UFC 166 headliner Junior dos Santos discusses recent cut that required stitches

HOUSTON – UFC 166 apparently came a little too close to losing its heavily promoted headliner.

Junior dos Santos (16-2 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who looks to reclaim his heavyweight title when he meets reigning champion Cain Velasquez (12-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in Saturday’s pay-per-view main event, suffered a recent cut in training that required stitches.

Luckily, it wasn’t serious enough to force him off the card, which takes place at Houston’s Toyota Center.

“It was in the training (camp), and it was accidental,” he told MMAjunkie.com at today’s UFC 166 open workouts. “But I’m OK already. … I’m 100 percent already.”

Dos Santos said the cut occurred about three weeks ago, and though it required three stitches, he said they’ve since been removed and that it’s no longer an issue. He said he doesn’t expect any issues in Saturday’s bout, which is good news for UFC officials and their massive marketing campaign for the event.

However, in a significant rubber match bout between fighters who split their first two meetings, they’ll likely look for any advantage. For Velasquez, that could mean targeting the scar, which is visible just to the left of dos Santos’ right eyebrow.

As far as facial cuts go, though, it’s not in the absolute worst position. However, there’s certainly the possibility of blood affecting his vision if the cut reopens.

For more on UFC 166, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.