Strikeforce Heavyweights Take a Back Seat to Brocktober

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce

In case you haven’t heard, BROCKTOBER! has started in earnest, with Wednesday night marking the debut of UFC Primetime, the Spike TV show hyping the upcoming Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 121.

I’m not a bi…

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In case you haven’t heard, BROCKTOBER! has started in earnest, with Wednesday night marking the debut of UFC Primetime, the Spike TV show hyping the upcoming Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez fight at UFC 121.

I’m not a big fan of the whole Brocktober thing — I’m actually more excited about Lyotovember, when I assume the UFC will offer fans hours of programming featuring detailed analysis of how Machida’s precision striking will make him a difficult opponent for Rampage Jackson at UFC 123 — but I am excited about the Lesnar-Velasquez fight.

That’s really what we want as MMA fans: The promoters to give us fights that we’re excited about. And that’s what I was getting at a few weeks ago, when I questioned Josh Barnett for saying after he signed with Strikeforce that “Strikeforce is the home of the best heavyweight division in the world.” Whether Strikeforce or the UFC has the better heavyweight fighters is less important than whether Strikeforce or the UFC has the better heavyweight fights. And on that score it’s not even close.

UFC 121 Fight Card: Lesnar vs. Velasquez

Filed under: UFCBrock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez will headline the UFC 121 fight card happening Oct. 23 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Lesnar (5-1) puts his UFC heavyweight belt on the line for his third time in a matchup against undefeated …

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Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez will headline the UFC 121 fight card happening Oct. 23 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Lesnar (5-1) puts his UFC heavyweight belt on the line for his third time in a matchup against undefeated Velasquez (8-0).

The stacked card also features the UFC debut of Jake Shields as well as appearances by Diego Sanchez and Tito Ortiz.

The complete pay-per-view card is below.

Velasquez Feels He’s Ready for Lesnar; Says He Plans to go Frankie Edgar On His Ass

(Video courtesy HDNet) Cain Velasquez will be on the next edition of Mike Straka’s Fighting Words interview show tomorrow night and it’s seems that the undefeated American Kickboxing Academy product who is preparing to challenge UFC heavyweight kingp…


(Video courtesy HDNet)

Cain Velasquez will be on the next edition of Mike Straka’s Fighting Words interview show tomorrow night and it’s seems that the undefeated American Kickboxing Academy product who is preparing to challenge UFC heavyweight kingpin Brock Lesnar October 23 at UFC 121 in Anaheim, California is prepared both mentally and physically for the fight.

Velasquez says that the biggest challenge in preparing for a juggernaut like Lesnar was finding guys to mimic his power, speed and wrestling skill set, but he feels he is ready.

"I think getting guys his size with strong wrestling credentials [into AKA] 
and really getting myself in bad positions and getting out of them. I don’t think it’s a point of avoiding those bad positions; I think it’s getting in those bad positions, getting out of them — really getting comfortable in those bad positions," Velasquez said. "You definitely gotta work on everything. You definitely gotta work on the stuff that [Brock] is really good at."

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UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez to Receive ‘Primetime’ Treatment

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC 121 main event between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez is expected to be one of the most anticipated UFC fights of the year, and the organization is ensuring it will receive the full promotional push.

UFC announced on it’…

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The UFC 121 main event between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez is expected to be one of the most anticipated UFC fights of the year, and the organization is ensuring it will receive the full promotional push.

UFC announced on it’s weekly Ultimate Insider show Thursday that a three-part Primetime series will air on Spike TV in the weeks leading up to the fight.

The series will debut on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 11 pm ET/PT, and subsequent episodes will air on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 on the cable network.

Dana White Signed Cain Velasquez Without Ever Having Seen Him Fight

(What, me worry?)
Having signed with the promotion with only two MMA bouts under his belt, it’s clear that Cain Velasquez’s route to the UFC wasn’t as arduous as the paths most fighters take to make it to the big show, but considering he is still …


(What, me worry?)

Having signed with the promotion with only two MMA bouts under his belt, it’s clear that Cain Velasquez’s route to the UFC wasn’t as arduous as the paths most fighters take to make it to the big show, but considering he is still undefeated in the Octagon and is set to fight for their heavyweight title, it’s obvious that Zuffa’s gamble paid off.

In a recent interview with GracieMag, Velasquez, who will take on UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 October 23 in Anaheim, Calif.  says that his "tryout" for the UFC wasn’t much more than an impromptu training session in Vegas set up by his manager, Bob Cook, who called Dana White and asked him to check out his star pupil.

According to Velasqez, the UFC president was so impressed with what he saw, he signed him without watching a single one of his fights.

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Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club: Is It the Shoes?

(Cain Velasquez’s new Lugz commercial. Yeah, he smashed that. Props: YouTube.com/MMAFightClub)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link …

(Cain Velasquez‘s new Lugz commercial. Yeah, he smashed that. Props: YouTube.com/MMAFightClub)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Punch Drunk Preview: WEC 50 (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Cro Cop Says He’s Not Ready for UFC 119 but Still Guarantees a First Round Knockout (MiddleEasy)

– Backstage: Ariel Helwani vs. Ed Soares (MMA Fighting)

– Total Fighter Payroll for Strikeforce Challengers Phoenix: $53,250 (MMA Convert)

– 10 Taekwondo Knockouts That Will Blow Your Mind (MMA Scraps)

– Shane Carwin still silent on steroid connection; media as well (Watch Kalib Run)

– Pettis: ‘Roller Doesn’t Want Any Part of My Stand-up’ at WEC 50 (Versus MMA Beat)

– Chael Sonnen Syndrome: Urijah Faber trash-talking his way to the WEC Bantamweight Title shot? (LowKick)

– Rafael Cavalcante: “I have been working hard for not just this fight, but for my dream, every day for six years.” (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Strikeforce Houston: Noons & Gurgel on Standing and Banging for a Title Shot (FIGHT! Magazine)