UFC 166: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos

[Kemal]

Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez added to UFC 166 in Houston

In an intriguing lightweight matchup, former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez (21-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) meets "The Ultimate Fighter 1" winner Diego Sanchez (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) at October's UFC 166 event in Houston.

MMAjunkie in June first reported the likely pairing.

UFC officials today announced the booking while also confirming a previously reported matchup of Hector Lombard (32-4-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Nate Marquardt (32-12-2 MMA, 10-5 UFC).

Featuring a heavyweight trilogy fight between current champ Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos, UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center. The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

Both fights are likely main-card candidates, but UFC officials have yet to reveal their position on the lineup.

Melendez returns to the octagon after suffering a split-decision loss to Benson Henderson in a failed bid for the UFC lightweight title. The 11-year veteran has long been considered one of the best 155-pounders in the world, and the narrow loss was his first defeat in almost five years.

Meanwhile, Sanchez looks to build on the strength of a split-decision win over MMA legend Takanori Gomi at March's UFC on FUEL TV 8 event in Japan. For that fight, Sanchez dropped to lightweight after a four-fight run at 170 pounds, but he failed to make weight after registering 158 pounds. Still, the win pushed him to 3-1 in his past four fights.

Since his reign in Bellator as the organization's middleweight champion, Lombard has experienced mixed results in the UFC. The Cuban-Australian and Olympic judoko is just 1-2 in the octagon with split-decision losses to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami, and a first-round knockout of Rousimar Palhares. Prior to joining the UFC, the 35-year-old has posted a 25-fight unbeaten streak. Lombard, who's ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA middleweight rankings, now heads to welterweight.

He meets Marquardt, a former Strikeforce champion who returned to the UFC in March. However, Marquardt, who also unsuccessfully vied for the UFC middleweight title in 2007, suffered a knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger at UFC 158. It marked the first back-to-back losses of his career, which included a Strikeforce title loss to Tarec Saffiedine in January.

With the additions to the card, UFC 166 now includes:

• Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos - for heavyweight title
• Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
• Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez

[Kemal]

Luke Rockhold wants top contender bout alongside Velasquez at Houston's UFC 166

Luke Rockhold felt some first-time octagon jitters – he admits it.

Despite his fair share of fights on the big stage, Rockhold said he definitely noticed a difference when he made his UFC debut in May against Vitor Belfort in Brazil. That fight resulted in a first-round knockout loss from a Belfort spinning kick to the head.

"It was really bright," Rockhold on Wednesday told MMAjunkie at a charity event in Las Vegas. "That's the one thing that was a little different. (And) the mat was a little slippery – I'm not gonna lie. But a fight's a fight for me. I've been fighting for a long time on the big stage, and I can't say it was that much different than what I've been through in my fight career. I just tried to block out the boos and not think about what (the Brazilian fans are) actually saying.

"I got caught, and I'm trying to get past it. I'm not trying to dwell on the past – I'm want to focus on the future and what's in front of me."

Rockhold (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) hadn't lost a fight since 2007 in the second bout of his pro career. After that, he signed with Strikeforce and won nine straight fights, including a middleweight title fight against Ronaldo Souza in 2011, then a pair of title defenses in 2012 before the promotion's merger with the UFC.

The Californian, who trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, is trying to not put too much stock into the loss to Belfort. He believes he was doing things right in the fight when he merely got caught with Belfort's roundhouse kick.

But that doesn't mean he didn't take some time to be a little bummed out after the loss, which took place as the main event of UFC on FX 8.

"It's hard to accept it – it's hard to move forward," he said. "But I've always grown with my losses and gotten better in every sport. This is no different. I'm going to learn from it and move on. It's hard, because I just got caught. It wasn't like I got beat up or he out-techniqued me. I felt like I was starting to get comfortable. The (octagon) nerves finally fell off – and I got caught."

But with that fight seven weeks in the rearview mirror, Rockhold is trying to focus on getting healthy, then doing just that – moving forward.

And he hopes he can rebound for his first UFC victory against the type of fighter who will not only test him, but keep him at the forefront of 185-pound division. With that in mind, it's pretty easy for him to look at the calendar and see a date that might work out pretty well.

His AKA teammate, heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, will defend his title against Junior dos Santos on Oct. 19 at UFC 166 at Toyota Center in Houston. The chance to train alongside his teammate and peak at the same time might be hard to resist.

"I'm fairly healthy – I've got some things I'm working through from the last training camp and trying to nurse myself back," he said. "I know I need to perform this next fight, so I want to give myself the best opportunity to do that. But I want to fight a top contender, too. Cain's fighting Oct. 19. My birthday's Oct. 17. That's good timing. I'd love to have a birthday present and fight a top guy and get myself back in the mix. Texas is awesome, and I'd love to go there and fight and train with my teammate."

[Kemal]

George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera joins stacked UFC 166 lineup

One of the year's deepest cards has another solid addition as bantamweight George Roop (14-9-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) meets Francisco Rivera (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 166.

UFC officials recently announced the bout.

UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

Roop vs. Rivera is expected to be part of the Facebook stream.

Roop, who has a flair for the dramatic, scored his latest upset in May, when he stopped former WEC champion Brian Bowles with a second-round TKO. It marked Roop's second consecutive win following a split-decision defeat to Hatsu Hioki and a TKO loss to Cub Swanson. With past wins over the likes of Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi, Roop now looks for the first three-fight UFC winning streak of his career.

He meets a fellow WEC vet in Rivera, who looks for his fifth straight win overall (though it'd be six if not for a failed drug test due to an over-the-counter stimulant in 2012). Most recently, Rivera rebounded from that no-contest with Roland Delorme with a TKO win over Edwin Figueroa at UFC 156.

The latest UFC 166 card now includes:

• Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos - for heavyweight title
• Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
• Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
• Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
• Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold
• K.J. Noons vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
• Adlan Amagov vs. T.J. Waldburger
• George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera

[jantje11]

Echt een vette Card !! het is te hopen dat niemand geblesseerd raakt.

[S.B.]

Kunnen ze geen betere tegenstander vinden voor Cormier? Die rolt en beukt Nelson toch de hele kooi door?

[Klassikl]

Goede card!

[Kemal]

Charles Oliveira vs. Estevan Payan added to UFC 166

Featherweights Charles Oliveira (16-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) and Estevan Payan (14-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) are the latest additions to this fall's UFC 166 lineup.

The Houston Chronicle first reported the matchup, which UFC officials later confirmed. The fight is expected for the event's preliminary-card, though it's not clear whether it will serve on the FOX Sports 1-televised or Facebook-streamed portion.

UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center and is headlined by a rubber match between heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and ex-champ Junior dos Santos.

Despite a good showing in his most recent outing, Oliveira is badly in need of a win in the UFC. The Texas-based Brazilian took on ex-champ Frankie Edgar at UFC 162 and lost a unanimous decision. Previously, he was knocked out by Cub Swanson at UFC 152.

In his first appearances at featherweight, Oliveira went 2-0 with wins over Eric Wisely and Jonathan Brooks. As a lightweight, he went 2-2 in the octagon.

Payan, meanwhile, looks to get on the right foot after a decision loss to Jeremy Stephen in his UFC debut at UFC 160. The Arizona-based fighter transitioned to the promotion after winning back-to-back fights in the now-defunct Strikeforce.

Prior to his setback, Payan had won five straight bouts.

With the addition to the lineup, UFC 166 now includes:

• Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos - for heavyweight title
• Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
• Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
• Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold
• Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
• K.J. Noons vs. George Sotiropoulos
• Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
• Adlan Amagov vs. T.J. Waldburger
• George Roop vs. Francisco Rivera
• Matt Grice vs. Jeremy Larsen
• Charles Oliveira vs. Estevan Payan

[Kemal]

UFC 166 adds Eye vs. Kaufman, sends Rivera vs. Roop to UFC Fight Night 31

As expected, recent UFC signee Jessica Eye (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face Sarah Kaufman (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at October's UFC 166 event.

MMAjunkie reported the likely booking, and UFC officials today confirmed the matchup.

Featuring a headliner between UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and former title holder Junior dos Santos, UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center. The evening's main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims that air on FOX Sports 1 and stream on Facebook.

Placement of the Eye vs. Kaufman fight wasn't immediately clear.

Additionally, a planned matchup of Francisco Rivera (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) vs. George Roop (14-9-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) was moved back three weeks to "UFC Fight Night 31: UFC Fight for the Troops 3," which takes place Nov. 6 at Kentucky's Fort Campbell.

The 27-year-old "Evil" Eye is an Ohio native who is best known for a December 12 win over Zoila Frausto Gurgel. In a 125-pound contest, Eye choked out the Bellator 115-pound women's title holder with a standing arm-triangle choke in just 58 seconds. When Bellator MMA officials elected to move away from promoting women's contests, Eye was stuck on the sidelines and never again fought for the promotion.

Eye began her professional career in 2010 and currently boasts a seven-fight win streak.

Meanwhile, former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champ Kaufman was set to make her UFC debut at next week's UFC Fight Night 27 event before opponent Sara McMann was forced to withdraw and a suitable replacement opponent could not be secured.

Roop, who has a flair for the dramatic, scored his latest upset in May, when he stopped former WEC champion Brian Bowles with a second-round TKO. It marked Roop's second consecutive win following a split-decision defeat to Hatsu Hioki and a TKO loss to Cub Swanson. With past wins over the likes of Chan Sung Jung and Josh Grispi, Roop now looks for the first three-fight UFC winning streak of his career.

He meets a fellow WEC vet in Rivera, who looks for his fifth straight win overall (though it'd be six if not for a failed drug test due to an over-the-counter stimulant in 2012). Most recently, Rivera rebounded from that no-contest with Roland Delorme with a TKO win over Edwin Figueroa at UFC 156.

[Kemal]

'UFC 166: Velasquez vs. dos Santos III' lineup set, flyweights on main card

In addition to a major heavyweight championship trilogy, October's UFC 166 event features 13 total bouts, a preliminary card full of familiar names, and a main card that kicks off with a pair of flyweights.

UFC 166 takes place Oct. 19 at Houston's Toyota Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

The big men take center stage at the fall event. In the headliner, heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (12-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) and former titleholder Junior dos Santos (16-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC) meet in a rubber match. In the co-headliner, Daniel Cormier (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) likely fights at heavyweight for the final time when he takes on Roy Nelson (19-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC).

Additionally, rather than a usual spot buried on the preliminary card, flyweights kick off the main card as John Dodson (14-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) welcomes Darrell Montague (13-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the organization.

The prelims, meanwhile, feature a host of notables, including former Strikeforce champions Luke Rockhold, Nate Marquardt and Sarah Kaufman.

The official UFC 166 card includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos - for heavyweight title
• Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
• Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
• Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
• John Dodson vs. Darrell Montague

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)

• Tim Boetsch vs. Luke Rockhold
• Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
• Jessica Eye vs. Sarah Kaufman
• K.J. Noons vs. George Sotiropoulos

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6 p.m. ET)

• Adlan Amagov vs. T.J. Waldburger
• Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
• Charles Oliveira vs. Estevan Payan
• Matt Grice vs. Jeremy Larsen

[e-type]

Lombard op de pre-lims?
die z'n ster is gezakt zeg...

[Kemal]

[K-1sunstarr]

Lombard op de pre-lims?
die z'n ster is gezakt zeg...

Ja vind ik ook, snap het niet?
Preliminary card, dus gedegradeerd.

[FREE MURRAY]

Cain gaat winnen 100%

[Kemal]

Following car accident and head injury, Matt Grice removed from UFC 166 lineup

With UFC featherweight Matt Grice still hospitalized following a serious car accident on Sunday, his bout has been removed from next month's UFC 166 fight card.

Grice (15-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC) was scheduled to fight Jeremy Larsen (8-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in a Facebook-streamed preliminary-card bout at the Oct. 19 event, which takes place at Houston's Toyota Center.

As reported Monday, Grice, who's both a fighter and police officer, was hit from behind on Sunday during a multi-car accident. Grice, who was off duty at the time, suffered a head injury and underwent surgery, though details were not released.

The Oklahoma City Police Department issued a statement on Monday:

On Sunday, Sept 8th, at approximately 4pm off-duty Officer Matthew Grice (age 32) was involved in a serious multi-car accident in Shawnee, OK (accident investigated by Oklahoma Highway Patrol). The accident left him in critical condition.

Officer Grice was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital, where his status is currently listed as confidential. The Grice family has asked for privacy as they deal with this sudden and unfortunate situation.

Grice's friend, Daniel Rubenstein, has been providing periodic updates.

As he tweeted Monday night: "Matt is still sedated. Pupils reacting to light. Another catscan planned for tonight sometime. Matt's wife went home to be with their girls."

The UFC also released a statement: "The UFC sends its thoughts and prayers to featherweight Matt Grice, who was involved in a serious auto accident over the weekend in his native Oklahoma that required surgery. Grice is currently in the intensive care unit and more details on his condition will be posted as they are received."

Grice (15-5 MMA, 2-5 UFC), a four-time state high school wrestling champion who received a scholarship from the University of Oklahoma, most recently appeared at UFC 157 in February, where he suffered a hard-fought decision loss to Dennis Bermudez. Both competitors won "Fight of the Night" bonuses for the effort.

Grice is 1-2 (2011-present) in his current UFC stint following a 1-3 run in his first (2007-2009).

[Soulbringer320]

Cain pakt deze weer, en dan is er voorlopig in mijn ogen niemand die tegenover Cain kan/wilt staan. Maar als JDS wint, word het dan weer gelijk een rematch?

[e-type]

Cain pakt deze weer, en dan is er voorlopig in mijn ogen niemand die tegenover Cain kan/wilt staan. Maar als JDS wint, word het dan weer gelijk een rematch?

De geschiedenis leert dat Cain dan tegen Bigfoot moet...
Maar je hebt gelijk, de HW titel kanshebbers zijn inmiddels aardig uitgedund. Misschien Barnett of Cormier, Overeem op TRT...in Brazilie of zo...

[Soulbringer320]

De geschiedenis leert dat Cain dan tegen Bigfoot moet...
Maar je hebt gelijk, de HW titel kanshebbers zijn inmiddels aardig uitgedund. Misschien Barnett of Cormier, Overeem op TRT...in Brazilie of zo...

True Story, op dit moment zie ik niemand Cain stoppen....

[jantje11]

Idd denk dat Cain ook nog lang champ zal blijven.
Maar mocht JDS wel winnen, en Cormier van Nelson. Mischien zal Cormier dan een titleshot krijgen. Maarja mocht die dan de belt pakken dan zal Cain moeten wachten want Cormier en Cain knokken niet tegen elkaar.

Of hij dropt naar LHW en gaat Jones verrot slaan.

[Kemal]

Dustin Pague vs. Kyoji Horiguchi added to UFC 166

A 13th fight has been added to next month's UFC 166 card.

Dustin Pague (11-8) will welcome Japanese prospect Kyoji Horiguchi (11-1) to the Octagon on Oct. 19 in Houston, the promotion announced on Friday.

Pague will enter the bantamweight fight on a three-fight losing streak. He most recently lost a split decision to Yves Jabouin at UFC 161 in June.

Horiguchi, the now-former Shooto 132-pound champion, enters his UFC debut on a five-fight winning streak. The 22-year-old has never had a pro MMA fight outside of Tokyo, Japan.

UFC 166, headlined by Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos III for the heavyweight title, will take place at the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets.

[mario the count]

Zou mooi zijn als Cormier wint en een titleshot krijgt. Waarom zou Cormier niet tegen Velasquez vechten jantje?

[MRNijman]

Het zijn teamgenoten!

[my2cents]

Warmaster zou ik ook wel graag tegen Cain zien bij winst van Cain

[Willem033]

Ik ga ook voor Cain, maar het zou me ook niet verbazen als JDS hem weer weet te raken met 1 van zijn zware stoten.
Als we dezelfde Cain terug zien als in hun laatste partij dan geef ik JDS geen kans, dan heeft niemand een kans eigenlijk.

[fightlove]

[Tony]

Leuk om te zien dat George Sotiropoulos weer meedoet. Volgens mij tijdje geleden weer, niet?