In a few hours, the former UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, will square off against one of four men to defeat Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.Originally, Cain was going to fight Frank Mir, and Silva was going to fight Roy Nelson, bu…
In a few hours, the former UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez, will square off against one of four men to defeat Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Originally, Cain was going to fight Frank Mir, and Silva was going to fight Roy Nelson, but after the Alistair Overeem debacle, the fights were switched and ended up as what they are now.
Cain comes into the fight needing to make a statement after suffering a knockout loss to Junior dos Santos in just 64 seconds.
Prior that that, Cain had been 9-0 with eight finishes, all by some form of knockout.
His fight with Silva is likely a No. 1 contender match for him.
Bigfoot is in a similar situation, one where he needs a win to stick around in the top of the division.
Silva is 16-3 in his career, and was being pegged as a dark horse of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix after his defeat of Fedor.
However, Silva became the first victim in Daniel Cormier’s path to declaring himself a threat in the heavyweight division, as Cormier knocked out Silva in just under four minutes.
Prior to that loss, Silva was on a three-fight winning streak having defeated Fedor, Mike Kyle and Andrei Arlovski.
Many expect this to be a quick knockout victory for Cain Velasquez, as Cain’s training partner is Daniel Cormier, and therefore has insight into how to knock out Antonio Silva.
With that in mind, expect Cain to pull out an early knockout victory in the first round, and get set up for a potential rematch against Junior dos Santos.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow him on Twitter @TimMcTiernan.
What better way to kick off the summer this Memorial Day weekend than with the star-studded, all-heavyweight UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir. Though Alistair Overeem’s drug test dodging/excuse-making skills weren’t enough to save the original UFC 146 main event, we’re still in for a spectacular heavyweight title tilt with JDS and Frank Mir.
Dos Santos made his UFC debut almost four years ago at UFC 90, and three days before the fight Dana White posted footage of JDS hitting mits on his online video blog. Dos Santos’s hands looked incredible, and suddenly money came pouring in on the heavy underdog to beat Fabricio Werdum, which he did in devastating fashion. Since then, Dos Santos has put together the best resume in UFC Heavyweight history, destroying everyone in his path. So, is Mir going to be just another notch on JDS’s belt, or will JDS have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon Sunday morning? Join me as I break down each fight on UFC 146’s main card, and don’t forget to come back to CagePotato tomorrow night for our liveblog of the event.
They say that styles make fights, and Saturday night’s heavyweight championship is going to be a clash between two men who are the best in the division at their chosen styles. Junior Dos Santos is so confident in his boxing skills that he says he could hang with the Klitschko brothers with three months’ training, and Frank Mir’s jiu-jitsu is so good that he broke Minotauro Nogueira’s arm after Nogueira had Mir teetering on unconsciousness. Both of these men have a wealth of Octagon experience, but neither man has ever fought into the championship rounds of a fight. That shouldn’t be an issue Saturday night, however, for this fight will probably end well before the final bell.
For Dos Santos, the game plan is simple: keep this fight on the feet. Dos Santos’ belief in his hands has to be at an all-time high, as he’s coming off his knockout of previously undefeated former champion Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds. If JDS can control the Octagon against Mir and use his superb counter-punching, I can see him finishing Mir early. Dos Santos has very quick hands for a heavyweight, and his uppercut is devastating. Just one counter hook or uppercut, and it could be lights out for Mir.
Dos Santos made his UFC debut almost four years ago at UFC 90, and three days before the fight Dana White posted footage of JDS hitting mits on his online video blog. Dos Santos’s hands looked incredible, and suddenly money came pouring in on the heavy underdog to beat Fabricio Werdum, which he did in devastating fashion. Since then, Dos Santos has put together the best resume in UFC Heavyweight history, destroying everyone in his path. So, is Mir going to be just another notch on JDS’s belt, or will JDS have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon Sunday morning? Join me as I break down each fight on UFC 146′s main card, and don’t forget to come back to CagePotato tomorrow night for our liveblog of the event.
They say that styles make fights, and Saturday night’s heavyweight championship is going to be a clash between two men who are the best in the division at their chosen styles. Junior Dos Santos is so confident in his boxing skills that he says he could hang with the Klitschko brothers with three months’ training, and Frank Mir’s jiu-jitsu is so good that he broke Minotauro Nogueira’s arm after Nogueira had Mir teetering on unconsciousness. Both of these men have a wealth of Octagon experience, but neither man has ever fought into the championship rounds of a fight. That shouldn’t be an issue Saturday night, however, for this fight will probably end well before the final bell.
For Dos Santos, the game plan is simple: keep this fight on the feet. Dos Santos’ belief in his hands has to be at an all-time high, as he’s coming off his knockout of previously undefeated former champion Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds. If JDS can control the Octagon against Mir and use his superb counter-punching, I can see him finishing Mir early. Dos Santos has very quick hands for a heavyweight, and his uppercut is devastating. Just one counter hook or uppercut, and it could be lights out for Mir.
Mir’s striking skills have gotten better in the past few years, as he has outstruck and finished notable strikers Mirko Cro Cop and Chieck Kongo, but Mir would not be wise to try his luck on the feet Saturday night. As Mir has stated, he’s looking to pull guard on Dos Santos, and work off his back to submit him. It has to worry Dos Santos that Mir just snapped the arm of the man who teaches him jiu-jitsu, and I don’t see any circumstance where JDS would voluntarily go to the ground with Mir, even following a knockdown. So, the key to this fight, in my mind, is the clinch game. Mir has shown that he is vulnerable to the uppercut in the clinch, and Dos Santos could easily finish the fight there, but if Mir can control the clinch and get Dos Santos to the ground, it might be time to prep the surgery room for Dos Santos.
Prediction: Dos Santos’ is a great defensive wrestler, and has never been taken to the ground for a significant amount of time. I don’t see Frank Mir being able to change that; JDS will keep this fight standing and finish Mir in the first round with a trademark uppercut.
Cain Velasquez (9-1, 7-1 UFC) vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (16-3, 0-0 UFC)
This matchup seems tailor-made for Velasquez to rebound following his November loss to Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez was steamrolling the competition before he was caught by a right hand from JDS at UFC on Fox 1. He still remains the best wrestler in the heavyweight division, and even though he weighs only 245 lbs, Velasquez has proven he has no problem handling bigger guys like Silva, who will probably weigh over 275 lbs on Saturday night. Plus, his American Kickboxing Academy teammate Daniel Cormier just demolished Silva last September in the semi-finals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Silva looked impressive in his victory over Fedor Emelianenko, but how much of that can be attributed to Fedor’s waning abilities and Silva’s sheer size advantage? Silva just doesn’t have an area of advantage in this fight. Velasquez is very similar in style to Cormier, in that he is a world-class wrestler that can easily take you down and pound on you, and he can also stand in front of you and knock you out. Silva is not going to outwork and outpoint Velasquez, his only shot in this fight is to connect with punches early and get a quick knockout like Junior Dos Santos did. I just don’t think Velasquez will give him the chance.
Prediction: Velasquez keeps the pressure on Silva with takedowns and solid ground and pound, and grinds out a unanimous decision victory, never giving Silva a chance to knock him out.
Dave Herman (21-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Roy Nelson (16-7, 3-3 UFC)
Both fighters come into this fight following losses in their last outings, Nelson to Fabricio Werdum and Herman to Stefan Struve. It is Nelson, however, who seems to have the advantage in this fight. Nelson has fought much better opponents than Herman, and even knocked out Struve in under a minute when they fought a couple years ago. Nelson has a great right hand, solid takedowns, and the ability to do serious damage on the ground. Herman prefers to stand and strike, and is not afraid to be aggressive with his attacks. Both of these fighters have questionable gas tanks though, and the winner could very well be the man whose cardio holds up over three rounds. Herman’s best chance is to knock out Nelson, but those chances are slim, for Nelson has proven to be very difficult to finish.
Prediction: Roy Nelson bounces back and just like he did to Kimbo, gives Dave Herman the Big Country crucifix en route to a second-round stoppage.
Stipe Miocic (8-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Shane Del Rosario (11-0, 0-0 UFC)
In their 19 combined fights, only one has gone the distance, and the undefeated Del Rosario has never even seen the third round of a fight. Though he hasn’t fought in over a year, Del Rosario looked impressive in his last fight when he dispatched fellow heavyweight prospect Lavar Johnson in the first round with an armbar. Miocic knocked out undefeated Philip de Fries in less than a minute in his last fight, and he has shown in his two Octagon outings that he has solid takedowns and effective striking. Del Rosario, however, is much better than anyone Miocic has ever fought, and I don’t think Miocic will be able to keep Del Rosario from taking him down and imposing his will.
Prediction: Look for Del Rosario to go for the takedown early, and from there advance his position while delivering lots of damage to Miocic. Miocic will just be another stepping stone for Del Rosario, who will win by first round TKO.
Lavar Johnson (17-5, 2-0 UFC) vs. Stefan Struve (23-5, 7-3 UFC)
This fight could very well be the Fight of the Night on Saturday. After fan-favorite Mark Hunt bowed out due to injury, Johnson stepped into his slot against Struve only three weeks removed from his destruction of Pat Barry at UFC on Fox 3. Both Johnson and Struve love to strike, and we could see lots of big punches traded between these two. The difference in this fight though is the ground game. While Struve has shown he is very adept on the ground, with 15 submission victories in his career, Johnson’s ground game (or lack thereof) was exposed by Pat Barry, who isn’t known for his submission or wrestling skills. Struve does have a susceptible chin however, with all three of his UFC losses coming by first-round knockout. So, if Johnson can land some of those big punches he landed against Barry on Struve, Johnson can easily take this fight. But Struve will likely try to get this fight to the ground, where he can work his submissions on Johnson, who surely didn’t grow a ground game in three weeks.
Prediction: While still very young, Stefan Struve has been somewhat of a heavyweight gatekeeper — and he will slam that gate closed on Johnson Saturday night. Struve by first-round triangle choke.
(Word has it JDS hits so hard that Frank Mir fainted shortly after this photo was snapped.)
Just a reminder, Potato Nation, that the weigh-ins for tomorrow’s UFC 146 card are going down tonight starting at 7 p.m. ET. Because we “love” you the way a man “loves” the prostitute he just kicked out of his hotel room, we’ll be hosting a live stream of the event below. At least one of us will be trolling the comment section and looking for a fight, so be sure to join us if you’re into that sort of thing.
All of these questions will be answered, via a few intense staredowns, in just a few short hours.
(Word has it JDS hits so hard that Frank Mir fainted shortly after this photo was snapped.)
Just a reminder, Potato Nation, that the weigh-ins for tomorrow’s UFC 146 card are going down tonight starting at 7 p.m. ET. Because we “love” you the way a man “loves” the prostitute he just kicked out of his hotel room, we’ll be hosting a live stream of the event below. At least one of us will be trolling the comment section and looking for a fight, so be sure to join us if you’re into that sort of thing.
Saturday will mark former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s return to the Octagon after ignominiously losing the title via first-round knockout to Junior Dos Santos. During this landmark card taking place at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, he will face…
Saturday will mark former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s return to the Octagon after ignominiously losing the title via first-round knockout to Junior Dos Santos.
During this landmark card taking place at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, he will face-off against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, who is also coming off a knockout loss in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.
Both men have everything to prove, with Velasquez the “heavy” favourite. He was undefeated until his unexpected loss to Dos Santos in November, with many still considering him the number one heavyweight in the world.
So what does he have to do to overcome the acromegalic Silva? Let’s start with where Cain’s AKA teammate Daniel Cormier left off.
Out-box Silva
He may be a giant man with a huge reach, but Silva’s stand-up has been left wanting time and time again. Cormier, who entered MMA with a wrestling background and is relatively new to the striking game, was able to drop Bigfoot several times in their match, before putting him away with a mean right toward the end of the first round.
Cormier was six inches shorter than Silva, but was able to get in on the inside and counter him with explosive shots, which the Brazilian had no answer to.
Even against Emelianenko, where Silva had one of his most dominant fights in his career, a few minutes standing and trading with the diminutive Russian left him rushing to take the fight to the mat.
As Velasquez trains alongside Cormier, and has proven knockout power of his own, he would do well to keep the fight standing and try and finish it on his feet.
Use his wrestling to keep it standing
Velasquez is a NCAA Division I All-American with some of the best wrestling in MMA. One of the best ways he can use this skill against Silva is to keep the fight standing.
When he’s in trouble, Silva, a BJJ black belt, always tries to take the fight to the mat. He’ll have a tough time bringing Velasquez down if the stand-up starts going against him, giving the former champion the perfect opportunity to dictate where the fight takes place.
With Silva’s high level jiu-jitsu, Velasquez will not want to get involved in a ground skirmish with the big man. He could follow Cormier’s blueprint against Barnett from last week—utilising his wrestling to put Silva on his back when he needs to, disrupting his opponent’s momentum, wearing him down and picking him apart with strikes.
Look for the finish
Velasquez has some of the most powerful punches in the division, and Silva has been knocked out twice in his career. We saw the Brazilian’s questionable chin during his fight against Cormier, and you can expect Cain to mete out the same punishment.
But the former champion should be in no rush to finish the fight. Rushing with punches could easily lead to him getting caught like he did against Dos Santos. Velasquez has one of the biggest gas tanks of all heavyweights, and he can go multiple rounds without skipping a heartbeat.
If he sticks to his game and stays patient, the knockout opportunity will come, and it will be lights out for Silva soon enough.
Stick to the game plan
Cormier and Velasquez have developed similar styles, which gives Silva a hint as to what to expect on Saturday and Velasquez a blueprint for the finish.
Now it’s a simple case of executing the programme and hoping that Silva learned nothing in the eight months since his last loss. One can hope…
Find out if it all goes to plan on Saturday 10 p.m. ET.
For more MMA goodness, check out my blog: The Fight Week
UFC 146 marks a heavyweight title bout where bad blood has been running strong between the two competitors for weeks now. In the main event, reigning 265-pound champion Junior dos Santos takes on a former champion in Frank Mir.Will Mir definitivel…
UFC 146 marks a heavyweight title bout where bad blood has been running strong between the two competitors for weeks now.
In the main event, reigning 265-pound champion Junior dos Santos takes on a former champion in Frank Mir.
Will Mir definitively put himself in the Hall of Fame conversation, or will JDS prove he is going to stay on top of the heavyweight division for quite some time?
Kicking off the main card will be two very entertaining heavyweights in the form of Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve and “Big” Lavar Johnson. Don’t leave your seat during this one, because these two fighters know how to finish a fight.
Next up, two undefeated prospects clash in the form of “No Limits” Shane del Rosario and Stipe Miocic in a bout with some serious bragging rights on the line.
In a tough match-up to predict, the third fight on the main card pits fan favorite Roy “Big Country” Nelson against Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman in a bout where the loser could very likely be given his walking papers from the UFC.
In the co-main event, another former champion in the form of Cain Velasquez takes on Strikeforce import Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in his Octagon debut.
Predicting Saturday’s action are Bleacher Report MMA Featured Columnists Dan Hiergesell, Dwight Wakabayashi, Matt Juul, and myself, John Heinis.
Check out who will be walking away victorious on Saturday night.
Unfortunately, last Tuesday’s UFC on FUEL: Zombie vs. Poirier card all but completely derailed our recent run of luck with the Gambling Enabler (aside from the decision to purchase some Bud Light Platinums to celebrate another beautiful McKenzietine bet), but hopefully this weekend’s UFC 146 event, which features an all heavyweight main card for the first time in UFC history will help get things back on track. So without further adieu, may we present to you the tasty betting lines, brought to you courtesy of BestFightOdds, along with our brilliant/equally insane advice below.
Unfortunately, last Tuesday’s UFC on FUEL: Zombie vs. Poirier card all but completely derailed our recent run of luck with the Gambling Enabler (aside from the decision to purchase some Bud Light Platinums to celebrate another beautiful McKenzietine bet), but hopefully this weekend’s UFC 146 event, which features an all heavyweight main card for the first time in UFC history will help get things back on track. So without further adieu, may we present to you the tasty betting lines, brought to you courtesy of BestFightOdds, along with our brilliant/equally insane advice below.
The Main Event: Good God, has the world completely forgotten that Frank Mir is a former heavyweight champion for Christ’s sake? When we first came across those odds, not only did we double take, we nearly went into full on SpongeBob Squarepants bubble-blowing mode. Look, we all know that JDS has been damn near untouchable since nuking Fabricio Werdum in his octagon debut. We also know that Frank Mir’s chin leaves something to be desired, but at those odds, you’d think this was the squash match of the century, and that’s already been booked in the featherweight division. Mir is a submission savant with a pretty stellar standup game, and considering the experience advantage he’ll be bringing with him come Saturday, it would be nothing short of foolish to place at least a small bet on him at those ridiculous odds. Keep Junior in your parlay, because he has the kind of cement-filled hands that could end Mir’s night really, really early, but a side bet on Mir is common sense here.
The Good Dogs: We hate to be rude, but judging by their last performances, we’d say that Dave Herman and Antonio Silva are f’ing screwed. Plain and simple. Velasquez is too fast and dynamic for “Bigfoot,” and regardless of how Nelson has looked as of late, he is simply on another level than Herman, so scratch those from your list of viable options. The Rosario/Miocic line is really too close to warrant a big bet, and is one of those guaranteed slugfests that is best enjoyed with a cold beer, some nachos, and zero investment in the fighters at hand. Given his insane power, as well as Struve’s tendency to stand for way too long with people he has no business standing with, Lavar “Big” Johnson looks like a decent bet at +105. Then again, Pat Barry almost pulled off a keylock on him. Then again, Pat Barry almost pulled off a keylock on him. That is no typo; we want to let that notion settle in. Once Struve gets this to the ground, it will be over quicker than you can even kick yourself for betting on “Big” in the first place.
Really, the best underdog pick on this card is Paul Sass. Terrible nickname aside, he’s managed to score a couple impressive victories since jumping into the deep waters of the UFC’s lightweight division, mainly, his most recent heel hook win over TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson. Volkmann has proven to be a force at 155, scoring five straight since dropping from welterweight, but none of those victories have really convinced us that he can do anything other than out-grapple his opponent for three rounds. Sass is a finisher, and Volkmann is anything but. This fight comes down to where you stand on the BJJ vs. wrestling debate, but we expect to see Sass pull off a second or third round sub and claim his place amongst the upper echelon of the lightweight division.
The Easy Bet: Diego Brandao. Although he saw some ups and downs in his glass plaque-earning effort over Dennis Bermudez at the TUF 14 Finale, he should easily be able to handle Darren Elkins, whose 3-1 octagon record looks a bit different when you realize that one of those victories came as a result of Duane Ludwig’s flimsy ankles, and another came as a result of the incompetence of MMA judges in his fight with Michihiro Omigawa. We feel compelled to mention the Miller/Dolloway match considering what’s at stake, but you might as well just throw your paycheck in the fire before you bet on either of those gentlemen.
Official CagePotato Parlay: dos Santos + Velasquez + Nelson + Brandao
Suggested stake for a $50 parlay
$25 on the parlay
$10 on Mir
$10 on Sass
$5 on Kingsbury (because UFC jitters are a thing)
Saturday will mark former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s return to the Octagon after ignominiously losing the title via first-round knockout to Junior Dos Santos.
