On a week without UFC action, we look back on UFC 166 and one of the biggest MMA events to be held in Houston.
Next week the outspoken Sean Strickland and the surging Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez will take the stage in Houston, Texas.
But let’s go back to October 19, 2013.
The UFC went to the Toyota Center (the same venue they will visit again next Saturday) and they brought a showcase of titanic proportions to the Lone Star State. But it wasn’t just the iconic heavyweight trilogy that made the event notable, it was the fact that the UFC had paired Velasquez not only with his San Jose teammate but also another man responsible for making Northern California an MMA hot bed in the 2010’s.
Official poster for #UFC166 pic.twitter.com/DjZQIjcvrL
— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2013
In the main event, then heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez looked unstoppable after a 12-1 run that had seen him throttle the likes of Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell, and others en route to being promoted as the next generation of MMA heavyweight. Opposing him that night: Junior dos Santos, the Brazilian knockout machine who had carved his own path of destruction through the division with wins over Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir, Mark Hunt, and others.
The cherry on top, the two had split a pair of fights with Dos Santos having knocked out Velasquez in 2011 in the highly promoted debut of the UFC on the FOX network. Roughly a year later, and after both winning fights in the interim, Velasquez evened the score with a five round dismantling that handed the Brazilian his first UFC loss. Now both riding impressive victories again, the two were matched up for the final time.
Leading into the fight, the two had gone through the usual media tour of the local market. As has now become tradition, Velasquez and Dos Santos visited the NBA’s Houston Rockets where they met (hilariously) with multiple time All Stars Dwight Howard and James Harden. Today, the UFC visiting the Rockets ahead of events has become tradition with many fighters having attended games before their events take over the venue.
The fight itself was sublime for a trilogy. After one-sided victories on both sides, the third was the most competitive and went the distance. Heavy damage, no pun intended, was delivered with the improvement in the stamina of Dos Santos compared to the second fight being the biggest adjustment made. That said, the result was never in doubt as the faster Velasquez was just a step ahead of Dos Santos with a more comprehensive attack to secure the victory and the trilogy.
Though we didn’t know it yet, it would be amongst the last moments of triumph for Velasquez as injuries would take him out of action for two years afterward and he subsequently lost the title to Fabricio Werdum in his next fight. He would then split a pair of fights: beating Travis Browne at UFC 200 before suffering more injuries that kept him out of action until his final UFC appearance in 2019 where he lost to Francis Ngannou.
But that night didn’t only belong to Velasquez. In the co-main event, his longtime friend and American Kickboxing Academy teammate Daniel Cormier was beginning to build his own Hall of Fame legacy. “DC” had won the Strikeforce Grand Prix as an alternate and had entered the UFC with his Olympic wrestling pedigree. At the time, Cormier had not yet dropped down to light-heavyweight and on this night he was facing a heavy-hitting veteran in Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Cormier prevailed by unanimous decision in what would be his last heavyweight fight for five years. He wouldn’t go back up in weight in again until 2018 when he became a two-division champion by defeating Stipe Miocic by first round knockout.
RT if you spent most of your Monday morning talking about #UFC166. We're still buzzing about it at the UFC HQ! pic.twitter.com/Onsv1Vl8x3
— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2013
While the event is remembered now for the success of the American Kickboxing Academy, it would be remiss not to acknowledge another Northern California product who delivered on the night. The longtime veteran out of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Stockton, roughly an hour-and-a half drive from AKA in San Jose, Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez delivered one of the best battles in lightweight history. A champion in Strikeforce and the WEC, Melendez found a willing dance partner in The Ultimate Fighter season one winner Diego Sanchez who added to his own legacy of great Octagon battles.
From the first round, the two engaged in a back-and-forth war that saw the two bloodied and battered by the final bell. For Melendez, it was the stamp on his UFC run that gave him great momentum after having dropped a fight to then champion Benson Henderson in his promotional debut. For Sanchez, it was another war that added to his collection that also saw him battle Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and more in his storied career. But Melendez was the one who took home the victory which also earned him a second shot at UFC gold. He would go on to have a five round effort against champion Anthony Pettis after the two coached The Ultimate Fighter.
Other notable facts:
Future interim champion Tony Ferguson bounced back from his first UFC loss with a victory over Mike Rio at the event which began the twelve fight win-streak that included winning the interim title on his way to becoming one of the most popular stars of the past decade.
In the first bout of the night, current UFC flyweight contender Kyoji Horiguchi made his promotional debut against Dustin Prague after having been a champion in Shooto in his native Japan. Horiguchi would post a 7-1 record in the UFC with his only loss coming to longtime champion Demetrious Johnson in 2015. Horiguchi left the UFC in 2017 while on a three fight win-streak to return to Japan to fight in RIZIN where he would become their bantamweight champion as well as going on to win the Bellator title in the same division. He returned to the UFC this past year and is in title contention back at flyweight.
The event featured four fighters who either had or would go on to have a UFC belt: Velasquez, Dos Santos, Cormier, and Ferguson.
The event featured six former or future UFC title challengers: Melendez, Sanchez, Horiguchi, Gabriel Gonzaga, John Dodson, and Nate Marquart,
Five more UFC pay-per-views (now “Numbered Events”) were held in Houston after UFC 166: 192, 247, 262, 265, and 271
The UFC signed a multi-event partnership deal with the Toyota Center in 2021. Texas was amongst the first states to make arena events possible again as large crowds were slow to return following the pandemic of 2020 and the state saw the UFC bring several events to Houston.
Next Saturday’s Fight Night will be the first UFC event in Houston since UFC 271 in 2022 which was headlined by the middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.
