Last night (Oct. 19, 2013) at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Junior Dos Santos was unsuccessful in his bid to recapture the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title when he faced Cain Velasquez in the main event of UFC 166.
Much like their second meeting, Velasquez proved to be too much for the Brazilian heavyweight to handle, swarming early and often with punches to the face. It was a mauling and Dos Santos' face showed the wear and tear of a five-round war midway through the second round.
It was such a beating that the bout could have (should have) been stopped in the third round. Velasquez had Dos Santos out on his feet, but was unable to put him away. The ring-side physician check him out twice and somehow allowed the fight to continue.
In the fifth round, Dos Santos face planted to the canvas, worn out and exhausted. That was the end of the fight. Velasquez had best him again. After the bout, Dos Santos was carted off to a local hospital to get checked out. He had multiple lacerations and likely a concussion.
His manager, Ana Claudia Guedes, confirmed that he was doing fine. The trip to the hospital was just done as a precautionary measure, which is good news.
Just letting everybody know Junior is doing fine. Precautionary hospital check and some stitches.
— Ana Claudia Guedes (@GuedesGroup) October 20, 2013
It's great news that he wasn't severely injured, but it's likely that Dos Santos will be dealing with the fallout from this bout for a few weeks. He without question is incredibly tough, but there should be some real concerns about the damage he sustained.
He's still in his 20's and has been on the wrong end of a Velasquez beating in two bouts. He may be "fine" right now, but Dos Santos and his team have to think long term. His brain can't take many more of those beatings.