UFC 146 was Cain Velasquez‘s first fight back in the Octagon since losing the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Junior dos Santos.
The former champion needed to make an emphatic statement in his return and did so successfully, absolutely mauling his opponent, Antonio Silva.
Velasquez was able to take the fight to the ground almost immediately, capitalizing on a leg kick thrown by Silva, and from there it was a straight up beatdown.
The Mexican-American cut Silva with an elbow that landed right between the eyes and the resulting bloodshed was borderline sickening. The fight was stopped once so that the cut could be examined and then allowed to continue, but it was clear that Silva was having a difficult time seeing.
Eventually, Velasquez’s pressure on the ground was too much and Silva turtled until referee Josh Rosenthal stopped the bout. It was possibly the bloodiest fight in UFC history.
So, coming off of a dominant victory over Antonio Silva, what’s next for Cain Velasquez?
According to UFC President Dana White, who was clearly impressed with Velasquez, it’s another shot at the gold.
“He was an undefeated champion. He wins a fight. He gets another shot at Junior,” said White in an interview with Ariel Helwani.
Though it is not uncommon for White to promise a title fight to a competitor, only to take it away later, a second fight between Velasquez and dos Santos seems very likely. With Alistair Overeem currently suspended, the heavyweight division is lacking in title contenders and Velasquez is the only man who makes sense.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
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