It seems after much anticipation, the UFC on FOX debut will feature the long-awaited Heavyweight Championship fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.
Junior Dos Santos will be looking to give Cain Velasquez his first loss of his career, as well as take the belt. JDS is riding an eight-fight winning streak, and Velasquez is on his own tear of nine. This will be Cain’s first title defense after the dominating performance against Brock Lesnar to win the HW title.
For FOX, the Heavyweight title on the line is a great way to showcase the UFC. The HW division in general has looked much more promising than in past years with the Strikeforce GP going on, and prospective SF HW fighters coming over to the UFC.
Many believed that Brock Lesnar would be the one to headline the UFC on FOX debut, and probably would have been a fantastic move business-wise due to the draw Lesnar brings from the Wrestling community. Overeem was another many wanted to see, making his debut in the UFC and throwing him in the mix with some of the best Heavyweights in the world.
But had the main fight turned out to be one of the rumored matchups such as Lesnar vs. Mir, it would have been very successful, but with Velasquez vs. Dos Santos, making it a title fight made it all the better.
In boxing, some of the most popular times for the sport was when the Heavyweight division was extremely strong and wasn’t ruled by Ukrainian brothers. The HW division is an exciting one because of the sheer stature of some of the fighters, as well as the knockout ability that is naturally amped from the heavier weights.
Many want to see Velasquez tested against arguably one of the best boxers in the Heavyweight division, JDS. One of Cain’s methods of domination against Lesnar was to wait and pick his shots, learning from Shane Carwin’s crack at the title. With JDS honing the striking skills he does, he may present a new challenge.
Cain is an excellent wrestler, and it may be the advantage for him. JDS is no slouch on the ground, but recently has been testing his striking against his fellow Heavyweights.
With both fighters riding on long winning streaks, neither is in a position where a loss is just a loss. They are at the top of their games with much to lose. If Cain loses, it tarnishes his undefeated record and strips him of his title.
If Dos Santos loses, it further puts him away from the title. With many other Heavyweights in the mix, a loss could set you back a ways until your next shot at the Championship.
The criticism that the HW division has inherited has sometimes been due to lack of stamina. The fighters will gas after two rounds and then carry out a lackluster performance through to the final bell of the 5th round.
The exciting aspect of this main fight is that, not only do you have the best HW boxer in the UFC, but he is against a heavyweight with excellent endurance.
Even if JDS starts to falter, it just gives Cain more opportunity. How Cain will handle a striker like JDS, time will tell. These are both men that have, on very few occasions, been out of the first round.
This matchup, accompanied by whatever else the UFC decides to put on the Co-main will be exciting to watch, and could shake up the Heavyweight division even more.
One thing for sure is that this main event on UFC on FOX will be sure to deliver. Out of Velasquez’s nine wins, eight are via TKO/KO and have never left the second round. Out of JDS’s 13 wins, only two have been by decision.
Either man can walk away from the arena on November 12th with a finish. It just becomes a matter of will yet another Brazilian take home the 14 pounds of gold, or will the Mexican continue to be the one to have his hand raised at the end of the night.
Who did YOU want to see Headline the UFC FOX debut? Who do you think will win – Cain or JDS?
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