The trilogy fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santo for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title is in the works for October, and this time the two big men will meet on unfamiliar turf.
According to comments made by UFC President Dana White in a media scrum at Thursday's (June 13, 2013) UFC 161 media day in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada, Velasquez will put his title on the line for the second time against dos Santos at an October event in Houston, Texas, likely to be dubbed UFC 166.
After having their first two fights take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was rumored the third meeting between the two skilled heavyweights would take place at Dallas Stadium; however, that will not be the case as Houston's Toyota Center is targeted as the host venue.
Each man has won one fight out of the first two meetings, with dos Santos taking the gold at UFC on FOX 1 in Nov. 2011 and Velasquez returning the favor by taking it back at UFC 155 in Dec. 2012.
Velasquez (12-1) made his first successful defense of the title last month at UFC 161 when he savagely defeated Antonio Silva for a second time with a first-round (technical) knockout victory.
The 30-year-old's lone career defeat comes to dos Santos -- a loss that he has already avenged. Confirmation of a third meeting with "Cigano" ensures that in his past five fights dating back nearly two years, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product will have only fought two different opponents.
Dos Santos (16-2) will get his shot at vengeance after absorbing a five-round beat down from Velasquez the second time the two met up inside the Octagon at the end of last year.
The defeat snapped a 10-fight win-streak for dos Santos and marked his first loss under the UFC banner; however, he did prove capable of coming back from a losing performance with a strong effort when he knocked Mark Hunt out cold with a spinning back kick in the third round of their UFC 160 co-main event bout last month.
No one saw the finishing technique coming from the 28-year-old, and while it may have come against an overmatched opponent, his performance proved his confidence and the diversity of his skill set.
MMAmania.com will pass along more information about the exact date and venue for Velasquez vs. dos Santos 3 when they become available.