Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.
Dos Santos took on the now-former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 and walked out of the cage victorious, having ended the fight with a vicious first-round knockout.
Later next month, the first challenger for dos Santos’ belt will be decided when Brock Lesnar meets Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.
Who will win that fight remains to be seen, but you can bet the UFC is hoping that Lesnar wins it.
Dos Santos vs. Lesnar would be a dream fight, and you can bet that if Lesnar isn’t the first man to challenge for dos Santos’ belt, there paths will cross eventually.
Here’s five reasons dos Santos vs. Lesnar needs to happen…
Classic Striker vs. Wrestler Matchup
Striker vs. wrestler fights are always interesting to watch.
Seeing two specialists in different disciplines square off always reminds people of the early days of mixed martial arts, so there’s a nice nostalgia factor.
Dos Santos is the best pure boxer in the heavyweight division, and Lesnar is arguably the best wrestler.
It Would Make So Much Money
It’s no secret that anytime Brock Lesnar appears on a UFC card, they are going to get a ton of pay-per-view buys.
Before entering MMA, Lesnar was already famous for competing in the WWE, and that has helped to fast-track him to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division.
So, we already know that people will pay to see Lesnar.
Put him in the cage with someone who can practically guarantee a highlight-reel knockout and you’re going to make a lot of money.
The Heavyweight Division Is Weak
Let’s face facts—the UFC’s heavyweight division does not have very many top contenders.
The only fighters at the top of the division that dos Santos has not already beat are Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir.
There’s not a lot of guys that the UFC can justify as valid opponents for dos Santos, and so it’s more than likely that they will match him up with Brock at some point.
It Couldn’t Be a Boring Fight
When was the last time you saw dos Santos or Velasquez in a boring fight?
Exactly.
Dos Santos is always knocking guys out, while Lesnar prefers to fight on the mat and has a very active ground game.
One way or another, this would be an exciting fight.
It Was Already Supposed to Happen
Lesnar and dos Santos coached opposite each other in the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The two men were slated to fight after the season was over, but Lesnar was forced to withdraw from the fight when it was discovered that his diverticulitis had come back.
Fans were excited to see this fight happen and then it didn’t happen.
Let’s give it back to them.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
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