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Attention Gamblers: Junior Dos Santos Is a Slight Favorite Over Cain Velasquez

(I’m only giving this face-off a 6 out of 10, since Velasquez didn’t have his championship belt with him, and his teammates weren’t in the background throwing middle-fingers at the crowd. Props: UFC.com)

With Cain Velasquez‘s shoulder injury taking him out of action for all of 2011 (so far), Junior Dos Santos was forced to keep busy with a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter and a #1 contender fight against ~~Brock Lesnar~~ Shane Carwin. Any number of misfortunes could have befallen Cigano in the interim, but he managed to keep his spot at the front of the line, and will face Velasquez later this year in the heavyweight title fight that should have happened all along. (By the way, Velasquez’s return on October 8th in Houston isn’t guaranteed yet, due to his health status.)

Between Velasquez’s long injury layoff and Junior’s outstanding body of work in the UFC — culminating with a three-round drubbing of Shane Carwin on Saturday that saw JDS out-strike and then out-wrestle Carwin — the oddsmakers are looking very kindly upon the Brazilian challenger. At this point, Dos Santos is a -120 favorite in the fight, compared to Velasquez at -110.

The line is so close that you won’t get rich betting on Velasquez even though he’s technically the underdog. (For the unfamiliar, those “-” numbers are the amount of dollars you’d have to risk to bring home a $100 profit.) But it says a lot about the perception of where these guys stand in relation to each other. The champion has been out of sight, and thus, out of mind. And again, Dos Santos’s wrestling defense and late slam-takedowns against Carwin demonstrated that he’s more than just a pair of hands, and can beat a wrestler at his own game. Will Velasquez still be able to threaten JDS in that area? Because I’d give the striking edge to Dos Santos, easily.

In a related story, Michael Bisping is more than a 2-to-1 favorite over Jason Miller at the moment. Anybody think they can double their money on Mayhem?

UFC 131: Fans and Fighters React to the Action Inside the Octagon on Twitter

UFC 131 from the Rogers Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia was an action-packed pay-per-view.The main card was highlighted by the featherweight debut of Kenny Florian as he defeated the highly talented Brazilian, Diego Nunes in an extremely entertai…

UFC 131 from the Rogers Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia was an action-packed pay-per-view.

The main card was highlighted by the featherweight debut of Kenny Florian as he defeated the highly talented Brazilian, Diego Nunes in an extremely entertaining affair.

Not to be outdone, Mark Munoz capitalized on his wrestling background, boxing talent, and savage ground-and-pound as he secured a controversial decision victory over Demian Maia.

On Spike TV, Sam Stout secured his “Hands of Stone” nickname as he left Yves Edwards unconscious in the center of the Octagon from a hellacious left hook.

And to wrap up the night’s fights, Junior dos Santos exhibited a boxing clinic on the steel-jawed Shane Carwin securing his number one contendership position against the current UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez.

A tremendous fight card with non-stop action caused immediate buzz worldwide. Millions of fans and fighters took to twitter in response to the action inside the Octagon.

Please follow along as I bring you “tweets” from numerous fighters and fans documenting their reactions to UFC 131.

Kenny Florian

rory_macdonald – “I had an awesome weekend in van with the hayabusa crew and also congrats to my friend @kennyflorian on the awesome fight and the win”

Arin_m – “First one to meet @kennyflorian today! Sucha nice guy. Thanks!”

kennyflorian – “my tweeps crack me up. Best fans eva! I’m retweeting u all in mind. Haha”

– “Big thank you to my great sponsors & supporters @musclepharm @deadontools @Tapout @MicroTechCEO & @MicroTechbuzz Support them!!”

– i believe that @thegunness will be a champion. Much respect to him and his great team. It was an honor to face him.”

Junior dos Santos

roynelsonmma – “man @ShaneCarwin cardio looks ten times better, diet, and supplements make the difference”

– “@ufcfanrich look at his face” (Nelson referring to Shane Carwin’s beaten face)

– “10+ unanswered punches”

– “come on herb!” (Nelson speaking to Herb Dean, the referee)

Random Tweets

dustinpoirier – “my legs hurt so bad”

Thugjitsumaster (Yves Edwards) – “Thank you everyone for your support. I’m fine and appreciate your concern. Congrats@sammyjstout it was fun while it lasted. Great job!”

KSoSUFC (Krzysztof Soszynski) – “Thank you @danawhite for the opportunity to fight in Canada”

ChrisWeidmanUFC – “Whatsup to all my new followers! When I get back home tomorrow I’m going to give out signed gloves, banner, walkout shirt to a random follower”

jakerosholt – “Some really good fights last night. @kennyflorian @mark_munoz looking good & making moves up the ladder”

Jon_Anik – “Was just informed that Junior dos Santos has opened as a slight favorite against Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title.”

mark_munoz – “Much love to my team! @train2reign @kings_mma @ryongracie @Abelito01 @Todd_Newman @KSoSUFC @FabricioWerdum @mayhemmiller @Ellenbergermma”

danawhite – “Great night of fights! Thanks Vancouver now off to Vegas then Brazil”

I realize that there are millions of other tweets that I have missed. Please feel free to add to this list with your comments. Thank you.

Todd Seyler

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UFC 131 Results: 4 Questions Heading into Dos Santos vs. Velasquez

UFC 131 is in the books, and we now know who Cain Velasquez will defend his title against when he returns; Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez and dos Santos were originally suppose to meet for the title after Velasquez won the title from Brock Lesnar.Thanks …

UFC 131 is in the books, and we now know who Cain Velasquez will defend his title against when he returns; Junior Dos Santos.

Velasquez and dos Santos were originally suppose to meet for the title after Velasquez won the title from Brock Lesnar.

Thanks to a shoulder injury Velasquez was forced on the shelf and dos Santos made the dangerous decision to take on another fight instead of waiting for his title shot.

It has all paid off for dos Santos as he dominated Shane Carwin with on his way to a title shot.

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UFC: Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez Could Be Best Heavyweight Fight Ever

The phrase “best ever” is thrown around a lot these days. I should know. I just did it.Sometimes, though, it’s a phrase worth bouncing off the proverbial wall. With dominant UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez set to take on an equally dominant top…

The phrase “best ever” is thrown around a lot these days. I should know. I just did it.

Sometimes, though, it’s a phrase worth bouncing off the proverbial wall. With dominant UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez set to take on an equally dominant top contender in Junior dos Santos, now would appear to be one of those times.

If any serious conversation containing the words “best ever” is to take place, we should first define our terms. Does best mean the most closely contested? Most contentious? Most hyped? Most lucrative?

For my purposes today, I’ll use the fourth definition of “best” listed on TheFreeDictionary.com, which is, quite simply, “most highly skilled.”

There are a lot of great heavyweight fights in UFC history, and in MMA history. Randy Couture, Mirko Cro Cop and Igor come to mind, as does this guy I once heard of, name of Fedor. And yet, when applying the term as defined above and when considering both combatants, I believe the looming battle between Velasquez and dos Santos could indeed take the cake. Here are five reasons why.

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Why Junior Dos Santos Will Beat Cain Velasquez

Post-UFC 131, it seems more than apparent that Junior Dos Santos is the number one contender in the Heavyweight Division.JDS showed a dominant standup and ground game in his fight with Shane Carwin, along with the sportsmanship of a true athlete. Furth…

Post-UFC 131, it seems more than apparent that Junior Dos Santos is the number one contender in the Heavyweight Division.

JDS showed a dominant standup and ground game in his fight with Shane Carwin, along with the sportsmanship of a true athlete. Furthermore, it seems more than plausible that Dos Santos will be able to take on Cain Velasquez and beat him without much trouble at all.

This isn’t to take anything away from Velasquez, who is a great athlete and champion, but Junior seems to be fighting on a whole new level.

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UFC 131 Results: Shane Carwin’s Face after Junior dos Santos Bloodied It

The main event at UFC 131 featured heavyweight power-punchers Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin in a three-round matchup for a shot at UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.Dos Santos pummeled Carwin for three rounds to win a unanimous decision and …

The main event at UFC 131 featured heavyweight power-punchers Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin in a three-round matchup for a shot at UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.

Dos Santos pummeled Carwin for three rounds to win a unanimous decision and improve his record to 13-1 with eight knockouts. It was a clear-cut victory and a well deserved one at that, especially after the first round beating Carwin received, leaving his face a bloody mess for the entire fight.

It was surprising to see it go the full 15 minutes, but the durability of Carwin’s chin was even more surprising. He took a barrage of shots from dos Santos in the first round and was bloodied badly with several gashes opening on his face throughout the fight. By the end, his entire face was covered in blood and cuts, but he made it through with his unquestionable heart.

With the victory, dos Santos gets a shot at Velasquez, and it is easily one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. It will feature the two best heavyweights in the world.

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