The big boys are coming out to play on November 12th.
The UFC announced today that their first special on Fox will feature the much-anticipated heavyweight title fight between current champion Cain Velasquez and challenger, Junior dos Santos.
The situation is a win-win for both the UFC and fight fans. The UFC wins by putting a major title fight on free TV to not only gain viewers, but to increase the marketability of Velasquez or dos Santos. Neither man is a proven pay-per-view draw, but that could all change after the UFC on Fox event.
Particularly in the case of a Velasquez victory, the UFC stands to gain fans in the Latin community. If dos Santos emerges victorious, the UFC has a new champion that has an exciting style that is one punch away from a highlight reel knockout.
The fans win because we get a chance to see arguably the top two heavyweights in MMA square off for free. The general public’s fascination with heavyweight fights is well documented, and this fight promises to be entertaining from start to finish.
Velasquez has dominated virtually every foe in his path to the top. He dominated the self-proclaimed baddest man on the planet, Brock Lesnar, to win the UFC heavyweight title in his last fight. Following the fight, however, news leaked out that Velasquez would require shoulder surgery, and he has been on the shelf since the Lesnar fight.
It will be interesting to see if Velasquez’s shoulder will be 100 percent following the operation. The general consensus is that nobody comes back stronger after going under the knife, but Velasquez has more weapons in his arsenal than his hands.
He is perhaps the most well-rounded fighter in the division. He mixes his strikes up very effectively, his wrestling is top notch and he also owns freakishly good cardio for a heavyweight.
Speaking of freakish talents, the challenger to Velasquez’s title has some of his own. While Velasquez is regarded as the most well rounded, dos Santos is heralded as having the best pure boxing in the division.
His “soul stealing” power, as some have called it, allows dos Santos to be one punch away from shutting the lights off for his opponent. In his last fight against Shane Carwin, dos Santos even showed off some wrestling skills by taking down the former collegiate wrestling standout.
Undoubtedly, dos Santos will try to keep the fight standing and has shown some good takedown defense in his fights, but Velasquez is an entirely different fighter than he will be used to seeing. Roy Nelson had some success standing in his fight with dos Santos and Velasquez’s striking is light years’ ahead of Nelson’s.
Can dos Santos defend the takedowns? Will Velasquez have the same punching power as before? Can dos Santos fight off his back? Does Velasquez still have his cardio even after being on the sidelines for over a year? Will dos Santos land one of his crushing uppercuts?
The good thing about all these questions is that fight fans can have them answered without dropping a dime on November 12th.
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