The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 160: “Velasquez vs Silva 2.” The card was headlined by a UFC Heavyweight Championship rematch between Cain Velasquez and former EliteXC titleholder Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Also on the card, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos looked to get back into UFC heavyweight title contention when he took on standout striker Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt. Glover Teixeira faced James Te Huna in a light heavyweight bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for tonight’s UFC 160 event.
UFC Heavyweight Championship
Cain Velasquez vs Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Round 1:
Silva avoided two early takedown attempts from Velasquez, who threw kicks to Silva’s lead leg and midsection. A big right hand dropped Silva to his knees and Velasquez immediately dove in with more punches. Silva was unable to get up and turtled on the ground, prompting referee Mario Yamasaki to intervene to stop the fight.
Winner: Cain Velasquez by TKO (Punches) at 1:21 of round one. He improves to 12-1-0 and remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Junior “Cigano” dos Santos vs Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt
Round 1:
Hunt opened the action with a leg kick and dos Santos answered with an overhand right. Hunt landed counter left hooks and walked forward with a combination. Dos Santos floored him with a huge right hand, but Hunt recovered almost instantly. He got back to his feet and just missed with a lunging left. Dos Santos landed two more right hands as the round progressed. Hunt missed with a spinning backfist and dos Santos landed a counter left. Another winging right hook landed for dos Santos in the final seconds. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 2:
Hunt landed a one-two in the second round and dos Santos replied with a right hook and a left soon after. Dos Santos landed more overhand rights and mixed in jabs. Hunt scored with a nice right hand to the body, but dos Santos cracked him with a looping right and another stiff jab. Hunt pressed forward with right hands and landed two hard left hooks. Dos Santos took him down and the crowd instantly booed. Dos Santos landed short elbows from half-guard and side control until Hunt stood up just as the bell sounded. 10-9 dos Santos.
Round 3:
Dos Santos held an early edge in the third-round striking exchanges, but Hunt connected with a right hook and followed with a leg kick. Dos Santos jabbed and just missed with an overhand right. A nice one-two scored for dos Santos and Hunt landed a body kick in return. Dos Santos wobbled Hunt with a left hook and closed in with a right. Hunt recovered, but dos Santos finally put him down for good with a highlight-reel spinning hook kick to the temple.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by KO (Spinning Hook Kick) at 4:18 of round three. He improves to 16-2-0.
Glover Teixeira vs James Te Huna
Round 1:
Both fighters were aggressive with their punches right away and both landed. Te Huna snuck in short uppercuts until Teixeira took him down. Teixeira cut Te Huna near the left eye with elbows and hammerfists. Teixeira tried to pass to side control, but Te Huna held on and got to his feet. Teixeira latched onto a guillotine choke and pulled guard. Te Huna had nowhere to go and quickly tapped out.
Winner: Glover Teixeira by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:38 of round one. He improves to 21-2-0.
T.J. Grant vs Gray “The Bully” Maynard
Round 1:
Maynard landed a left hook and an uppercut in the opening seconds and he followed with a right-left combo that appeared to briefly stun Grant. More rights scored for Maynard, but Grant answered with three of his own. The last one hurt Maynard and he retreated to the cage. Grant dropped Maynard with a right and unloaded with punches and a knee as Maynard stood. Grant dropped Maynard two more times and finished him off with a final salvo of punches on the ground.
Winner: T.J. Grant by TKO (Punches) at 2:07 of round one. He improves to 21-5-0.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs “King” K.J. Noons
Round 1:
Cerrone scored with a knee early in round one and followed with a left hook. Noons began to bleed from beside the right eye, but he appeared to be unfazed and landed kicks to Cerrone’s lead leg. Cerrone replied with kicks of his own and he landed one to the chest. Cerrone took Noons down and landed an uppercut on the way up. He countered a right hook from Noons with a knee to the body. Cerrone scored with a one-two to the body and a head kick that backed Noons up to the cage. He landed another grazing head kick in the dying seconds. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 2:
Cerrone immediately took Noons down in round two and moved to the back, but Noons scrambled well and escaped to his feet. Noons walked into stiff jabs and a right cross, but he answered with a right hook. Cerrone nearly knocked Noons down with a leg kick and he kept the pressure on with a combination and a body kick. Noons landed short left hooks and a big spinning backfist, but Cerrone caught a knee and took him down. Cerrone landed hammerfists and elbows from half-guard and moved to side control before the bell. 10-9 Cerrone.
Round 3:
Noons landed two solid combinations in the final round, but Cerrone responded by taking him down and punishing him with elbows. A bloodied Noons tried to battle back to his feet, but Cerrone kept him pinned down. Cerrone moved to side control and isolated Noons’s left arm. He landed short elbows and hammerfists as the canvas became soaked in Noons’s blood. 10-9 Cerrone. Could be a 10-8.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-5-0, 1 NC.
(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)