''UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos III'' was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

event held on October 19, 2013, at the

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once th ...

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Background

The main event was a

UFC Heavyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight clas ...

bout between the current champion

Cain Velasquez Cain Ramírez Velásquez (born July 28, 1982) is an American former professional wrestler and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is widely known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he competed in the Heavyweight ( ...

and top contender

Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Heavyweigh ...

. The two have split their two previous encounters with Dos Santos winning the first bout via first round knockout at UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos and then Velasquez winning the rematch via unanimous decision at

UFC 155 ''UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 29, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez rematch ...

. A bout between

Tony Ferguson Anthony Armand Ferguson Padilla (born February 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist where he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. A professional since 2008, and was signed to the UFC from his '' The Ultimate Fi ...

and

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was the longest-rei ...

was rescheduled from

UFC 164 ''UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on August 31, 2013, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Background The main event was expected to be a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between the cur ...

however visa complications left Nurmagomedov unable to compete and was subsequently replaced by Mike Rio. A bout between

George Roop George H. Roop (born November 10, 1981) is a retired mixed martial artist. He was a cast member of Spike TV's ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir'', winning his preliminary and first round fights. He fought as a Bantamweight (MMA), ...

and Francisco Rivera was scheduled for this card, but was moved to UFC Fight Night 31 and replaced by Sarah Kaufman vs.

Jessica Eye Jessica Jo-Anne Eye (born July 27, 1986) is a former American professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently signed with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). She competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Champio ...

Matt Grice Matt Grice (born July 29, 1981) is an American retired mixed martial artist. He was in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in the featherweight division before suffering a traumatic brain injury in a traffic accident in Shawnee, Oklahoma ...

was expected to face Jeremy Larsen at the event. However, Grice was forced out of the bout after sustaining serious injuries in a September 8 car crash in his home state of Oklahoma. Grice was replaced by

Charles Oliveira Charles Oliveira da Silva (born October 17, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and fourth degree black belt Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Oliveira currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting ...

who also lost his original opponent, Estevan Payan, due to injury. Subsequently on October 5, Oliveira pulled out of the Larsen bout citing a strained thigh muscle. Larsen instead faced promotional newcomer

Andre Fili Andre Riley Givens-Fili (born Andre Riley Givens; June 25, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Fili is of Samoan and ...

Luke Rockhold Luke Skyler Rockhold (born October 17, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and Karate Combat. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

was expected to face

Tim Boetsch Timothy A. Boetsch (; born January 28, 1981) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist who fought in the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2006, Boetsch has for ...

at the event. However, Rockhold was forced out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by

C. B. Dollaway C. B. Dollaway (born August 10, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist who fought in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. A professional from 2006 to 2019, he formerly fought in the UFC and was a finalist on SpikeT ...

. Andre Fili weighed in 2.5 pounds too heavy. As a result, 20-percent of Fili's purse was forfeited to his opponent, Jeremy Larsen.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters received $60,000 bonuses. * Fight of The Night: Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez * Knockout of The Night: John Dodson * Submission of the Night: Tony Ferguson

References

{{UFC Events Ultimate Fighting Championship flagship events 2013 in mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts events in Houston Sports competitions in Houston 2013 in sports in Texas

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References