Tag: cainvelasquez

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on FOX

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Junior dos Santos and Cain VelasquezYou go to enough UFC events, you get a feel for the rhythm that they usually follow. From prelims to the Spike TV undercard to the main card to the main event, it’s a gradually building symphony of violence that follows a fairly predictable pattern.

But Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show was a completely different experience, for several reasons. It was essentially a nine-fight undercard, one right after the other, and then a main event that started at around 6:30 pm local time. By 6:45 we had our laptops packed up and press row was vacated. By 8 pm we were in the Honda Center media room, watching Pacquiao-Marquez while hammering away at our keyboards with one eye on the screen.

It was, in other words, a strange night. Like Dana White, I’m mostly just glad it’s over. Now we can get back to the normal fight night routine, which is at least exhausting in a familiar way. But first, the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from the UFC on FOX debut.

Biggest Winner: Junior dos Santos
Say what you will about whether the quick finish was bad or simply not ideal for the UFC’s FOX debut, but you can’t blame JDS. Actually, I guess you could if you really wanted to, but you’d sound like a real jerk. It’s not his job to make fights last; his only concern was punching his opponent in the face until the referee told him to stop, and that’s exactly what he did. Right from the start dos Santos had no problem locating Velasquez’s face with his fist, and he did so without opening himself up for takedowns. He got away with a short night of work thanks to that big right hand of his. Considering the knee injury that he said he came into the fight with, that quick finish was the best-case scenario for “Cigano” even if it wasn’t exactly what the UFC hoped for. Now he’ll get to take some time, see to his injury, and wait for Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem to figure out who he’ll defend his brand new belt against. Who knows, maybe he’ll even become the rare heavyweight champ who can hang on to it for a little while.

Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
For starters, let’s ease up on the game plan criticism. The guy only got to fight for a minute. What, you thought he was going to shoot for a double-leg the moment “Big” John McCarthy got out of the way? Even if you want to get the fight to the mat, you can’t go into a heavyweight title bout telling yourself that you’ve got no prayer on the feet. Conceding that aspect of the fight to your opponent is a psychological kiss of death, so maybe we shouldn’t crucify Velasquez for daring to engage in even the briefest of striking exchanges with dos Santos. That said, the night couldn’t have gone much worse for the former champ. I’m not sure if the knee injury was worse than he let on, but he didn’t seem to have the intensity or the explosiveness that we’ve come to expect from him right out of the gates. Dana White put plenty of pressure on him to deliver the fireworks, so maybe it’s unfair of the UFC prez to then criticize Velasquez for not immediately turning the bout into a wrestling match. Velasquez seemed perfectly willing to try and give us the war we were promised, whether that was a good idea or not. Unfortunately for him, he ended up on the business end of the blitzkrieg.

Most Bizarre Sight: The Octagon’s Fresh Paint Job
Apparently the UFC and FOX felt that network TV viewers could handle seeing blood if it was coming out of a human being, but old plasma left over from the night’s previous bouts was more than they could bear. So after the Guida-Henderson bout had concluded and before dos Santos and Velasquez took the cage, a small crew of workers got out the paint and heat gun and erased those bloodstains before the FOX cameras caught sight of them. The thing is, the mat wasn’t even all that bloody. Sure, after nine fights some of the red stuff had spilled, but we’ve seen much worse inside the Octagon. Those “millions of new viewers” haven’t though, and as White said in the post-fight press conference, the UFC is looking to “ease into this.” Even if it means choking the poor cageside photographers with paint fumes.

Most Deserving of a Title Shot: Ben Henderson
Lately it’s seemed like nothing short of a dozen straight wins will earn you a crack at the lightweight belt, but Henderson has made the most of his three UFC bouts. After destroying Jim Miller and edging out a very game Guida, I don’t see how anyone could say he hasn’t earned his shot at Frankie Edgar. And, with Henderson’s all-around blend of skills, I don’t see how anyone could say this won’t be a thrilling bout when those two get together in Japan. At least you know that one will be televised.

Least in Need of a Title Shot: Clay Guida
The Duder might not like to hear it, but he’s probably never going to be a UFC champion. And that’s okay. Really, it is. He might not think so now, and he might not even think so ten years from now, but his legacy will be built on individual bouts rather than broad career achievements. His fights with Roger Huerta, Diego Sanchez, and this one with Henderson are battles that all of us (or at least those of us who actually saw them) will remember. Does it matter that he lost all three of those fights? Not really. That’s because when Guida gets an opponent he can exert his will on, the outcomes tend to be less spectacular. It’s when he fights superior, more gifted opponents that both are forced into a species of greatness. He doesn’t have to win them all to be loved by fans and admired by his peers. He doesn’t need a belt, either. No matter how badly he might want one.

Win Most Likely to Be Overturned: Robert Peralta over Mackens Semerzier
Initially it looked like both Peralta and Semerzier landed almost simultaneous punches, but it was Semerzier who got the worst of it. Upon further review, it was clear that a clash of heads was the real culprit. Peralta didn’t do it on purpose, and the lump on his forehead (which sprang up immediately) tells you that he didn’t escape from it unscathed either. Still, it was pretty obvious that Semerzier got a one-way ticket to Queer Street thanks to something that was definitely not a legal strike, and that’s grounds for an appeal. In a just world, the result of this fight will get changed to a no contest.

Alex CaceresMost Surprising: Alex Caceres
I was starting to wonder what the UFC saw in this kid, other than personality. He lost two straight after his stint on TUF, didn’t look very good in either bout, yet somehow still had a spot on the roster. But as it turns out, maybe he was just in the wrong weight class. Against Cole Escovedo in his bantamweight debut, “Bruce Leeroy” looked like an entirely different fighter. He kept Escovedo guessing on the feet, stymied his attacks all night, and had the confidence to throw some unconventional stuff out there in search of the victory. After winning the decision he showed up to the post-fight presser with an enormous grin on his face, looking like a kid who’d just been told that he was going to Disneyland (which just happened to be right down the street). I admit, it was refreshing to see a young fighter who actually seemed glad to talk to the media after a fight. Give him a couple years, though. See if he doesn’t change his mind about that.

Most Brutal Finish: DaMarques Johnson
He may not have earned the Knockout of the Night award for starching Clay Harvison in the first round, but he probably should have. I know, I know — there’s no small amount in politics involved in those, and the main event will get it over a prelim’er every time, but still. Johnson lunged in with a beautiful left uppercut that Harvison never saw, then followed up with a right hand that was so hard I almost expected Harvison’s childhood memories to come spilling out onto the mat. Granted, this was a fight Johnson was supposed to win, and win fairly easily, but it never hurts to make a memorable impression. Well, unless you’re Harvison. Then it hurts a lot.

 

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Junior dos Santos and Cain VelasquezYou go to enough UFC events, you get a feel for the rhythm that they usually follow. From prelims to the Spike TV undercard to the main card to the main event, it’s a gradually building symphony of violence that follows a fairly predictable pattern.

But Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show was a completely different experience, for several reasons. It was essentially a nine-fight undercard, one right after the other, and then a main event that started at around 6:30 pm local time. By 6:45 we had our laptops packed up and press row was vacated. By 8 pm we were in the Honda Center media room, watching Pacquiao-Marquez while hammering away at our keyboards with one eye on the screen.

It was, in other words, a strange night. Like Dana White, I’m mostly just glad it’s over. Now we can get back to the normal fight night routine, which is at least exhausting in a familiar way. But first, the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from the UFC on FOX debut.

Biggest Winner: Junior dos Santos
Say what you will about whether the quick finish was bad or simply not ideal for the UFC’s FOX debut, but you can’t blame JDS. Actually, I guess you could if you really wanted to, but you’d sound like a real jerk. It’s not his job to make fights last; his only concern was punching his opponent in the face until the referee told him to stop, and that’s exactly what he did. Right from the start dos Santos had no problem locating Velasquez’s face with his fist, and he did so without opening himself up for takedowns. He got away with a short night of work thanks to that big right hand of his. Considering the knee injury that he said he came into the fight with, that quick finish was the best-case scenario for “Cigano” even if it wasn’t exactly what the UFC hoped for. Now he’ll get to take some time, see to his injury, and wait for Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem to figure out who he’ll defend his brand new belt against. Who knows, maybe he’ll even become the rare heavyweight champ who can hang on to it for a little while.

Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
For starters, let’s ease up on the game plan criticism. The guy only got to fight for a minute. What, you thought he was going to shoot for a double-leg the moment “Big” John McCarthy got out of the way? Even if you want to get the fight to the mat, you can’t go into a heavyweight title bout telling yourself that you’ve got no prayer on the feet. Conceding that aspect of the fight to your opponent is a psychological kiss of death, so maybe we shouldn’t crucify Velasquez for daring to engage in even the briefest of striking exchanges with dos Santos. That said, the night couldn’t have gone much worse for the former champ. I’m not sure if the knee injury was worse than he let on, but he didn’t seem to have the intensity or the explosiveness that we’ve come to expect from him right out of the gates. Dana White put plenty of pressure on him to deliver the fireworks, so maybe it’s unfair of the UFC prez to then criticize Velasquez for not immediately turning the bout into a wrestling match. Velasquez seemed perfectly willing to try and give us the war we were promised, whether that was a good idea or not. Unfortunately for him, he ended up on the business end of the blitzkrieg.

Most Bizarre Sight: The Octagon’s Fresh Paint Job
Apparently the UFC and FOX felt that network TV viewers could handle seeing blood if it was coming out of a human being, but old plasma left over from the night’s previous bouts was more than they could bear. So after the Guida-Henderson bout had concluded and before dos Santos and Velasquez took the cage, a small crew of workers got out the paint and heat gun and erased those bloodstains before the FOX cameras caught sight of them. The thing is, the mat wasn’t even all that bloody. Sure, after nine fights some of the red stuff had spilled, but we’ve seen much worse inside the Octagon. Those “millions of new viewers” haven’t though, and as White said in the post-fight press conference, the UFC is looking to “ease into this.” Even if it means choking the poor cageside photographers with paint fumes.

Most Deserving of a Title Shot: Ben Henderson
Lately it’s seemed like nothing short of a dozen straight wins will earn you a crack at the lightweight belt, but Henderson has made the most of his three UFC bouts. After destroying Jim Miller and edging out a very game Guida, I don’t see how anyone could say he hasn’t earned his shot at Frankie Edgar. And, with Henderson’s all-around blend of skills, I don’t see how anyone could say this won’t be a thrilling bout when those two get together in Japan. At least you know that one will be televised.

Least in Need of a Title Shot: Clay Guida
The Duder might not like to hear it, but he’s probably never going to be a UFC champion. And that’s okay. Really, it is. He might not think so now, and he might not even think so ten years from now, but his legacy will be built on individual bouts rather than broad career achievements. His fights with Roger Huerta, Diego Sanchez, and this one with Henderson are battles that all of us (or at least those of us who actually saw them) will remember. Does it matter that he lost all three of those fights? Not really. That’s because when Guida gets an opponent he can exert his will on, the outcomes tend to be less spectacular. It’s when he fights superior, more gifted opponents that both are forced into a species of greatness. He doesn’t have to win them all to be loved by fans and admired by his peers. He doesn’t need a belt, either. No matter how badly he might want one.

Win Most Likely to Be Overturned: Robert Peralta over Mackens Semerzier
Initially it looked like both Peralta and Semerzier landed almost simultaneous punches, but it was Semerzier who got the worst of it. Upon further review, it was clear that a clash of heads was the real culprit. Peralta didn’t do it on purpose, and the lump on his forehead (which sprang up immediately) tells you that he didn’t escape from it unscathed either. Still, it was pretty obvious that Semerzier got a one-way ticket to Queer Street thanks to something that was definitely not a legal strike, and that’s grounds for an appeal. In a just world, the result of this fight will get changed to a no contest.

Alex CaceresMost Surprising: Alex Caceres
I was starting to wonder what the UFC saw in this kid, other than personality. He lost two straight after his stint on TUF, didn’t look very good in either bout, yet somehow still had a spot on the roster. But as it turns out, maybe he was just in the wrong weight class. Against Cole Escovedo in his bantamweight debut, “Bruce Leeroy” looked like an entirely different fighter. He kept Escovedo guessing on the feet, stymied his attacks all night, and had the confidence to throw some unconventional stuff out there in search of the victory. After winning the decision he showed up to the post-fight presser with an enormous grin on his face, looking like a kid who’d just been told that he was going to Disneyland (which just happened to be right down the street). I admit, it was refreshing to see a young fighter who actually seemed glad to talk to the media after a fight. Give him a couple years, though. See if he doesn’t change his mind about that.

Most Brutal Finish: DaMarques Johnson
He may not have earned the Knockout of the Night award for starching Clay Harvison in the first round, but he probably should have. I know, I know — there’s no small amount in politics involved in those, and the main event will get it over a prelim’er every time, but still. Johnson lunged in with a beautiful left uppercut that Harvison never saw, then followed up with a right hand that was so hard I almost expected Harvison’s childhood memories to come spilling out onto the mat. Granted, this was a fight Johnson was supposed to win, and win fairly easily, but it never hurts to make a memorable impression. Well, unless you’re Harvison. Then it hurts a lot.

 

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UFC on Fox Morning After: Cain Velasquez Will Be Back

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Cain Velasquez lost his UFC title at UFC on FOX 1.It’s a little bit funny and a little bit sad that there are probably a million or more people who watched the UFC on Fox Saturday night — people who had never seen a UFC fight before — who came to the conclusion that Cain Velasquez is a bum.

Velasquez lasted only a minute before Junior Dos Santos finished him off with a right hand to the ear and several punches on the ground, and to the uninitiated it might have looked like Velasquez just isn’t all that good. But although we all have a tendency to overreact when a fighter suffers a dramatic knockout loss, let’s take a step back for just a moment to remember that Cain Velasquez is really, really good.

I’ll be shocked if Velasquez doesn’t fight for the UFC title again in the next couple of years. Velasquez will be back.

What makes me so confident in Cain? The fundamental reason is that Velasquez is simply one of the most talented heavyweights that MMA has ever seen. We’ve been hearing it since 2006, when Velasquez first decided to fight professionally: Everyone in the MMA world who saw him then agreed that he was the perfect physical specimen to become an elite MMA fighter. The strong wrestling base, the speed, the power, the athleticism. This guy is the total package. That hasn’t changed because of one bad night against Dos Santos.

The other reason I feel so sure that the 29-year-old Velasquez will be back is the other thing we’ve heard about Velasquez since Day One: He has a phenomenal work ethic. Velasquez isn’t the type to deal with a setback by packing it in. Velasquez is the type to get right back into the gym and immediately start working to get better.

The one caveat I should add there is that I think Velasquez may have been a bit out of shape for this fight. I spoke to Velasquez during his recovery from shoulder surgery, and he mentioned that he wasn’t able to run while his shoulder was immobilized, and that as a result he had gained weight. He came in at 249 pounds for the Dos Santos fight — five pounds heavier than he weighed against Brock Lesnar — and he looked puffier and less defined than he had previously. A big part of trusting in Velasquez’s work ethic is trusting that he’ll be in better shape for his next fight than he was against Dos Santos.

But I do trust that, and I trust that Velasquez is going to be competing for a UFC title again. The heavyweight division in the UFC is not particularly deep, and I’d probably pick Velasquez to beat anyone other than Dos Santos right now. If Velasquez gets back in the ring and gets better, there’s no reason to think he won’t earn a rematch with the man who’s just beaten him.

UFC on Fox notes
— It’s too bad Fox decided only to broadcast one fight, because Ben Henderson‘s unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida deserved to be seen by more than just the hard-core fans who watched the online stream. Henderson put on a great show, and he’ll be a tough opponent for UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Too bad that show was seen only by thousands online, instead of millions on Fox.

— The ending of the Robert Peralta–Mackens Semerzier fight was extremely unfortunate: The two men accidentally clashed heads, Smerzier took the worse end of the collision, and Peralta was able to capitalize and finish Semerzier off with punches. If referee Big John McCarthy had seen the accidental head butt he would have called a halt to the action to give Semerzier time to recover. But McCarthy missed it, and Peralta got the win.

— Ricardo Lamas is now 2-0 since dropping down to featherweight this year, and he’s looked great in both fights. He forced Cub Swanson to tap out to an arm-triangle choke on Saturday night.

UFC on Fox quotes
— “I didn’t want to follow up. There’s no need to be an A-hole.” — DeMarques Johnson on why he let up before the referee stepped in after knocking out Clay Harvison.

— “I came in here the best I’ve ever been.” — Dustin Poirier, after forcing Pablo Garza to tap to a D’Arce choke. The 22-year-old Poirier is now 3-0 since dropping to 145 pounds, and I agree with his own assessment that he looked better than ever. He looks to me like a future featherweight champion.

Good call
McCarthy deducted a point from Matt Lucas for losing his mouthpiece three times. That’s an unusual reason for a point deduction, but it was absolutely the right call: It’s every fighter’s responsibility to keep his mouthpiece in his mouth, and McCarthy enforced the rule properly. “You’ve got to keep your mouthpiece in your mouth,” McCarthy told Lucas, in an instruction that should be so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. Amazingly, Lucas lost his mouthpiece one more time after the point deduction.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-139230%

Bad call
Aaron Rosa ended up beating Lucas by majority decision, 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. I don’t know who the judge was who gave Lucas two of the three rounds against Rosa, but that judge couldn’t have been more wrong: The issue with the mouthpiece aside, Rosa clearly deserved to win the fight.

Stock up
During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Alex Caceres was known more for his brash personality and his amusing nickname — Bruce Leroy — than for his ability to fight. But Caceres moved down to bantamweight and got the first win of his UFC career in a very impressive unanimous decision victory over Cole Escovedo. Caceres has always had a flashy striking style, but what I really liked about him on Saturday was that he showed off a much more sophisticated ground game than we had ever seen from him in the past. Bruce Leroy is heading in the right direction.

Stock down
In 2007, Kid Yamamoto was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since 2007, Yamamoto is 1-4, including a unanimous decision loss to Darren Uyenoyama on Saturday. This fight was a beatdown: The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, and I agreed with the judge who had it 30-26, as I thought Uyenoyama deserved a 10-8 for the first round. It’s sad to say this about Yamamoto, but he just doesn’t have anything left. Maybe the UFC will keep him around for one more fight on its Japan card in February, but if so, that will be his retirement match.

Fight I want to see next
Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. The winner of the upcoming fight between Overeem and Brock Lesnar gets the next crack at Dos Santos, and although I have nothing against Lesnar, I think Overeem would be a more interesting fight because I believe Overeem and Dos Santos are the two hardest hitters in the heavyweight division. Overeem vs. Lesnar takes place on December 30, and Overeem vs. Dos Santos is my way-too-early pick for Fight of the Year in 2012.

 

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Cain Velasquez lost his UFC title at UFC on FOX 1.It’s a little bit funny and a little bit sad that there are probably a million or more people who watched the UFC on Fox Saturday night — people who had never seen a UFC fight before — who came to the conclusion that Cain Velasquez is a bum.

Velasquez lasted only a minute before Junior Dos Santos finished him off with a right hand to the ear and several punches on the ground, and to the uninitiated it might have looked like Velasquez just isn’t all that good. But although we all have a tendency to overreact when a fighter suffers a dramatic knockout loss, let’s take a step back for just a moment to remember that Cain Velasquez is really, really good.

I’ll be shocked if Velasquez doesn’t fight for the UFC title again in the next couple of years. Velasquez will be back.

What makes me so confident in Cain? The fundamental reason is that Velasquez is simply one of the most talented heavyweights that MMA has ever seen. We’ve been hearing it since 2006, when Velasquez first decided to fight professionally: Everyone in the MMA world who saw him then agreed that he was the perfect physical specimen to become an elite MMA fighter. The strong wrestling base, the speed, the power, the athleticism. This guy is the total package. That hasn’t changed because of one bad night against Dos Santos.

The other reason I feel so sure that the 29-year-old Velasquez will be back is the other thing we’ve heard about Velasquez since Day One: He has a phenomenal work ethic. Velasquez isn’t the type to deal with a setback by packing it in. Velasquez is the type to get right back into the gym and immediately start working to get better.

The one caveat I should add there is that I think Velasquez may have been a bit out of shape for this fight. I spoke to Velasquez during his recovery from shoulder surgery, and he mentioned that he wasn’t able to run while his shoulder was immobilized, and that as a result he had gained weight. He came in at 249 pounds for the Dos Santos fight — five pounds heavier than he weighed against Brock Lesnar — and he looked puffier and less defined than he had previously. A big part of trusting in Velasquez’s work ethic is trusting that he’ll be in better shape for his next fight than he was against Dos Santos.

But I do trust that, and I trust that Velasquez is going to be competing for a UFC title again. The heavyweight division in the UFC is not particularly deep, and I’d probably pick Velasquez to beat anyone other than Dos Santos right now. If Velasquez gets back in the ring and gets better, there’s no reason to think he won’t earn a rematch with the man who’s just beaten him.

UFC on Fox notes
— It’s too bad Fox decided only to broadcast one fight, because Ben Henderson‘s unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida deserved to be seen by more than just the hard-core fans who watched the online stream. Henderson put on a great show, and he’ll be a tough opponent for UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Too bad that show was seen only by thousands online, instead of millions on Fox.

— The ending of the Robert Peralta–Mackens Semerzier fight was extremely unfortunate: The two men accidentally clashed heads, Smerzier took the worse end of the collision, and Peralta was able to capitalize and finish Semerzier off with punches. If referee Big John McCarthy had seen the accidental head butt he would have called a halt to the action to give Semerzier time to recover. But McCarthy missed it, and Peralta got the win.

— Ricardo Lamas is now 2-0 since dropping down to featherweight this year, and he’s looked great in both fights. He forced Cub Swanson to tap out to an arm-triangle choke on Saturday night.

UFC on Fox quotes
— “I didn’t want to follow up. There’s no need to be an A-hole.” — DeMarques Johnson on why he let up before the referee stepped in after knocking out Clay Harvison.

— “I came in here the best I’ve ever been.” — Dustin Poirier, after forcing Pablo Garza to tap to a D’Arce choke. The 22-year-old Poirier is now 3-0 since dropping to 145 pounds, and I agree with his own assessment that he looked better than ever. He looks to me like a future featherweight champion.

Good call
McCarthy deducted a point from Matt Lucas for losing his mouthpiece three times. That’s an unusual reason for a point deduction, but it was absolutely the right call: It’s every fighter’s responsibility to keep his mouthpiece in his mouth, and McCarthy enforced the rule properly. “You’ve got to keep your mouthpiece in your mouth,” McCarthy told Lucas, in an instruction that should be so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. Amazingly, Lucas lost his mouthpiece one more time after the point deduction.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-139230%

Bad call
Aaron Rosa ended up beating Lucas by majority decision, 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. I don’t know who the judge was who gave Lucas two of the three rounds against Rosa, but that judge couldn’t have been more wrong: The issue with the mouthpiece aside, Rosa clearly deserved to win the fight.

Stock up
During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Alex Caceres was known more for his brash personality and his amusing nickname — Bruce Leroy — than for his ability to fight. But Caceres moved down to bantamweight and got the first win of his UFC career in a very impressive unanimous decision victory over Cole Escovedo. Caceres has always had a flashy striking style, but what I really liked about him on Saturday was that he showed off a much more sophisticated ground game than we had ever seen from him in the past. Bruce Leroy is heading in the right direction.

Stock down
In 2007, Kid Yamamoto was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since 2007, Yamamoto is 1-4, including a unanimous decision loss to Darren Uyenoyama on Saturday. This fight was a beatdown: The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, and I agreed with the judge who had it 30-26, as I thought Uyenoyama deserved a 10-8 for the first round. It’s sad to say this about Yamamoto, but he just doesn’t have anything left. Maybe the UFC will keep him around for one more fight on its Japan card in February, but if so, that will be his retirement match.

Fight I want to see next
Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. The winner of the upcoming fight between Overeem and Brock Lesnar gets the next crack at Dos Santos, and although I have nothing against Lesnar, I think Overeem would be a more interesting fight because I believe Overeem and Dos Santos are the two hardest hitters in the heavyweight division. Overeem vs. Lesnar takes place on December 30, and Overeem vs. Dos Santos is my way-too-early pick for Fight of the Year in 2012.

 

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Alistair Overeem Talks Brock Lesnar: ‘I’m Going to Kick That Guy’s [Expletive]’

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Alistair OvereemWhile the UFC has been busy promoting the size of the two heavyweights in its UFC 141 main event, one of those two big men says there are some big stakes to go along with the December 30 bout.

According to what former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, the winner at UFC 141 will get the next crack at the UFC heavyweight title.

“The winner of the fight between me and Brock [Lesnar] will fight the winner of Cain [Velasquez] and [Junior] dos Santos,” Overeem said. And though he declined to pick a winner in this Saturday night’s heavyweight tilt, he was not so shy about making a prediction for his own bout.

“You know what? I’m going to be bold,” said Overeem. “I’m going to kick that guy’s ass.”

But the supposed number one contender fight with Lesnar isn’t the only topic of conversation for the Dutch heavyweight these days. There’s also the issue of his split from longtime management team Golden Glory, which Overeem addressed in today’s episode of his web series, “The Reem.”

According to Overeem, he left Golden Glory because of a “major breach of trust,” and has now settled at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas as his new training home. As Overeem told Helwani, “I left the trainers [at Golden Glory] on very good terms, but the management not. The management, we left on bad terms.”

Overeem went into slightly more detail in the new episode of “The Reem,” explaining that the split was the result of many small communications leading up to one big one.

“Something happened that I found out by myself, which was not told [to] me, that was kept secret from me,” Overeem said in the video, before explaining that Golden Glory manager Bas Boon was not present for his final contract negotiations with the UFC.

“Because Bas wasn’t there, I hired a lawyer to go through the contract with me, step-by-step. What me and the lawyer found out was there were details in the contract which were to my disadvantage and to the advantage of Golden Glory, and which also were not explained to me by Golden Glory and particularly by Bas.”

Though Overeem did not specify exactly what that contractual “disadvantage” pertained to, he told Helwani it was “very serious and very sad,” and explained in his video exactly why he felt he needed to part ways with Golden Glory over it.

“This UFC contract is the biggest contract in my life. It’s the biggest moment in my life. The biggest fights are coming now, in the UFC. It’s going to be a very exciting couple of years coming ahead, and there cannot be miscommunications. It’s got to be clear. …Despite that they are good management to other fighters, maybe, I can’t judge about that. But for me they are not good management. They are bad management. They are harmful management.”

On the surface, it seems like a tricky time to change management and training camps. The fight with Lesnar at UFC 141 could very well be the most important fight of Overeem’s career, and he’ll be forced to prepare for it with new sparring partners in a foreign land.

As Overeem explained to Helwani, not only has Xtreme Couture welcomed him “with open arms,” but he’s not quite as reliant on an outside management team as some people might think.

“It’s not been a real burden, because basically I already did all the stuff myself. I formed my own team around me that basically took care of all my little headaches, my needs. I was already fixing up my own sparring partners, my website’s been done by my own team, I have my own guy getting me sponsors, ‘The Reem’ online is something done by my own team. Basically, I was already doing all my own stuff. People think that it is going to be a big deal for me to leave Golden Glory. Golden Glory did have a hand, of course, because they had some sparring partners and they were doing fight contract negotiations, but basically my own team already took care of it, so it’s not going to be a real big deal.”

As for Lesnar, Overeem insisted he was confident that the two would meet in the cage as promised, regardless of Lesnar’s recent struggles with illness. And while some fans might be obsessing over a video that showed a notably smaller version of the former UFC heavyweight champ, Overeem is expecting the same ferocity and power we’ve always seen from Lesnar.

“Brock is an amazing athlete. He’s a very strong guy, a very strong dude. He’s going to be at UFC 141 125 percent. That’s what I’m expecting. He’s going to be there full force, so some clip shot who knows when, where, whatever — I’ve not even seen it. I’ve got to imagine that if you’re going to accept the fight against me, you will be there 100 percent. In his case I expect 125 percent. He’s going to be motivated.”

 

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Alistair OvereemWhile the UFC has been busy promoting the size of the two heavyweights in its UFC 141 main event, one of those two big men says there are some big stakes to go along with the December 30 bout.

According to what former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, the winner at UFC 141 will get the next crack at the UFC heavyweight title.

“The winner of the fight between me and Brock [Lesnar] will fight the winner of Cain [Velasquez] and [Junior] dos Santos,” Overeem said. And though he declined to pick a winner in this Saturday night’s heavyweight tilt, he was not so shy about making a prediction for his own bout.

“You know what? I’m going to be bold,” said Overeem. “I’m going to kick that guy’s ass.”

But the supposed number one contender fight with Lesnar isn’t the only topic of conversation for the Dutch heavyweight these days. There’s also the issue of his split from longtime management team Golden Glory, which Overeem addressed in today’s episode of his web series, “The Reem.”

According to Overeem, he left Golden Glory because of a “major breach of trust,” and has now settled at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas as his new training home. As Overeem told Helwani, “I left the trainers [at Golden Glory] on very good terms, but the management not. The management, we left on bad terms.”

Overeem went into slightly more detail in the new episode of “The Reem,” explaining that the split was the result of many small communications leading up to one big one.

“Something happened that I found out by myself, which was not told [to] me, that was kept secret from me,” Overeem said in the video, before explaining that Golden Glory manager Bas Boon was not present for his final contract negotiations with the UFC.

“Because Bas wasn’t there, I hired a lawyer to go through the contract with me, step-by-step. What me and the lawyer found out was there were details in the contract which were to my disadvantage and to the advantage of Golden Glory, and which also were not explained to me by Golden Glory and particularly by Bas.”

Though Overeem did not specify exactly what that contractual “disadvantage” pertained to, he told Helwani it was “very serious and very sad,” and explained in his video exactly why he felt he needed to part ways with Golden Glory over it.

“This UFC contract is the biggest contract in my life. It’s the biggest moment in my life. The biggest fights are coming now, in the UFC. It’s going to be a very exciting couple of years coming ahead, and there cannot be miscommunications. It’s got to be clear. …Despite that they are good management to other fighters, maybe, I can’t judge about that. But for me they are not good management. They are bad management. They are harmful management.”

On the surface, it seems like a tricky time to change management and training camps. The fight with Lesnar at UFC 141 could very well be the most important fight of Overeem’s career, and he’ll be forced to prepare for it with new sparring partners in a foreign land.


As Overeem explained to Helwani, not only has Xtreme Couture welcomed him “with open arms,” but he’s not quite as reliant on an outside management team as some people might think.

“It’s not been a real burden, because basically I already did all the stuff myself. I formed my own team around me that basically took care of all my little headaches, my needs. I was already fixing up my own sparring partners, my website’s been done by my own team, I have my own guy getting me sponsors, ‘The Reem’ online is something done by my own team. Basically, I was already doing all my own stuff. People think that it is going to be a big deal for me to leave Golden Glory. Golden Glory did have a hand, of course, because they had some sparring partners and they were doing fight contract negotiations, but basically my own team already took care of it, so it’s not going to be a real big deal.”

As for Lesnar, Overeem insisted he was confident that the two would meet in the cage as promised, regardless of Lesnar’s recent struggles with illness. And while some fans might be obsessing over a video that showed a notably smaller version of the former UFC heavyweight champ, Overeem is expecting the same ferocity and power we’ve always seen from Lesnar.

“Brock is an amazing athlete. He’s a very strong guy, a very strong dude. He’s going to be at UFC 141 125 percent. That’s what I’m expecting. He’s going to be there full force, so some clip shot who knows when, where, whatever — I’ve not even seen it. I’ve got to imagine that if you’re going to accept the fight against me, you will be there 100 percent. In his case I expect 125 percent. He’s going to be motivated.”

 

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Former Olympian Daniel Cormier Takes AKA’s Wrestling Program Back to the Basics

Filed under: StrikeforceAsk Daniel Cormier what he changed about the American Kickboxing Academy’s wrestling program and you’ll get a very simple answer: “Everything.”

It wasn’t so much tweaking as it was ripping it all out and starting from scratch. …

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Ask Daniel Cormier what he changed about the American Kickboxing Academy’s wrestling program and you’ll get a very simple answer: “Everything.”

It wasn’t so much tweaking as it was ripping it all out and starting from scratch. Which, according to AKA co-founder and trainer Javier Mendez, is exactly what they needed.

“He 100 percent revamped the wrestling program,” Mendez said. “When he came over and I saw his ability with teaching, I told our management, I don’t care if this guy develops as a fighter, because worst-case scenario, we got a great wrestling coach. As it looks, we got both: great fighter and great wrestling coach.”

It wasn’t that the San Jose, Calif.-based gym was lacking in wrestlers before Cormier showed up. Between Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Cain Velasquez, the squad had plenty of guys who had done their time in college wrestling rooms.

What they didn’t have, according to Mendez, was somebody willing to take the lead as a teacher and a coach.

“We didn’t have anybody who really loved the teaching. Koscheck didn’t like it. Fitch didn’t like it. They’re more interested in themselves. Daniel actually loves to teach, and that made him better with technique than anyone else. He’s got a passion for teaching and a knack for it like I’ve never seen.”

It wasn’t that Cormier brought in new ideas, necessarily, but rather that he helped his teammates return to the old ones that had helped get them to where they were.

“I went in, and these guys are good wrestlers,” Cormier said. “Really good wrestlers. Fitch, Kos is an NCAA champion, four-time All-American. Cain’s an All-American three or four times. But what we did is we went back to the basics.”

And by basics, Cormier means they started having wrestling practice again, just like some of them had done in college, and others had done, well, never. As the only two-time Olympic wrestling team member in the gym, Cormier made it his mission to strip everything down and start from the beginning in order to focus on technique above all else, he said.

“We all develop bad habits over the course of our careers, in terms of wrestling and everything else. But we went back and went to the basics, started doing basic wrestling practice. We’d get in there two days a week and we’d do wrestling practice as if we were at Oklahoma State or the Olympic Training Center. No punching, just straight wrestling practice. Not many gyms around the country do that. That’s why you see some of the better wrestlers [in MMA], their skill level diminishes as they move forward.”

Cormier was determined not to be one of those guys as his MMA career advanced. He showed up at AKA with a wealth of wrestling experience, but not much else. Strapping on the gloves and getting on the mats made for a humbling experience at first, he admitted. The first time that he got taken down in sparring by a fighter with no formal wrestling training he realized that this was whole new sport, with entirely different demands.

What really drove that lesson home was taking on Velasquez — the current UFC heavyweight champion — in some seriously one-sided sparring sessions.

“Some days I’d only be able to go a half a round with him, half a five-minute round, and I’d roll under the ring I’d be so exhausted. Well, when I was down on myself, [Velasquez] would come over and talk to me. And Koscheck, you know, most people don’t expect it from him…but he did it. He came to me and told me, ‘You’re getting better, just stay the course and learn.’ And Fitch, Fitch is one of the best leaders you can ever find. Those guys lifted me up when I had hard days, and it’s paying off now.”

At the same time, while Cormier gave his AKA teammates the benefit of his wrestling knowledge, they were equipping him with what he needed to become successful mixed martial artist — and they were doing it whether he liked it or not.

“It’s not like I can just take Cain down any time I want, so I have to stand in the pocket with him and fight him,” Cormier said. “I can take him down, but I can’t just go in there and say, I’m going to take Cain down this time. It doesn’t work that way; he’s a world champion. So I have to stand in front of the best heavyweight in the world and bang with him. I do it on a daily basis.”

Cormier’s gains in the striking department were evident in his bout with Jeff Monson on last weekend’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum card. For three rounds he battered the MMA veteran on the feet en route to a unanimous decision.

It was almost enough to make you wonder what all that time working on straight wrestling was for, since Cormier never looked to engage Monson on the mat. That’s a lot of hours invested in takedowns for a guy who relied so much on his right hand.

But then, it’s not like Cormier really needed to improve his wrestling game to begin with. The changes he made at AKA, he did for the other people in the gym. And seeing it pay off for them is reward enough, he said.

“We train wrestling hard and we do it two days a week. At first it was physical. It was real physical and hard and it was hard for us to get through the rest of the week… But the guys love it. They enjoy it, and everybody’s getting better. I saw a kid in the room the other day that couldn’t wrestle to save his life. But by just paying attention, wrestling every week hard, he’s getting a ton better. Now, that’s not me — that’s him. He’s paying attention to everything we’re trying to teach him and he’s learning and committing himself to the sport. Now he’s taking down wrestlers.”

And you better believe that nobody gets more excited about that turn of events than Cormier — even if you wouldn’t know it if you watched him forego double-legs in favor of switch kicks and Superman punches.

 

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MMA Top 10 Heavyweights: Two Stand Above the Rest

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, HeavyweightsCain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they’re the two best heavyweights in mixed martial arts. The rest of the division is a jumble.

Velasquez has dominated…

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Cain Velasquez.Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they’re the two best heavyweights in mixed martial arts. The rest of the division is a jumble.

Velasquez has dominated the best two opponents he’s fought, Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, finishing them both in the first round. Dos Santos has dominated the best two opponents he’s fought, Fabricio Werdum and Shane Carwin, finishing Werdum in the first round and brutalizing Carwin in the first round before coasting to a decision victory. None of the other top heavyweights in MMA has been so impressive against such high-quality opposition.

So in our latest rankings of the top heavyweights in MMA, Velasquez and dos Santos are a clear 1-2. See where 3-10 stack up below.

(Editor’s note: The individual fighter’s ranking the last time we did heavyweights are in parentheses.)

1. Cain Velasquez (1): Although the 9-0 Velasquez deserves to be considered the No. 1 heavyweight in the sport as long as he stays unbeaten, his inactivity because of a torn rotator cuff is going to raise serious questions about whether he’ll be able to return at 100 percent. He’s tentatively scheduled to defend his title on November 19, which is 392 days after he won the belt from Brock Lesnar. It’s never easy for a fighter to return after more than a year off, even if he’s completely healthy.

2. Junior dos Santos (2): After the whipping dos Santos put on Shane Carwin, it’s easy to see why the oddsmakers installed him as the favorite against Velasquez. Dos Santos is an amazing physical specimen whose striking technique is superb. He’s also younger than Velasquez and healthier than Velasquez, and there’s every reason to think he’ll return to the cage looking even better than he did against Carwin.

3. Alistair Overeem (7): I don’t want to diminish what Overeem accomplished against Fabricio Werdum: Overeem handily beat a man who had himself handily beaten Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Silva and Mike Kyle in his last three fights. But Overeem didn’t do anything to make me think he’s on the same level as Velasquez and dos Santos.

4. Brock Lesnar (3): From all indications, Lesnar will sit out for well over a year when it’s all said and done: He fought Velasquez on October 23, 2010, and he likely won’t fight again until 2012. With his health problems and long periods of inactivity, it’s hard to see Lesnar ever becoming the champion again.

5. Fabricio Werdum (5): Werdum is the best heavyweight grappler in the world, but he’ll never be the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world until he figures out a way to really exchange with good strikers. Werdum’s usual method is to get passive when a good striker hits him. Sometimes that works — as it did against Fedor, who foolishly jumped into Werdum’s guard after knocking him down. But usually it fails, as it did in Werdum’s decision losses to Overeem and to Andrei Arlovski. (Of course, Werdum’s stand-up really failed when he fought dos Santos, who knocked him cold in 81 seconds.)

6. Antonio Silva (6): Bigfoot will provide an interesting stylistic matchup with Overeem in the next round of the Strikeforce tournament: Like Werdum, Bigfoot has better Brazilian jiu jitsu skills than Overeem. And unlike Werdum, Bigfoot is big and strong enough to take Overeem down and keep him there. I think Overeem’s superior striking will earn him the win in that fight, but Silva is a threat.

7. Shane Carwin (4): The heart and determination Carwin showed against dos Santos was admirable, but that fight also demonstrated how far removed Carwin is from the truly elite of the heavyweight division. Carwin is still a powerful puncher and a potent force in the heavyweight division, but he’s 36 years old and on the down side of his career.

8. Frank Mir (8): Mir has now won two in a row since the beating he took at the hands of Carwin, and he’s been making noises about getting a second shot at Carwin. That’s a fight the UFC should consider booking.

9. Fedor Emelianenko (9): The greatest heavyweight in MMA history is on a two-fight losing streak and hasn’t won since beating Brett Rogers in 2009. Fedor’s upcoming fight with Dan Henderson is an interesting match-up but won’t do anything to bolster his rankings within the heavyweight division: If Fedor wins it just proves that he can beat someone who’s older and smaller than him, while if Fedor loses it’s another piece of evidence that he’s well past his prime.

10. Josh Barnett (NR): Barnett is now back in the Top 10, having finally gotten sanctioned to fight in America and beaten a relatively good opponent. I don’t think the 33-year-old Barnett is on the same level as the truly elite fighters in the heavyweight division, but I do think he’s good enough to beat Sergei Kharitonov and advance to the tournament final, where he’ll be a dangerous opponent for either Overeem or Bigfoot.

 

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With Dominant Win, Junior Dos Santos Cements Himself as Worthy Challenger

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – From the opening moments of Saturday night’s heavyweight main event, it seemed almost as if Junior dos Santos‘ left hand was magnetically attracted to Shane Carwin‘s face.

By the time it was all over and dos Santos had won the unanimous decision victory in dominant fashion, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had plenty of footage on the dangerous jab that will likely be coming his way some time in the fall.

“Much respect for Cain Velasquez,” dos Santos said after winning the No. 1 contender bout at UFC 131. “But Cain, I’m coming for you.”

With the win, dos Santos essentially earned the title shot he’d already been promised last summer after beating Roy Nelson, only this time he also proved that he has the chops in the wrestling department as well as the striking.

Carwin wasted little time trying to get him to the mat in the first round, but throughout the bout dos Santos either shrugged off the takedown attempts or popped right back up after being put down. Perhaps most surprisingly, he even managed two takedowns of his own in the final frame.

His most dominant moments came in the final minutes of the first round, however. After battering Carwin with jabs and left hooks, dos Santos dropped the former interim heavyweight champ and then hammered him with a barrage of left hands that had referee Herb Dean very close to stopping the fight. Dos Santos even looked up at Dean at one point during the assault, as if wondering what was taking him so long to jump in and wave it off.

“Yeah, because I was getting tired,” dos Santos said in the post-fight press conference. “And he didn’t stop the fight, so I asked him, ‘Hey, stop it, man.’ And he said, ‘Keep going, keep going, keep going.’ And then Shane made a good defense, but I think it was the right decision by the referee, because you saw Shane Carwin go back [to] standing and fighting with me. It was a good decision.”

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UFC 131 Fight Night Photos
Yves Edwards is knocked out at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos trade shots at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin attempts to take down Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos (right) rocks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos kicks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin is bloodied up at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos punches Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Blood drips down the face of Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos


Carwin barely managed to survive the first round, and when he came out for the second the effects of that barrage were etched into his face. At one point Dean paused the bout to let the doctor look at his swollen, bloodied face and the cuts around his eyes. But Carwin gamely soldiered on and finished the fight, perhaps earning a moral victory by proving that he has not only the cardio, but also the fortitude to go the distance.

“It was a nasty first round and Shane Carwin’s a very tough guy,” said UFC president Dana White. “When you get big guys in there that are hitting as hard as they both are, it’s impressive to see it go three rounds.”

By the time the final horn sounded, though, we hardly needed to look at the judges’ scorecards to know who the winner was. While dos Santos looked like he’d barely been touched, Carwin had the face of a man who’d gotten the worst of a high-speed car wreck.

The victory marked dos Santos’ biggest win to date in his MMA career, but the Brazilian acknowledged that his toughest test will likely come in the form of Velasquez, who’s widely considered the world’s best heavyweight.

“I think my biggest challenge is coming, because Cain Velasquez is the champion and he deserves that. He proved he is very good, so I will be ready for him.”

And while White said he was impressed by dos Santos’ win over Carwin, he also added that he thinks the challenger will be in for a different type of fight when he finally gets his chance to vie for the heavyweight title, which White estimated would happen approximately five months from now, if all goes according to plan.

“Let me tell you, I got to say he’s going to have his hands full. He’s not going to be able to…all these guys he’s been fighting he’s been beating up early, and then he gets to lay back a little a bit. He’s not going to be able to lay back [against Velasquez]. It’s going to be five rounds against Velasquez, and Velasquez will be in his face every minute of it, throwing punches, slamming him on the ground. That fight’s going to be a war.”

 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – From the opening moments of Saturday night’s heavyweight main event, it seemed almost as if Junior dos Santos‘ left hand was magnetically attracted to Shane Carwin‘s face.

By the time it was all over and dos Santos had won the unanimous decision victory in dominant fashion, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had plenty of footage on the dangerous jab that will likely be coming his way some time in the fall.

“Much respect for Cain Velasquez,” dos Santos said after winning the No. 1 contender bout at UFC 131. “But Cain, I’m coming for you.”

With the win, dos Santos essentially earned the title shot he’d already been promised last summer after beating Roy Nelson, only this time he also proved that he has the chops in the wrestling department as well as the striking.

Carwin wasted little time trying to get him to the mat in the first round, but throughout the bout dos Santos either shrugged off the takedown attempts or popped right back up after being put down. Perhaps most surprisingly, he even managed two takedowns of his own in the final frame.

His most dominant moments came in the final minutes of the first round, however. After battering Carwin with jabs and left hooks, dos Santos dropped the former interim heavyweight champ and then hammered him with a barrage of left hands that had referee Herb Dean very close to stopping the fight. Dos Santos even looked up at Dean at one point during the assault, as if wondering what was taking him so long to jump in and wave it off.

“Yeah, because I was getting tired,” dos Santos said in the post-fight press conference. “And he didn’t stop the fight, so I asked him, ‘Hey, stop it, man.’ And he said, ‘Keep going, keep going, keep going.’ And then Shane made a good defense, but I think it was the right decision by the referee, because you saw Shane Carwin go back [to] standing and fighting with me. It was a good decision.”


Carwin barely managed to survive the first round, and when he came out for the second the effects of that barrage were etched into his face. At one point Dean paused the bout to let the doctor look at his swollen, bloodied face and the cuts around his eyes. But Carwin gamely soldiered on and finished the fight, perhaps earning a moral victory by proving that he has not only the cardio, but also the fortitude to go the distance.

“It was a nasty first round and Shane Carwin’s a very tough guy,” said UFC president Dana White. “When you get big guys in there that are hitting as hard as they both are, it’s impressive to see it go three rounds.”

By the time the final horn sounded, though, we hardly needed to look at the judges’ scorecards to know who the winner was. While dos Santos looked like he’d barely been touched, Carwin had the face of a man who’d gotten the worst of a high-speed car wreck.

The victory marked dos Santos’ biggest win to date in his MMA career, but the Brazilian acknowledged that his toughest test will likely come in the form of Velasquez, who’s widely considered the world’s best heavyweight.

“I think my biggest challenge is coming, because Cain Velasquez is the champion and he deserves that. He proved he is very good, so I will be ready for him.”

And while White said he was impressed by dos Santos’ win over Carwin, he also added that he thinks the challenger will be in for a different type of fight when he finally gets his chance to vie for the heavyweight title, which White estimated would happen approximately five months from now, if all goes according to plan.

“Let me tell you, I got to say he’s going to have his hands full. He’s not going to be able to…all these guys he’s been fighting he’s been beating up early, and then he gets to lay back a little a bit. He’s not going to be able to lay back [against Velasquez]. It’s going to be five rounds against Velasquez, and Velasquez will be in his face every minute of it, throwing punches, slamming him on the ground. That fight’s going to be a war.”

 

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