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UFC 140: Jon Jones Will Destroy Lyoto Machida

The potential for epic and historic greatness currently residing atop the UFC light heavyweight division is without a doubt a spectacle that all fight fans carry an opinion on. Many celebrate him, others question him, but everyone knows the deal …

Simply put, he is the real deal.

Jon Jones is quite possibly the greatest thing to hit MMA since Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, or perhaps even Royce Gracie. One thing is undeniable, to this point the man has displayed a potential for greatness that this sport has rarely seen.

The blueprint of the rise of Jones is not as unique as the man himself. While we indeed are knee deep in the Jones era, it was not that long ago that we thought we had entered the Machida era. Love him or hate him, there are not too many fight fans who would lay big money against “Bones”.

If they did it would ride as scared money without a doubt.

There was a time that the same could be said about Lyoto Machida, the next man now in line to face Jon Jones for his UFC light heavyweight title. Machida will mark the third consecutive current or former UFC champion Jones has faced.

When Machida was on his way to, and standing on top there were not five people on the planet who thought he wouldn’t remain at the top of the division either as champ or contender perennially. His elusive style, combined with explosive power, and unpredictable attacks spelled disaster for many game plan.

He destroyed rapidly rising star and then undefeated Rashad Evans to snatch his title and many felt it was the first step on a long journey to Machida’s own greatness.

After one loss (arguably two) to Mauricio “Shogun “Rua, and a second consecutive loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the legendary expectations of Lyoto Machida had been reduced to more question marks than the rave reviews that once surrounded him.

While a devastating hiccup in the career of Lyoto Machida, the foundation of who this fighter is can simply not be overlooked. However easy it is to write him off after a few missteps along the way, it is extremely shortsighted to assume that the best Lyoto Machida this game has seen is in the rear view.

Many fight fans wonder though, is the best Lyoto Machida good enough to beat this unstoppable force in Jon Jones? Perhaps, but it will not happen at UFC 140.

The reason why is as simple as momentum, then again it is a bit more complicated than that. The careers of Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida are on two separate paths even if their pedigrees are similar.

Cutting through the light heavyweight division like a hot scalpel through butter has left Jones riding high. Regaining composure by retiring a legend in Randy Couture after three consecutive eye opening fights for Machida leaves him in a totally different place in his career.

Jones is feeling undefeatable at the present time whereas all Machida has to go on is kicking a 48 year old man in the face at the twilight of his career. Other than that he is still looking to regain that confidence that perpetuated him when he stopped Evans over two years ago, a lifetime in fighter years.

A fighter’s mindset is paramount in the pressure cooker that is a UFC title fight, but it is not everything.

In a sport where game plans are key, with the styles of combat these two employ, that combination of confidence vs. uneasiness spells disaster for the former champion Machida.

Jon Jones should enter this fight with the mindset that Machida will have to engage him, which if history tells us anything, will not happen. The smartest Machida, the one that led up to his first title run, was not the most aggressive of fighters.

Unless something has drastically changed in his mindset this is the Machida that fight fans can expect to see on December 10^th against Jon Jones; the elusive chess master that lies in wait and capitalizes on openings from strange angles and a lengthy distance.

This Machida closes gaps and explodes yet rarely takes chances of his own. His ability to react and score from the outside was his strategy for many fights during the most successful run of his career. To recapture that success, we can expect him to revert to practices he employed when he was most successful.

Sure there were flashes that showed what a more aggressive Machida could do but they were few and far between. These tactics should not be abundant against the unorthodox Jones. For Machida he should look to wait for openings rather than create them.

This man he has to face will simply not allow for a calculated Machida to hang back and pick his shots. Jon Jones represents a much clearer threat to Machida than anything Suga, Rampage, or Shogun had to offer him.

Two of those three beat Machida and Jones has stopped them both.

Yet past performances really amount to nothing when predicting future expectation in MMA.

What we know today is Jones utilizes a very unpredictable and unorthodox approach of attack. This attack comes from nowhere, and it comes from everywhere. He imposes this attack from a distance that can be neither duplicated nor prepared for.

The distance Machida tends to enjoy as he awaits his openings will be reduced to next to nothing. In three forward attacks, Jones can take the fight from cage wall to cage wall. Lying back in a comfort zone will not be an option for Machida.

Therefore he can expect Jones to be in his face more often than not, forcing the issue if you will. This is where Machida will have to adapt to a new game plan. More than likely a game plan he did not prepare for, further opening the door for questions marks in the realm of confidence which may already be shaky.

This is where Shogun was able to capitalize; this is how Rampage was able to throw him off. By engaging Machida these two were able to change the fight. Understanding that, Jones should be able to realize that if he sits back and looks to trade occasional blows with the former champ that he indeed falls into the trap.

Considering the master game plans formulated at Jackson’s, if a simple MMA analyst can see this, they have indeed broken it down and rebuilt it time and time again in the gym. By setting up counter measures and playing to the strengths of Jon Jones, they may be able to set up a trap of their own.

By engaging Lyoto Machida and forcing him to not only defend but seek openings in the heat of battle as opposed to dictating when and where they happen Machida will himself leave openings. This is where Jon Jones will destroy him.

Bringing the level of confidence and success into the cage that envelops this Jon Jones will allow him to engage the Brazilian relentlessly with attacks and a reach that no one will see coming or be able to prepare for.

Regardless of which Machida shows up and which game plan he brings with him, he will be forced to fight a battle that is up fast paced, up close, and personal. Assuming his game plan is as it has been in the past and he is prepared to play the role of the counter striker, most likely his game plan will be null and void by the second round if not earlier.

Dealing with the confidence issues that have to accompany a fighter at the point in his career Machida is at, and being thrown out of his game plan by an aggressive and unorthodox Jon Jones, look for Machida to fall outside his comfort zone.

When this happens expect Jon Jones to snatch the opportunity with a vengeance and notch one more world class former champion on his belt as he continues to redefine the landscape that is not only the UFC light heavyweight division but MMA as a whole.

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AKA Head Coach Javier Mendez Talks UFC Heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez

Artwork by Evan Shoman of shomanart.com. And standing in the blue corner, the reigning, defending, undisputed, UFC heavyweight champion of the world…Cain Velasquez! How many times will the current UFC champ and fight fans alike hear Br…

Artwork by Evan Shoman of shomanart.com.

And standing in the blue corner, the reigning, defending, undisputed, UFC heavyweight champion of the world…Cain Velasquez!

How many times will the current UFC champ and fight fans alike hear Bruce Buffer announce those words in the style that only he can deliver? The ability to retain and defend the UFC heavyweight title is a tall order, to say the least.

If anyone can do it, and do it for an extended period of time, it is Cain Velasquez. There are many dangerous warriors who desire that strap throughout the division. Few can hold a candle to the champ as he stands today, and surely where he is headed tomorrow.

Probably the biggest threat to Cain’s title is the man he will face this Saturday during UFC on FOX 1 as they touch gloves and go to war live on network television for the entire world to see. Cain’s biggest challenge ever, even bigger than taking the title from Brock Lesnar, lies in the man they call “Cigano.”

Junior Dos Santos is a lethal striking heavyweight with a deep desire to bring that title home with him to Brazil. He is coming to bang and induce all out war with the champion. The staff and coaches at American Kickboxing Academy feel they have more than prepared their champion for just that.

Most importantly head coach Javier Mendez has dug in deep with his heavyweight champion Velasquez, and brought him back from a surgery and extended layoff to put Cain right where he needs to be to defend his title against this dangerous number one contender.

Javier is a legendary coach in the business of MMA. He has influenced the careers of some of the sport’s icons, as well as current, and future stars. Having spent time coaching the likes of B.J. Penn, Frank Shamrock, Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Daniel Cormier and many many more, his expertise is second to none.

That is reflected in the performances his prize heavyweight Cain Velasquez has put together across his impressive and blossoming career. And to hear Mendez tell it, the sky truly is the limit for this wrecking machine currently sitting atop the UFC heavyweight division.

Javier Mendez recently sat down with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA and gave some great insight into the man that is Cain Velasquez. Not just the champion as he is today, but the man he feels he will be tomorrow and beyond.

One burning question for many fight fans is of course how will Velasquez respond to a long lay off due to surgery. Will ring rust be an issue, how will his mental and physical sharpness be as he makes his first movements inside that Octagon in over a year?

Javier Mendez assured Hurtsbad MMA that Cain has stayed mentally sharp and focused during a time that saw him limited in his ability to fully train as a champion should.

Mendez explained how important the champ’s focus was as he made his way back to fighting shape.

“His mindset has always been good,” Mendez said. “I always keep a good mental communication with him. I need him to be razor sharp mentally even if he is physically not there. The competition as we know, they know what it is going to take to beat the champ because Cain elevated the game. So Junior has elevated himself for that challenge.”

Even still, the fact remains that a layoff can hold a fighter back from their greatest potential. Mendez explained how they see Cain’s progress in relation to where he might have been vs where he actually is. But make no mistake, he sees improvement even with the injury holding Cain back.

“Unfortunately for us, we are coming off an injury so if I said we are going to be the best ever, I would be lying,” Mendez said. “Because there is no way possible Cain is going to be the best ever coming to this fight knowing that he’s coming off that long lay off due to an injury. So he’s not going to be the best ever. But Cain Velasquez is such a great athlete and fighter that in my opinion he is 100 percent going to be more than what he used to do.”

The thought of a better Cain Velasquez than the man that absolutely decimated Brock Lesnar is an extremely intimidating thought.

When the actual matchup between Dos Santos and Velasquez was brought up, Mendez explained what he feels many people are not aware of when it comes to his heavyweight. This fight is paramount to Cain’s career today but it is only one piece of a puzzle that will, in Javier’s mind, define a legend.

Mendez stated, “Of course anything can happen in that fight. But I don’t think anybody will realize how good Cain really is until they see more of him. They need to see more of him to see what a great champion this guy is going to be. He is not just a flash in the pan, a lot of people don’t really fully understand him just yet.”

He went on to explain, “The more he competes, and the more he wins in the dominant fashion he is accustom to, people are going to realize wow, this guy is unbelievable. You have got to keep in mind, in all his fights he has never lost a round. And it wasn’t even close other than Cheik Kongo clipping him a couple of times.”

Mendez told Hurtsbad that he actually didn’t want that fight stating Cain wasn’t prepared for Kongo’s level of striking at that stage in his career. As for now, Mendez said, “Now he is way above that level which was proved by what he did from that fight to the fight with Ben Rothwell.”

“He underestimated Cain big time thinking if Kongo did that to you then I’m going to put my fist right through you,” Mendez added. “Well you can’t look at an evolving fighter and look at his last fight and think that is the way he is going to come out. And that is the mistake people are making with Cain. They are looking at that last fight.”

Looking at his last fight, that Cain Velasquez could defeat any heavyweight in the world. It’s hard to fathom a better heavyweight than that. It was a near flawless performance by the new champ.

Javier Mendez insists though that was just but one reflection of this fighter. We will never see that Cain again, he is a thing of the past. “He keeps evolving, he doesn’t stop. That’s the great thing about Cain, is you’re never going to see the same Cain.”

So what drives this machine, this heavyweight destroyer? There are people who were in the hotel room with Cain Velasquez just hours after he won that title who told Hurtsbad MMA that when all the partying and celebrating was going on that Cain looked at the title and said, “I’m already over it”.

It is not a trophy that drives this ever evolving fighter and pushes him to move forward from what many might already perceive as a total package. Being a champion is an amazing feat in this sport, but for Velasquez there is more to it than that.

Mendez knows better than anyone what drives this man and he shared his perception of exactly what that is.

“What I feel and what we’ve talked about is that he’s put it in his head years ago that he is going to be the best everHe is going to keep striving to attain that goal. I want the same for him. I feel that if he stays mentally sharp, and keeps working on improvement, and that desire to become the best ever it will keep him in the gym.”

And simply put, the more time this guy spends sharpening his skills inside that gorgeous AKA facility, the more lethal he will become. And if Javier Mendez’s expertise tells us that this evolution has only just begun, it is astonishing to imagine just exactly where this man is headed.

All time greatness may be a little premature, but standing at 9-0 with a UFC title draped over his shoulder, Cain Velasquez has laid a solid foundation to begin that journey. With a man like Javier Mendez driving and guiding him, he very well may navigate his own self expectations and beyond.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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UFC on FOX Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos: Eddie Bravo’s Pick and Why

Looking at the matchup for the UFC heavyweight title that is about to take place at UFC Live On FOX, no matter which way a fight fan is leaning when they look across the cage at the opponent they didn’t pick they have to get chills down their spine.

No matter how much you favor Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos, both fighters are lethal heavyweights capable of being champions for a long time. So with that in mind, it was no surprise that even legend Eddie Bravo sounded fairly undecided when asked how he saw the matchup playing out this Saturday night.

Bravo held high praise for both combatants but sees one angle which he feels will decide the outcome of the bout. He sat down and spoke with Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA about how this heavyweight tilt might go in his opinion.

Bravo first discussed the champion with Hurtsbad. “If I was Cain Velasquez I would definitely try to take Junior Dos Santos down. Cain Velasquez’s stand up is looking really good. I mean super sharp. He just took Noguiera apart. His striking, it looks like he is just a natural striker. He doesn’t look like one of those wrestlers who is having a hard time making the transition. He looks really smooth with his striking.”

Eddie laughed and stated that was not Cain’s only asset in the striking game. “And he has a big old block head, it’s going to be hard to hurt him.”

Even though Bravo sees the champ Velasquez as a dangerous striker, he clearly sees the threat that Dos Santos brings to the table in that particular department. The challenger “Cigano” has more than proved that he is one of if not the best heavyweight strikers in the sport.

Bravo elaborated on the game plan he feels Velasquez should employ on fight night. “Junior Dos Santos has extremely heavy hands, and I don’t think it is a good idea for Cain to work on his stand up with Dos Santos. I think he should take him down, and he can take him down. I think Cain can take down anybody in the heavyweight division except for maybe Brock.”

So where Cain has the clear advantage, Bravo feels that should be his path to making his first title defense. Save for Lesnar, Bravo feels anyone else goes down when Cain says they go down. And that is simple math to the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu master.

Bravo said, “I think Cain could take him right down. Why take a chance, take him down? I don’t think Junior Dos Santos has a highly offensive guard. We have never really seen it, I’m going to say he doesn’t, but he could. I think the best spot for Cain is ground and pound.”

Eddie Bravo shared his final clear cut analysis with Hurtsbad MMA. “Basically, Junior Dos Santos has got to keep it up, Cain has got to get it down. If I had to put my money on the match, I would go with Cain Velasquez. It’s hard to bet against superior wrestling, and superior cardio. Especially when they guy has a big old head like that.”

Again with the expert analysis of Cain’s melon from the wild man Eddie Bravo.

In the end, just like the rest of us though, Bravo shrugs his shoulders when looking at these heavyweights and simply told Todd Jackson, “But who the hell knows?”

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. To hear this interview in its entirety visit The Truth Hurts Radio Show. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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Cain Velasquez’s Coach Javier Mendez Talks About Junior Dos Santos

There is an epic matchup on the horizon in the UFC heavyweight division that could mark the beginning of a new era in mixed martial arts. The ingredients have come together to create the perfect recipe of action for a one-of-a-kind event.

Never before in the history of MMA has a UFC event taken place on network television. Now this Saturday night, the UFC and FOX will showcase the UFC Heavyweight Championship free on live television for the entire world to see.

Heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez will look to defend his title against one of the most dangerous strikers the division has seen in quite some time, if ever. Junior Dos Santos is a wrecking machine with the heart of a saint, but a talent for war that makes him extremely lethal inside the Octagon.

Dos Santos is coming for the title secured tightly around the waist of Velasquez. It has become his life’s dream to attain it, and now this weekend he will have his chance. He will have his chance in a matchup that is extremely closely contested on paper.

These two heavyweights have unique skill sets yet share many similar qualities. Devastating striking, speed, agility, tremendous heart combined with equal desire to become or remain champion.

There are no “gimmes” in this matchup.

That is reflected heavily in the respect shared by American Kickboxing Academy teammates for the UFC No. 1 heavyweight contender known as “Cigano”. That respect was conveyed to Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA when he sat down to speak with AKA head coach Javier Mendez.

Mendez spoke to Hurtsbad about exactly what he sees when he and his champion study Dos Santos, and how they think they can offset what he brings to the table on November 12th when the UFC heavyweight title will be contested on FOX.So what exactly does AKA’s Javier Mendez and Cain Velasquez see when they look across the Octagon at Dos Santos?

“I see an incredible challenge in front of Cain. And if we disrespect Dos Santos one bit we are going to end up in a bad situation,” Mendez told Hurtsbad.

That respect is reflected in the coaching staff and in the champion. That respect has become the platform for a specific game plan to retain that title. “There is no way in hell we are going to disrespect how great Junior Dos Santos is. Based on the fact that Cain respects him as much as we all do, we are going to have the right mind set and the right game plan to implement when the fight starts.”

One obvious threat that clearly must be accounted for is the precision and power striking of Dos Santos. Yet there is an unknown which is also on the minds of those prepping the champ. “He is definitely by far the best striker we have yet to face. The thing about Junior is because he has never been to the ground you don’t even know how good his ground game is.”

Javier sees potential for “Cigano” to perform where many might overlook possible strengths. “His ground game from what I hear is pretty decent. By pretty decent I’m talking about over a year ago. If you’re looking at it like Cain, a year from now if you’re training you’re a lot better than you were.”

Many would call Dos Santos a dangerous striker. But Javier sees more than that as far as what “Cigano” can threaten his champion with.

“I look at Junior as a total picture of an MMA fighter. He has got the heart and the desire to be a champion. It is just my opinion that having Cain ready for the challenge it is not going to be Junior’s day.”

Having Cain ready for the challenge is exactly what the staff at AKA have been working towards since his return from surgery earlier this year. They have been sharpening the edge of one of the most dangerous blades in the heavyweight division.

Cain Velasquez is as real as it gets, and Javier has no reservations whatsoever when describing exactly what he sees in his own student, a man he has honed into from rising star to UFC heavyweight champ.Javier told Todd Jackson, “You’re still looking at a kid who is improving vastly. He is improving all the time. And with Junior, you guys are going to see another Cain Velasquez, again not the best but a better Cain Velasquez than he has been in awhile because that is just the way it is with him.”

Mendez continually gave credit where it was due to the challenger. With a threat like Dos Santos, all bases must be covered, all scenarios planned for. But his pride and belief in Cain lies in the fact that he has watched this young fighter grow and evolve.

Simply put, Mendez does not see that this evolution has even come close to completion. So with all the threats that Dos Santos brings into the cage with him on fight night, Mendez feels that we are about to see a new Cain Velasquez, a sharper champ, a more lethal heavyweight on his way to even further greatness.

As unbelievable as that sounds, it is very very true if you know who to ask. And more so than that, it is extremely scary for any man walking this planet looking to earn that UFC heavyweight strap.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. To hear this interview in its entirety visit The Truth Hurts Radio Show. Follow us on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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Eddie Bravo: Nick Diaz Will Go Down as One of the Greatest MMA Fighters Ever

There are many sources of wisdom throughout the MMA community which can explain to the fans exactly who and what it is that they are seeing. The fans in MMA are extremely knowledgeable, yet at times to hear a true master qualify certain opinions reassu…

There are a lot of MMA enthusiasts, both fans and critics of Nick Diaz who are left wondering just exactly what to expect from this destroyer who has found his way home to the UFC. In his first fight back, Diaz did something that no other fighter on the planet has ever done before: He absolutely decimated B.J. Penn.

Even in stopping Penn almost three years ago, Georges St. Pierre did not punish him like Nick Diaz did this past weekend. Many thought Diaz vs Penn would be a scrap, but few truly believed it would be such a one-sided affair.

What Diaz did to Penn has been par for the course across his last 12 fights. The 13th was a doctor stoppage due to a cut. The man has been scrapping and scrapping hard for four years without losing a fight.

People point to strength of schedule as the clear asterisk lying next to the run Nick Diaz has been on. They will tell you he hasn’t beat a sound top 10 welterweight across that run he has so decisively thrown down.

Well, that all changed at UFC 137. B.J. Penn is clearly not the fighter he once was, but to say he is not one of the most dangerous welterweights in the world is ridiculous. Jon Fitch is considered one of the best, and B.J. recently fought him to to a draw, and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes can tell you all about the dynamite in Penn’s hands.

Nick Diaz tuned B.J. Penn up; there are no two ways about it. So all that talk about lesser opponents is for the birds now. And the stakes are only raised now that he has called out UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and been granted yet another opportunity by Dana White to face GSP.

So it is understandable why Nick Diaz is the talk of the town right now. He barged back into the UFC, retired a legend and called out a champion. All the while leaving that sliver of fear in the spine of anyone who considers GSP the unstoppable force his reputation says he is.

So with all that in mind, leave it to an MMA legend to slide in and share his take to clarify just how effective and truly dangerous Nick Diaz is. Allow a guy who has made MMA, and Jiu Jitsu in relation to MMA, his life’s work to shed some light on the subject.

For those who still aren’t clear on what exactly it was they saw last weekend, or what they can expect moving forward from Nick Diaz, please allow Mr. Eddie Bravo to clarify the situation for you. Bravo recently opened up to Todd Jackson of Hurtsbad MMA on a number of topics, of course Diaz being one of the top issues they discussed.

Bravo lit up when he began to share his opinions on the former Strikeforce welterweight champ, and now current UFC No. 1 welterweight contender, all due respect to Carlos Condit, of course.

Bravo sounded genuinely convinced in his conviction about Diaz, and explained exactly why he sees him as one of the best fighters this sport will ever see.

Bravo told Hurtsbad MMA, “I have never seen anybody, and I don’t think there has ever been anybody like Nick Diaz in all of MMA. Can you tell me another guy who is going to stand right in front of you, take big shots, and still keep coming at you with those body shots and those amazing combinations? I have never seen anybody else do it like that; who else does it like that?”

To answer the question, in this day and age of MMA, nobody. Even in the glory days when guys just banged, it was a rarity. Diaz is a finger print in his approach without a doubt.

The 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu mastermind went on to say, “You see little flurries every now and then like that. But Nick Diaz does that all the time. He just goes in there and goes right through people. He just keeps getting better and better.”

Diaz has always carried a unique style of striking to compliment his world class ground game. The style resembles a crane with its wings outstretched, only this crane has steel balls at the end of its wings and jams them in the face of its opponents. At first glance, feathers don’t hurt, but they damn sure add up.

Eddie explained it like this. “Those little pitter pat shots, they used to be really weak back in the day. But he has added a lot of power to those little pitter pat shots. He picks his shots. He sets you up with those little shots, and boom. He has got some big power now.”

Nowhere was that more apparent than his performance against legendary striker B.J. Penn last weekend, which again, caught a lot of fight fans off guard, Eddie Bravo included, and it left an impression for him to make a bold statement.

He told Todd Jackson, “I have never seen anyone do that to B.J. Penn. I don’t think anybody can stand with Nick Diaz, not anymore. I think over the last couple years Nick Diaz has taken his striking to some serious levels. I think anybody that is going to stand with Nick Diaz and try to throw down, that is a big mistake.”

When Bravo looks at the entire package of Diaz, his striking is the key, but the combination of Diaz the ground specialist and Diaz the striker brings Bravo to a very simple yet strong conclusion about Diaz’s place in MMA history.

He explained, “He has got tremendous cardio; he can just keep going with those flurries. He doesn’t get tired, he just keeps throwing them. Nick Diaz is going to go down as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, no doubt.”

Bravo added one final qualifying explanation as to why he feels that way. “You can’t create that. You can’t create Nick Diaz. That guy has some serious warrior spirit or something. In another life, that guy was f#@$%&g Genghis Khan or something.”

When a legend like Eddie Bravo puts it like that, honestly, fight fans, how can you argue with a statement like that?

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. To hear this interview in its entirety visit The Truth Hurts Radio Show. Follow me on Twitter @hurtsbadmma.

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UFC on Fox 1: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos Will Change MMA Forever

There was a time in combat sports where if two heavyweights collided, the entire world stopped spinning, sidewalks were rolled up and all eyes across the globe tuned in to watch.

In an era passed within the sweet science, with names like Ali and Frazier, or Tyson and Lewis, the world could not look away. Two men and the war they brought with them captivated us all.

Tragically, those days are long since over.

To this very minute, the only bout on the entire boxing radar that might gather any clout is a unicorn of a match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Short of that matchup, boxing is dormant to the casual combat sports fan.

It seems like an eternity ago that high profile fights were featured on network television. No PPVs—just a time slot, two warriors and a fight that promised to entertain.

Today, that all changes. It changes because of a monumental, landmark deal recently struck between FOX and the UFC.

Starting November 12, these two entertainment companies will once again bring high profile combat sports back to the limelight for all to enjoy.

Featuring the UFC heavyweight championship, contested in an era that has redefined the heavyweight division, the UFC on FOX will capture not only a nation but the entire world.

Once this happens, the wildfire that has been MMA’s rise to power will burn out of control and consume the planet.

The reason for this is not simply free MMA on network television. It is not the brands FOX or UFC.

It is, as it was in the past, the quality of the athletes being featured in one of the most competitive and dynamic fights the MMA heavyweight division has ever seen.

Cain Velasquez versus Junior Dos Santos marks an entry into an era that will change the face of MMA forever. The matchup guarantees that once the general public gets a taste, this sport will never be the same.

Two elite athletes, with lethal power in their hands, chins of hardened granite, who carry great pride in what they are capable of, will touch gloves and go to battle for us all.

It is a perfect recipe for the UFC and FOX to introduce this amazing sport to the world.

MMA has long since been building its reputation and righting wrongs along the way. It has transformed itself from a misunderstood display of violence and aggression to a world class and highly contested form of combat arts.

Dos Santos versus Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title exemplifies exactly how far this sport has come. There have been, and will be, many wars the MMA fans will cherish.

Just as recently as this past weekend, Nick Diaz and B.J. Penn unleashed holy hell inside the Octagon.

Earlier this year, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber put on one of the best fights this sport has ever seen.

But what makes this bout ideal for mainstream introduction to the general public is that nostalgia of looking back to the days of Ali-Frazier.

Leonard-Duran was an amazing battle among extremely skilled fighters, but heavyweights hold a special place in the heart of all fight fans.

With that in mind, bringing two of the most dynamic heavyweights the sport has ever known into the Octagon to compete for that title is a rare opportunity for MMA to put its stamp on combat sports.

The bout is so closely contested, it must be a nightmare to be a Vegas odds-maker. Both men have proven to show ruthless aggression, precision striking and devastating power.

Their heart and drive simply cannot be rivaled. Well, unless by each other.

They are near mirror images of each other in their abilities, however unique those abilities may be. This will be a monumental match that will prove to be an instant classic.

Almost without a doubt, the fight will require a rematch, no matter what the result.

The MMA community already knows. They got the memo years ago.

It will be extremely compelling to sit back and watch as the rest of the world catches up when these two tape up their weapons of mass destruction, strap on four-ounce gloves, and show the world exactly what they have been missing.

After November 12, things will never be the same in this sport.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA.

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