In case you have been living under a rock, the UFC scored their first ever national broadcast deal with FOX earlier this year, and will be giving the fans a preview of what is to come this Saturday night when the sports' biggest prize, the Heavyweight championship is defended for free on network TV.
In terms of importance, the significance of Velasquez vs. dos Santos has major relevance. There has never been a time in any combat sport, when a Heavyweight championship fight of this caliber and legitimacy has been put live on free TV.
While Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, may not be the most well known fighters in the sport of MMA, it is undeniable that these two are the most deserving men to headline the biggest fight in the history of the UFC. According to UFC president Dana White, “ even if the entire roster was healthy, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos is still the fight I would want for the UFC on Fox debut”, and I could not agree more.
Cain Velasquez Preview:
Cain Velasquez became the UFC Heavyweight Champion after he defeated former champion Brock Lesnar last October. The fight was completely one sided as Velasquez used crisp striking to dismantle Lesnar en route to a first round TKO stoppage.
If that is not impressive enough, Velasquez has been dominant every single time he has fought. There has not been a single second in Velasquez' career, when he has not imposed his will and dictated where the fight took place. Holding notable victories over Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo, Velasquez is a force to be reckoned with and is still improving everyday saying “the whole reason I got into this sport was to become the champion, and to hold the belt for years to come, so this fight means everything to me.”
Junior dos Santos Preview:
The number one contender for the Heavyweight Championship, is unquestionably Cain Velasquez' greatest challenge to date. Undefeated in the UFC, dos Santos debuted as a major underdog at UFC 90 when he knocked out top contender Fabricio Werdum with a devastating uppercut earning himself knockout of the night honors and sending Werdum out of the UFC.
A brown belt under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, dos Santos also holds the best boxing in the Heavyweight devision and plans to use his standup skills to defeat Velasquez and fulfill his dream of becoming the UFC Heavyweight Champion saying, “I will prove, when you believe in something and you are a good person, things happen.”
Advantages:
Wrestling: Cain Velasquez
A two time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University, Velasquez holds a notable advantage in the most important skill set in the sport. Velasquez' wrestling is beyond fluid and he has not struggled taking any opponent down in any of his eight fights. I believe Velasquez will once again be able to dictate where this fight takes place and he will decide how long this fight stays on the feet.
Striking: Junior dos Santos
dos Santos possesses the best boxing in the Heavyweight devision, bar none. Able to end any fight at anytime with one punch, dos Santos hands are very dangerous. Besides hitting hard, dos Santos has great footwork which he uses to create angles to find openings in his opponents guard. Look no further then dos Santos' last fight against Shane Carwin where after the first round, Carwin's face was distorted and a bloody mess, looking like he was repeatedly hit with a meat cleaver all due to dos Santos' jab.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Junior dos Santos
While both are brown belts, I have to give the edge to dos Santos. dos Santos is a disciple of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who is one of the greatest BJJ practitioners of all time. However, make no mistake about it Cain Velasquez is a formidable grappler under Dave Camarillo, but Velasquez mostly looks to utilize ground and pound instead of looking for submissions.
Cardio: Cain Velasquez
Even though Velasquez might experience ring rust from being out of action for over a year, I do not see Velasquez ever running out of gas. Competing in wrestling his entire life, Velasquez knows how to get in shape and trains at such an intense level that endurance is never a problem. Also, Velasquez keeps a high pace which wares on his opponents and I see Velasquez keeping the pressure on dos Santos the entire fight, tiring him out.
Prediction:
With all the intangibles out of the way, picking a winner is still a toss up for me and I have been going back and forth on who I think will win since the fight was announced. Both Velasquez and dos Santos have been so dominant in every fight, picking one to be defeated is a real struggle.
However, if a gun was placed to my head, I would have to pick Cain Velasquez to successfully defend his title.
The fight will all come down to dos Santos' counter wrestling since I know for a fact that Velasquez does not want any part of the standup game with Junior dos Santos.
Velasquez has been known to have a suspect chin, as he was dropped multiple times by Kongo in their fight but was able to recover. However, dos Santos is a much better fighter and if he is able to land one of his lethal right uppercuts, he will finish the champion and take his belt.
The UFC could not have picked two better representatives to debut in front of the largest audience in their history. Both fighters are humble, well spoken, good natured human beings who just so happen to be the two best fighters in the most prestigious devision in combat sports.
Although many people may not know who Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos are today, come Sunday morning everyone will be talking about them. While both are training hard for a five round fight, this contest is sure to be exciting and action packed whether it lasts 30 seconds or 30 minutes.
Personally I do not see this fight getting out of the second round as both are hungry and always look to finish their opponents. In fact I agree with Roy Nelson when he said “whoever wins the first two and a half minutes wins this fight.”
In the end, everyone wins as the UFC will gain a much larger audience in their quest to become mainstream, both fighters will gain much more recognition and the fans will see two of the best fighters in the world today compete for the biggest prize of them all on the biggest stage in UFC history for free.
Predictions:
Cain Velasquez defeats Junior dos Santos via TKO in the 2nd round.
Ben Henderson defeats Clay Guida via Unanimous Decision
Dustin Poirier defeats Pablo Garza via Unanimous Decision
Norifumi Yamamoto defeats Darren Uyenoyama via KO in the first round
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