Last night (Oct. 19, 2013) at the UFC 166, Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez consolidated his grip on the belt by finishing Junior Dos Santos in the fifth round. For Velasquez, it was another dominant win, as Dos Santos was not able to mount much offense after shaking Velasquez up with punches in the first round. What is next for Velasquez? The UFC has Josh Barnett and Fabricio Werdum both capable of making a reasonable argument for the next title shot. Werdum last fought in June of 2013, and he is apparently waiting for a title shot because he has nothing else on the schedule. Barnett is scheduled to take on Travis Browne on the December 28th UFC, so it comes down to how long we have to wait to see Cain Velasquez again. The main event for the Super Bowl card is open, is that too soon for Werdum-Velasquez? If it is, and Barnett beats Browne as he should, then it becomes more likely we get Barnett-Velasquez next. Also in the heavyweight division, Daniel Cormier roughed up Roy Nelson over three rounds. One fact that should not go unnoticed is that Cormier weighed in at 224 lbs, so it appears as if he is moving towards the light heavyweight division. Cormier was still bullish in his fight with Nelson, but it remains to be seen what he looks like all the way down at 205 lbs. The welterweight division was put on alert by Hector Lombard, who wiped out Nate Marquardt in what is likely Marquardt’s swan song with the company. Lombard looked explosive at 170 lbs, and at 35 years old and with a big contract, expect Lombard to get on the fast track in the weight class. Robbie Lawler has a November UFC date with Rory McDonald, and a match between the winner of that bout and Lombard would certainly be the kind of fight Lombard needs next. Also interesting and very tense would be a fight between Lombard and Nick Diaz, as both come with the same aggressive, take no prisoners mentality. Gilbert Melendez defeated Diego Sanchez, as expected, however he did not deliver on a promised finish, as Sanchez is a solid veteran who would not go out. The bout was “Fight of the Year”-worthy. Melendez is near the top of the division, however he is probably going to have to do more than this fight before earning another title shot. Champion Anthony Pettis puts his belt on the line against Josh Thomson in December. A match with a returning former champion like Benson Henderson for Melendez should be next. Two fighters to watch were spotted on the undercard as well. Kyojo Horiguchi of Japan showed patience and resilience in surviving a rear naked choke attempt to take out Dustin Pague. What is more impressive is that Horiguchi did it at 135 lbs, and he may eventually wind up at 125 lbs. He is a threat to the Flyweight division, which lacks depth. Young Andre Fili bloodied and battered Jeremy Larsen in his UFC debut that he took on 10 days notice. Fili at 145 lbs is an exciting striker who showed a mean streak in his fighting and some charisma on the microphone. Look out for both of these guys. Highlights Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos
Gilbert Melendez vs Diego Sanchez