Cain Velasquez returns from a shoulder injury to defend his UFC heavyweight championship for the first time against Junior dos Santos. Velasquez injured the shoulder while winning the title from Brock Lesnar last October and hasn’t fought since.
That long layoff, along with some added pressure from being the first UFC fight on FOX, means Velasquez’s first title defense is anything but guaranteed. He’ll need to return in elite form if he plans on knocking off dos Santos, who hasn’t lost since 2007 and is unbeaten since joining UFC.
It should be an exciting FOX debut for UFC as the bout pits two fighters who love going for the knockout against each other, something Velasquez mentioned during the build up (via Fight News).
“From both of us, we have exciting fighting styles. We don’t go out there and put on boring fights. We’re both going to go forward. That’s what fans are going to see, that’s what people who haven’t seen this before are going to see on Saturday.”
While it’s good that Velasquez understands what type of fight it’s going to be, it will work against him because he will need some time to get his Octagon legs back under him. If dos Santos can land one big shot early, it could be a one-and-done scenario for the champion.
It will be important for him to come out on the offensive if he wants to retain the belt.
At least under that scenario he should be able to fend off dos Santos’ aggression while getting back into a good flow.
He is still the favorite, so the oddsmakers believe he can readjust quickly enough to maintain the title, but it won’t be easy.
Dos Santos is one of UFC’s fiercest strikers and isn’t 13-1 in his MMA career because of luck. He’s earned this opportunity and knows Velasquez may never be more vulnerable than he is tonight.
Look for a tremendous back-and-forth battle and don’t be surprised if the UFC heavyweight championship changes hands when it’s over.
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