The Ultimate Fighting Championship came to Toyota Center in Houston, Texas tonight for UFC 166: “Velasquez vs dos Santos 3.” The card featured a UFC Heavyweight Championship trilogy fight between current champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.

In the heavyweight co-feature, unbeaten rising star Daniel Cormier took on Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez squared off against Diego “The Dream” Sanchez in a 155-pound matchup. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.

 

UFC Heavyweight Championship

Cain Velasquez vs Junior “Cigano” dos Santos

Round 1:
Dos Santos stunned Velasquez with punches right away, but Velasquez quickly recovered and tried for a takedown. He briefly worked for a guillotine choke, but dos Santos created space and landed a big right hand. Velasquez clinched once more and held dos Santos up against the fence. Dos Santos caught a kick and landed a counter right hook. He stuffed a takedown, but Velasquez got him down on his second try.

Velasquez used an arm-triangle choke attempt to set up a move to mount. Dos Santos got back to half-guard and gave up his back as he got back to his feet. Velasquez maintained a clinch and landed a knee to the body. He followed with more knees in close and prevented dos Santos from breaking free of the clinch. Dos Santos finally separated late in the round and the fighters traded punches. 10-9 Velasquez.

Round 2:
Velasquez pressed forward right away in round two and landed punches and a knee. Dos Santos defended against Velasquez’s takedown attempts, but Velasquez dominated the clinch battles. He threw a flurry of punches, but dos Santos avoided many of them with quick head movement. Velasquez refused to give him any space at all and he kept dos Santos pinned up against the cage. He landed knees to dos Santos’s legs and ribs.

Dos Santos tripped Velasquez to the ground very briefly and Velasquez made him pay with punches on the way up. He once again held dos Santos against the fence and punched with his right hand. Velasquez caught a knee and looked for a takedown, but dos Santos stayed up. Velasquez continued to keep the pressure on until the final ten seconds, but dos Santos appeared to hurt him with a short elbow just before the bell. 10-9 Velasquez.

Round 3:
Velasquez initiated a clinch in round three and peppered a now-bloodied dos Santos with punches and knees against the cage. Dos Santos countered with another short elbow and fought off a takedown. The fighters separated and Velasquez caught a kick. He could not get dos Santos down and the crowd grew restless. Seconds later, Velasquez dropped dos Santos and unloaded with punches. Dos Santos appeared to be completely out of it, but referee Herb Dean allowed the action to continue.

Dos Santos escaped a guillotine choke attempt and got back to his feet. Velasquez floored him again and the fight was nearly stopped. Once again, Herb Dean let the fight continue as Velasquez held a battered dos Santos up against the fence. In the final 30 seconds, Velasquez wobbled dos Santos for a third time. Dos Santos remained on his feet, but the third round was all Velasquez. 10-8 Velasquez, if not a 10-7.

Round 4:
Velasquez hurt dos Santos with more punches in the fourth round and it appeared that the fight was once again on the verge of being stopped. Velasquez ducked under dos Santos’s counterpunches, which came slowly and badly missed the mark. Velasquez bobbed and waved to avoid dos Santos’s punches and landed left and right hooks. Dos Santos briefly escaped the clinch after landing an elbow.

Velasquez closed in again and flurried in close. Dos Santos connected with a hard uppercut, but Velasquez drove through it and tried for a takedown. He cut dos Santos badly above the right eye with an elbow and time was called to check on the cut. The fight continued and dos Santos landed an elbow of his own as blood streamed down his face. Hard punches scored for both fighters in the final seconds. 10-9 Velasquez.

Round 5:
Velasquez opened the action in round five with a left hook and dos Santos countered with a right. Velasquez took him down and escaped a triangle choke attempt. Dos Santos used the cage to get back to his feet and Velasquez pressured him with punches in the clinch. Dos Santos landed two elbows, but he could not escape Velasquez’s grasp. Dos Santos tried for a guillotine choke and Velasquez pulled him down to the ground. Dos Santos hit his head on the canvas and appeared to be stunned. He turtled up as Velasquez landed one punch and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Cain Velasquez by TKO (Slam & Punch) at 3:09 of round five. He improves to 13-1-0 and remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

 

Daniel Cormier vs Roy “Big Country” Nelson

Round 1:
After an early exchange of jabs, Cormier took Nelson down and moved to side control. He pinned Nelson down and postured up with short right hands. Nelson got back to guard and Cormier stood up. He took Nelson’s back and landed a nice knee as Nelson fought back to his feet. Nelson countered with a standing kimura attempt, but Cormier pulled his arm free and dragged him back down.

Nelson stood and Cormier landed knees and punches to the body. Time was called after Nelson was struck in the groin. The fight continued and Cormier threw a body kick. Nelson countered a jab with a left hook. Cormier ducked under a right hook and answered with a one-two. He cracked Nelson with two more big punches and Nelson barely flinched. 10-9 Cormier.

Round 2:
Nelson looked to set up right hands with inside leg kicks in round two. Cormier responded with a pair of lead left hooks. He flurried with punches that backed Nelson up and then dropped levels for a takedown. Nelson stayed up, but he ate a knee to the body and Cormier tried again to take the fight to the mat. He eventually got Nelson down, but Nelson immediately got back to his feet.

Cormier held Nelson against the cage and picked his shots with short uppercuts. Nelson managed to break free and Cormier drilled him with a three-punch combo. Nelson landed a leg kick that sent Cormier off-balance. Cormier came back with a head kick attempt and a series of jabs. He missed with a right hook late in the round. 10-9 Cormier.

Round 3:
Cormier stayed on the outside in round three and threw jabs and single right hands. Nelson tried to set up a big right hook, but he was unable to connect. Cormier threw a front kick up the middle and followed with a body kick. Punches were exchanged in close and both men landed. Cormier fired off more kicks to the body and scored with a lunging right hand. He took Nelson down momentarily and landed more kicks after the fight returned to the feet. Nelson began to taunt, but Cormier continued to get the better of the striking exchanges until the bell. 10-9 Cormier.

Winner: Daniel Cormier by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 13-0-0.

 

Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez vs Diego “The Dream” Sanchez

Round 1:
Sanchez caught a head kick from Melendez and took him down right away. He secured back control as Melendez stood up and locked on a rear-naked choke, but Melendez squirmed free. Melendez flurried with punches to the head and body and he countered a Sanchez leg kick with a right cross. Melendez blocked a head kick and fought off a takedown attempt. He stunned Sanchez with two hard right hands. Sanchez tried to catch a body kick and ate an uppercut for his efforts.

Melendez continued to score with counter right hands as Sanchez pressed forward. He caught a body kick and backed Sanchez up to the cage with punches. Sanchez began to bleed from above the left eye. Sanchez tried again to take the fight to the ground and Melendez easily stayed on his feet. A bloodied Sanchez landed two hard body kicks and a combination. Melendez dropped him two a knee and teed off with punches before the bell. Excellent round. 10-9 Melendez.

Round 2:
Melendez landed more counter right hands in the second round. Sanchez landed a nice right hook of his own, but it had little effect and Melendez continued to score with power punches. Time was called to check on the deep gash above Sanchez’s left eyebrow. The fight was allowed to continue and both men fired off big punches in close.

Sanchez slipped while throwing a kick and Melendez took advantage by landing punches as Sanchez rose to his feet. Sanchez landed another solid kick to the liver and he got Melendez down very briefly. Melendez stood and Sanchez scored with punches on the way up. Melendez landed a counter right that dropped Sanchez to a knee once more, but he quickly recovered and stood up. Melendez stuffed a takedown and landed a knee. 10-9 Melendez.

Round 3:
The fighters exchanged big combinations of punches in the second round. Melendez initially got the better of it and he landed two vicious right hands, but Sanchez stayed up and fired off a lengthy flurry of his own that backed Melendez up. Melendez regained his footing and landed a combination that caused Sanchez’s eyebrow cut to bleed heavily into his eye. After another break to check on Sanchez’s badly damaged eyebrow, the fight continued and the fighters teed off again.

Big right hands landed for both men and Sanchez dropped Melendez with an uppercut. He attempted a rear-naked choke and then a guillotine choke, but Melendez escaped to his feet. Melendez landed a knee and a right hook, but Sanchez answered with a body kick. Melendez took Sanchez down and transitioned to back control. Sanchez landed a back elbow and hit a switch to take back control himself. The fighters stood and exchanged haymakers until the final bell. 10-9 Sanchez. Amazing fight.

Winner: Gilbert Melendez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 22-3-0.

 

Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga vs Shawn “The Savage” Jordan

Round 1:
Gonzaga opened the action with lunging right hooks and the southpaw Jordan countered with lead right hands. Jordan walked forward and threw a two-punch combo, but Gonzaga floored him with a counter right hook. A badly dazed Jordan fell to the mat and Gonzaga finished him off with a final barrage of punches.

Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga by KO (Punches) at 1:33 of round one. He improves to 16-7-0.

 

John “The Magician” Dodson vs Darrell “The Mongoose” Montague

Round 1:
Dodson jumped in and out with quick one-two combinations in the opening round. Montague kicked at his lead leg and Dodson landed a counter left hook. He followed with leg kicks of his own and dropped Montague with a left hook. Montague fell to the ground and Dodson blasted him with more punches. Dodson rocked him again, but Montague somehow survived the onslaught and got back to his feet.

Another hard left hook landed for Dodson and Montague was briefly staggered again. He recovered quickly and Dodson backed away. Montague threw a knee in the clinch and Dodson punched over the top. Dodson dropped Montague face-first with one more left hand and the fight was finally stopped.

Winner: John Dodson by KO (Punch) at 4:13 of round one. He improves to 15-6-0.

 

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)