Junior dos Santos’ violent fists ended Frank Mir‘s heavyweight title hopes in UFC 146 on Saturday night, and will look to dispel Cain Velasquez‘s dreams in the coming future.
Dos Santos’ second-round TKO of Mir cemented Cigano among UFC’s greats, at least for the time being. Beating Velasquez for the second time, in about a year, would make his elite position permanent.
Velasquez dominated Antonio Silva in UFC 146. Dos Santos pummeled Mir.
This sets up a clash between UFC heavyweights, sure to be even better than their first battle.
Let’s take a look at Dos Santos and Velasquez’s first matchup last November and what to expect the next time.
What Happened the First Time?
Dos Santos embarrassed Velasquez one minute into their first fight last November. He knocked Velasquez out on national television with his vicious striking power.
Dos Santos attacked Velasquez with relentless precision, knocking him out in 64 seconds. Knocking Velasquez out so quickly was incredible, especially considering Dos Santos’ questionable health coming into the fight.
Don’t think both fighters will not remember this first clash.
Velasquez will remember getting knocked out in FOX’s first main event in decisive fashion. Dos Santos will remember every winning ingredient and try to perform to those standards again.
Now, let’s examine the upcoming matchup.
How Will Each Fighter Adjust?
I don’t see how Dos Santos needs to adjust, but he will if Velasquez does his homework.
Velasquez should be healthier, stronger and more prepared this time around. He needs to use his fitness and conditioning to turn this fight into his ideal situation.
Dos Santos is not comfortable on his back and has never been chased around the Octagon. Velasquez is a physical freak, definitely capable of wearing Dos Santos down over the course of multiple rounds.
Dos Santos wants to stay on his feet and dictate the tempo. His fists inflict ridiculous damage, something Velasquez is familiar with and Mir just found out.
If Velasquez wants to win the rematch, he must take Dos Santos’ strengths away. If he can force Dos Santos to fight his type of fight, he has a chance of stealing the UFC heavyweight belt.
Dos Santos wins easily if Velasquez allows this to become a fist fight. However, if Dos Santos winds up on his back, this fight could be over quickly.
Two great fighters with different approaches creates a very interesting situation in the coming months. The fact that the two have already squared off once recently, with explosive results, creates an even bigger stir about the pending rematch.
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