Cain Velasquez defeated Junior Dos Santos in the fifth round to remain UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC 166. Velasquez worked Dos Santos the entire match, and grinded him down. There wasn’t a single minute where Dos Santos had a chance to breathe. Referee Herb Dean called the fight at 3:09 of the 5th rd after Dos Santos went for a guillotine choke, but slid off of Velasquez and smashed his head on the mat. Dos Santos turtled and the match was called.
Round by Round Assessment and GIFs
Round 1 – Just after the bell at the :15 mark, Velasquez tried a guillotine choke but Dos Santos slipped out. Dos Santos then landed a big left hand after the attempted guillotine. At the 2:20 mark, Velasquez takes down Dos Santos for the first time, then delivers a big elbow while on top. Finally at the 3:30 mark they stand up, but Velasquez lands a few uppercuts with about a minute left in the round.
Round 2 – Right off the bat Velasquez lands a left hook and a knee, then gets Dos Santos over to the fence for the first of many times. For the next 90 seconds, Velasquez lands knee after knee to the thighs of Dos Santos. With two minutes to go, Dos Santos takes down Velasquez momentarily, but they get right back up and are back on the fence. Right at the end of the round, Velasquez lands a solid left hook.
Round 3 – Velasquez pressures Dos Santos against fence again right away and then lands a big right hand :45 seconds in, and then 90 seconds later, a solid left uppercut. The fighters finally get to the center of ring 2 minutes into the round to exchange glancing blows, but as the action goes against the fence again, the crowd starts booing. Velasquez starts landing big punches but can’t finish. At the 2:45 mark Herb Dean almost called the fight, but Dos Santos held on. With 30 seconds to go while against fence, Velasquez lands 2 big rights but Dos Santos stays up.
Round 4 – 10 seconds in, Velasquez lands a big right, then starts hammering away with combo after combo. A big left hook at the 2:00 mark hurts Dos Santos. Dos Santos responds by throwing short elbows that are starting to connect. Referee Herb Dean has to call a time out for a doctor visit to take a look, as Dos Santos is bleeding like crazy after and elbow above the right eye with about 75 seconds to go in the round. After the timeout Dos Santos throws another solid left elbow, but that blood is becoming a huge problem. The whole last minute of the round he was wiping blood away from his right eye.
Round 5 – Dos Santos has his left eye almost closed and his right eyebrow bleeding as the round starts. Velasquez takes down Dos Santos in the middle of ring 30 seconds in, but they are too slippery and move into corner and stand up. Dos Santos is throwing short elbows trying to escape from the fence at the two minute mark that are still connecting. But 30 seconds later, Dos Santos goes for a guillotine choke, slips over the top of Velasquez and smashes his head on mat. Clearly he was injured on that exchange and the fight was called at the 3:09 mark.
