UFC 155: Cain Velasquez Defeats Junior dos Santos

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II took place on December 29, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cain Velasquez reclaimed the UFC heavyweight championship from Junior dos Santos with a dominant five-round unanimous decision, reversing the 64-second knockout loss from their first meeting. Jim Miller defeated Joe Lauzon in a bloody Fight of the Night, while Costas Philippou, Yushin Okami, Derek Brunson, and Jamie Varner also earned significant wins.

Event video: Velasquez versus dos Santos II.

Velasquez reverses the first fight

Dos Santos had won their first meeting with a right hand in just 64 seconds. The rematch unfolded very differently. Velasquez pressured from the opening bell, repeatedly changed levels, forced dos Santos to defend takedowns, and landed a heavy right hand that dropped the champion in the first round.

Dos Santos showed remarkable durability but spent most of the fight reacting to Velasquez’s pace. After five rounds, the judges scored the fight 50–45, 50–43, and 50–44 for Velasquez, returning the heavyweight championship to him.

Miller wins the co-main event

Jim Miller defeated Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision after three punishing rounds. Miller opened a severe cut early and maintained a high work rate, while Lauzon continued attacking with submissions and striking despite the damage.

The judges scored the fight 29–28 on all three cards for Miller. Miller and Lauzon received Fight of the Night honors.

Philippou and Okami win; Brunson hands Leben a loss

Costas Philippou stopped Tim Boetsch in the third round after a fight affected by an eye poke and other damage. Yushin Okami used takedowns and top control to defeat Alan Belcher by unanimous decision. Derek Brunson stepped in on short notice and outpointed Chris Leben.

On the preliminaries, Jamie Varner edged Melvin Guillard by split decision, Myles Jury shut out Michael Johnson, Todd Duffee knocked out Phil De Fries in his UFC return, and Max Holloway won a split decision over Leonard Garcia. John Moraga submitted Chris Cariaso in the third round.

Complete UFC 155 results

Main card

• Cain Velasquez def. Junior dos Santos — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Velasquez won the UFC heavyweight championship.
• Jim Miller def. Joe Lauzon — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Costas Philippou def. Tim Boetsch — TKO (punches); round 3.
• Yushin Okami def. Alan Belcher — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Derek Brunson def. Chris Leben — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.

Preliminary card

• Eddie Wineland def. Brad Pickett — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Erik Perez def. Byron Bloodworth — TKO (punches); round 1, 3:50.
• Jamie Varner def. Melvin Guillard — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Myles Jury def. Michael Johnson — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Todd Duffee def. Phil De Fries — TKO (punches); round 1, 2:04.
• Max Holloway def. Leonard Garcia — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
• John Moraga def. Chris Cariaso — submission (guillotine choke); round 3, 1:11.

UFC 155 reset the heavyweight division with Velasquez back on top and produced one of 2012’s most memorable three-round fights in Miller–Lauzon. Explore more of our MMA coverage.

Sources

UFC: official UFC 155 event results; UFC: Velasquez–dos Santos II main-event report; Sherdog event record.

Article Tags

UFC 155, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC Results