UFC: official UFC 166 event record; UFC: official UFC 166 weigh-in results; Sherdog event record.

Article Tags

UFC 166, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC Results