Saturday’s UFC 160 pay-per-view from Las Vegas was billed as one of the biggest events in recent history, and while it didn’t deliver as expected, the long-term title ramifications from this show made it unforgettable.
With two championship fights resulting from Saturday’s bouts, UFC 160 was incredibly important.
The heavyweight and lightweight title scenes have been drastically altered after Saturday’s action, and these are the biggest fights coming out of UFC 160.
Junior Dos Santos Earns Another Shot at Cain Velasquez
When Cain Velasquez successfully defended his UFC Heavyweight Championship against Antonio Silva in the main event of UFC 160, the champion confirmed his spot as the king of the divisional mountain.
As great as Velasquez looked in his fight, the co-main event featured former champion Junior Dos Santos knocking out journeyman Mark Hunt in convincing fashion and cementing his place as the No. 1 contender to the heavyweight crown.
Dana White agrees and made the fight official that night (h/t USA Today).
These two juggernauts have met twice before—Dos Santos stole the heavyweight title in the first meeting and Velasquez stole it back in the second bout—making this third matchup one of the few trilogies that MMA fans want to see.
Velasquez and Dos Santos are the two best fighters in the heavyweight division, and a final meeting in this feud to settle which fighter is truly superior is a dream come true for the UFC enthusiasts around the world.
Predicted Winner: Junior Dos Santos via TKO.
TJ Grant Earns His Big Chance Against Benson Henderson
While Gray Maynard has become nothing more than a divisional gatekeeper, the utter domination from Canadian lightweight contender TJ Grant Saturday at UFC 160 proved that he is ready for his championship opportunity.
As White said in the buildup to this fight (h/t MMAJunkie.com), Grant’s victory against Maynard earned him a shot against Benson Henderson for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Henderson will be the toughest fight of Grant’s life—the lightweight champion is on a seven fight winning streak and has successfully defended the title three times—but with the momentum created from his own five-fight winning streak, the Canadian is ready for his big chance.
There is little doubt that this will be an absolute war featuring two men that love to strike, but how Grant reacts to the elite wrestling ability of Henderson will decide his fate in this title bout.
This matchup has Fight of the Year Award potential.
Predicted Winner: TJ Grant via Decision.
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