It was October 7, 2006 when Cain Velasquez began his mixed martial arts career at the age of 24-years-old.
In the first fight of his career, Velasquez knocked out Jesse Fujarczyk just two minutes into the very first round.
Velasquez would go on to win just one more fight before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2008 as he was set to take on Brad Morris in his UFC debut.
Things went as planned for Velasquez as he would go on to not only knock out Morris but Jake O’Brien and Denis Stojnic in his next two bouts.
Velasquez would continue his dominance by knocking out three of his next four opponents on route to earning himself a heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121.
It didn’t take long for Velasquez to capture the first championship of his career as he pummeled Lesnar with just a little under a minute remaining in Round 1.
Velasquez is now set to take on Junior Dos Santos at UFC on FOX 1 in just a few short hours.
If Velasquez wants to successfully defend his heavyweight title for the first time, there will be a few things he needs to focus on when action begins.
Many fans fail to realize that this will be the first time Velasquez has taken the Octagon in over a year.
Fans shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t see Velasquez pushing the issue as he’ll attempt to shed any cage rust that may be present.
When Velasquez settles down, he’ll want to move in on Dos Santos and test his take down skills.
In the past, Dos Santos hasn’t displayed an effective ground game as Velasquez will look to put him in a situation he’s not comfortable with.
The longer the fight remains on the ground, the less likely Dos Santos is to land the “one-punch” knockout that fans have been drooling over.
However, Velasquez is also one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division.
But, Velasquez will need to be very careful in the stand up and prove he can successfully defend against Dos Santos’ vicious strikes.
If Velasquez can stick to his regular game plan there’s no reason he shouldn’t leave UFC on FOX 1 with the heavyweight title around his waste.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com