For the first time in its history, it looks like the UFC will touch down in San Jose, Calif., for UFC 138 in November. The main event is expected to be a heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta confirmed the event plans to the Los Angeles Times. The pay-per-view is likely to take place Nov. 19 at the HP Pavilion.
It will be the UFC’s fourth foray into the northern part of California. The UFC has twice visited the state capital of Sacramento, and UFC 117 was in Oakland last August.
San Jose, about 40 miles south of the San Francisco Bay area, hasn’t been a previous UFC destination likely because it was the home base for one-time competitor Strikeforce.
But with Zuffa’s purchase of that promotion earlier this year, the playing field changed. Strikeforce, which didn’t pursue Las Vegas as a destination before the Zuffa purchase because that was the UFC’s home, now will hold all of its Challengers Series shows in Vegas.
Velasquez (9-0, 7-0 UFC) has not fought since UFC 121 in October, when he stopped Brock Lesnar in the first round to win the UFC heavyweight title. Shoulder surgery following that victory in Anaheim, Calif., has kept him on the shelf. Last month, Velasquez told MMA Fighting that his rehab was moving along and that he would welcome an opportunity to defend his title in October in Houston at what is expected to be UFC 136.
But word came last week that the Mexican-American champion might not be ready for an Oct. 8 date with dos Santos, who became the top contender with his win last week over Shane Carwin. And it looks like the stars will align perfectly for Velasquez, whose training home is in San Jose at the American Kickboxing Academy, giving him a distinct home-cage advantage.
The HP Pavilion, known as the Shark Tank as the home arena for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, has hosted many MMA events, primarily Strikeforce. Last June, it was the arena that saw Fabricio Werdum end Fedor Emelianenko’s nearly 10-year winning streak halted in one of the greatest upsets in the sport’s history.
The arena also hosted the first regulated MMA event in California history in March 2006, Strikeforce’s first MMA show, featuring a main event between Frank Shamrock and Cesar Gracie. Shamrock won with a 20-second knockout.