Cain Velasquez was supposed to be the next long reigning champion.
Unfortunately he ran into Junior dos Santos, another excellent striker with the ability to knock out just about anybody.
The difference between Velasquez and dos Santos is Velasquez has great wrestling to go along with his striking.
UFC president Dana White criticized Velasquez for not using his wrestling ability early in the fight at the post-fight press conference.
“I don’t understand why they didn’t go for the shot early” White said. “They should have shot in on Junior Dos Santos knowing that he has the power early in the fight.”
Velasquez is without a doubt one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division.
But when your opponent is known strictly for his stand up game, wrestling perhaps should have been your first priority.
Dos Santos is one of the UFC’s hardest hitters.
Dos Santos also tends to slow down as the fight goes on.
He even admitted in the post fight press conference that Velasquez would have had the advantage in the later rounds because of his stamina.
Despite this advantage though, Velasquez chose to stand and trade with dos Santos.
Velasquez may have had the striking advantage against nearly any other heavyweight in the UFC.
Against dos Santos though, Velasquez did not.
Whether it was a part of the game plan or not, Velasquez should have been more cautious.
Because this is only Velasquez’ first defeat, he could take this as a learning experience and come back stronger than ever.
After all, the former champ is only 29 and has only had 10 pro fights.
Velasquez has much to learn from the loss, but could regain the UFC title one day.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for post-fight analysis of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight card. Also, be sure to check out our fight card hub page for news and opinion on the entire UFC on FOX fight card.
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