While both men are heading into their rematch with a ton of momentum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva does not see Cain Velasquez regaining the UFC heavyweight title from Junior dos Santos.
Silva, who was previously defeated by Velasquez at UFC 146, spoke with TATAME.com and is confident that “Cigano” can pick up the win over the former champion. Dos Santos knocked out Velasquez in just 64 seconds to win the UFC heavyweight crown at UFC on FOX 1 last November.
“If he didn’t want to stand-up with me he’s not going to do it with Cigano. I guess Cigano will also be very alert to Velasquez’s takedowns. From where I’m standing, I see Cigano winning again”.
Later that night, dos Santos showed off his punching prowess against Frank Mir and dropped the former two-time titleholder before signaling the end of the bout. The Brazilian’s performance was flawless and he proved why he is undoubtedly the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.
The second encounter between Velasquez and dos Santos is likely to be more competitive than their last meeting. Dos Santos’ win was overshadowed by Velasquez’s performance, as he came into the bout from a long layoff after tearing his rotator cuff. Dos Santos was also not in full form either; the 27-year-old had torn his meniscus a few weeks before the fight and was walking on crutches.
Regardless, it is expected that both competitors will enter at 100 percent and put on a much better performance.
Although the champion made his first title defense with little difficulty, some critics are leaning toward the challenger to finally give dos Santos his first loss in the UFC and win back the belt.
Now that is easier said than done, but if dos Santos is able to make short work of his opponent and beat him in similar fashion, there might not be a heavyweight who can dethrone him anytime soon.
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