Filed under: UFCThe last time I heard a crowd go as crazy as the fans in Anaheim did when Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar at UFC 121, they were all getting free cars from Oprah. The fight fans on Saturday night may have had to drive home in the same b…
The last time I heard a crowd go as crazy as the fans in Anaheim did when Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar at UFC 121, they were all getting free cars from Oprah. The fight fans on Saturday night may have had to drive home in the same boring old rides they came in, but after that furious four-minute main event I guarantee you no one was complaining.
But UFC 121 gave us more to talk about than just the main event. All across the undercard careers were being salvaged and lost, and at least one fighter managed to leave the Octagon victorious but still riding a wave of boos.
Let’s break it all down and look at our big winners, losers, and everything in between.
(The greatest exchange of the entire event, from round two of Sanchez vs. Thiago. You’ll have to provide your own "aaaaahhhhhhh!!!" Props: CampizonE MMA)
(Brock Lesnar doesn’t need police protection, bitch. Props: Caposa)
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(The greatest exchange of the entire event, from round two of Sanchez vs. Thiago. You’ll have to provide your own "aaaaahhhhhhh!!!" Props: CampizonE MMA)
(Brock Lesnar doesn’t need police protection, bitch. Props: Caposa)
(Does this look like the face of a man who is pumped for Wrestlemania? PicProps: BloodyElbow)
Right on schedule, the Internets are in full-on meltdown mode this Monday morning concerning all things Brock Lesnar. Lesnar fans who talked him up as an unst…
(Does this look like the face of a man who is pumped for Wrestlemania? PicProps: BloodyElbow)
Right on schedule, the Internets are in full-on meltdown mode this Monday morning concerning all things Brock Lesnar. Lesnar fans who talked him up as an unstoppable juggernaut as late as Friday afternoon are now backtracking, suddenly focusing more on his inexperience than his otherworldly physical prowess. Cain Velasquez supporters are getting their gloat on, as well they should, after Velasquez put a king sized beating on Lesnar at UFC 121. We blogging scumbags are attacking the former champ’s striking skills, his game plan and his training camp. Many of us are wondering aloud about Lesnar’s future in the sport, how he’ll rebound from this and what in the bejeezus is going to happen to our precious heavyweight rankings now.
For his part, UFC President Dana White is insinuating that the whitetail deer population of southwestern Minnesota might be a bit inflated come spring, since he believes Lesnar will cancel much of his planned time off in order to get back in the gym and back in the Octagon ASAP. Then there’s this goddamned Undertaker thing, which is threatening to take on a life of its own.
Now that Cain Velasquez has captured the UFC heavyweight title and Brock Lesnar was sent limping back to his Minnesota compound after UFC 121, The MMA Wrap-Up returns to ask some essential questions about what this means for the heavyweight division and for MMA as a whole. Come on, you know you don’t want to miss that.
Now that Cain Velasquez has captured the UFC heavyweight title and Brock Lesnar was sent limping back to his Minnesota compound after UFC 121, The MMA Wrap-Up returns to ask some essential questions about what this means for the heavyweight division and for MMA as a whole. Come on, you know you don’t want to miss that.
(Worst ‘America’s Got Talent’ audition ever. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)
Cain Velasquez has a date with Junior Dos Santos, and Jake Shields — God help us — is still likely to face the winner of GSP vs. Koscheck. But the fates of UFC 121’s…
(Worst ‘America’s Got Talent’ audition ever. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)
Brock Lesnar: Assuming that nobody really wants to see a Lesnar vs. Mir rubber match, there are a surprising lack of options for the new ex-champ. If Roy Nelson beats Shane Carwin at UFC 125, Lesnar vs. Big Country would make perfect sense. (Lesnar vs. Carwin II is also an option for down the road, considering Carwin never felt like Brock beat him fair and square.) But at the moment, the best available opponent for Lesnar is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who’s coming off his own nasty loss to Velasquez. The fading Big Nog would likely take a beating, but the UFC needs to re-build their most bankable star against a credible name, and letting Lesnar whale on a legend is an effective way to do it.
Martin Kampmann: The first name that comes to mind is Dan Hardy, though the UFC probably wants to avoid the possibility of one of their British stars dropping three straight. So how ’bout this: Nate Diaz. The TUF 5 winner and moneyweight contender is facing Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 125. If Diaz wins, Diaz vs. Kampmann is a great matchup between two guys who are on the same upper-middle region of the welterweight ladder. If Diaz gets outgrappled by DHK, then Kampmann gets a rebound against an "easier" opponent. Either way, it’s a scrap.
Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC has a new heavyweight champion, as Cain Velasquez brutalized Brock Lesnar to win a first-round technical knockout Saturday at UFC 121.
The fight wasn’t close, as Velasquez showed vastly superior technique and unloaded on …
The UFC has a new heavyweight champion, as Cain Velasquez brutalized Brock Lesnar to win a first-round technical knockout Saturday at UFC 121.
The fight wasn’t close, as Velasquez showed vastly superior technique and unloaded on Lesnar on the ground until Lesnar’s face was a bloody mess and referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
“I trained for a five-round fight and that’s what I was hoping for,” Velasquez said afterward. “I wasn’t expecting this. You can’t expect a first-round stoppage.”
The last time I heard a crowd go as crazy as the fans in Anaheim did when Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar at UFC 121, they were all getting free cars from Oprah. The fight fans on Saturday night may have had to drive home in the same boring old rides they came in, but after that furious four-minute main event I guarantee you no one was complaining.
The UFC has a new heavyweight champion, as