Instead, on 2 January 2010, Dos Santos fought Gilbert Yvel, winning the fight via TKO at two minutes and seven seconds of the first round. Dos Santos faced Gabriel Gonzaga on 21 March 2010 at UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones. He won the fight via knockout in the first round, earning him his second "Knockout of the Night" award. Heavyweight title contender (2010–2011) Dos Santos faced Roy Nelson on 7 August 2010, at UFC 117. The fight saw Dos Santos use a variety of strikes and, for the first time, a successful takedown. Despite Dos Santos's striking ability, Nelson was able to stay in the fight, resulting in the fight going to decision. Dos Santos won the fight via unanimous decision. Following the win, Dos Santos was expected to challenge Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title. However, a torn rotator cuff suffered by Velasquez side-lined the champion for nearly a year. On 11 January 2011, the president of the UFC, Dana White, announced that Dos Santos would be one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter Season 13, opposite Brock Lesnar. They were scheduled to face each other on 11 June 2011, at UFC 131, but Lesnar pulled out of the bout due to a recurrence of diverticulitis and was replaced by Shane Carwin. Dos Santos dominated Carwin and won the fight via unanimous decision, relying predominantly on his boxing skills, but showed more variety in his game by landing a couple of kicks and completing two takedowns in the third round. UFC Heavyweight Champion (2011–2012) Dos Santos faced Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on 12 November 2011. He won the fight via knockout at 64 seconds into the first round. The performance also earned him his third "Knockout of the Night" award. After the fight, it was revealed that he had a torn meniscus in his knee; he subsequently underwent a successful knee surgery. Dos Santos was scheduled to face Alistair Overeem on 26 May 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at UFC 146. On 4 April 2012, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced Overeem had failed a pre-fight drug test. Consequently, Overeem's request for a license was denied. On 20 April 2012, Dana White the UFC president announced Frank Mir would be replacing Overeem. Dos Santos was able to keep the fight standing, showing his superior boxing skills, eventually winning