The buzz surrounding UFC 166 manifested itself in the form of one of the most memorable and entertaining cards in the company’s history Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez won his rubber match with Junior dos Santos, crushing the Brazilian in similar fashion to his unanimous-decision win at UFC 155, except this time the champ scored a TKO in the fifth round.
The night’s co-main event, a unanimous-decision win for surging heavyweight Daniel Cormier over Roy Nelson, was overshadowed by an epic lightweight clash between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez.
Melendez and Sanchez slugged it out and put on a particularly captivating third round. But when the dust settled, the second-ranked Melendez had scored a unanimous decision and Sanchez had squandered a priceless opportunity.
Along with Velasquez, Cormier and Melendez, Gabriel Gonzaga and John Dodson each notched impressive knockouts.
Here’s a glimpse at what’s next for the UFC 166 main card winners.