Tag: Cain Velasquez (Page 3 of 4)

      MMA Game Changers: Brock Lesnar

      June 23, 2011 /

      nullThis is the first in a series of posts I will be doing on game changers in MMA history.

      Starting in the heavyweight division, I point to Brock Lesnar.

      Love him or hate him, Lesnar’s arrival to the MMA scene changed the face of the division forever.

      Despite just 7 pro fights in his career, you can clearly see a difference between how the division works now compared to how it worked when he first arrived.

      Lesnar first appeared in MMA in 2007 and made his UFC debut in early 2008.

      At the time, the heavyweight division had been run by the likes of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, two predominant strikers.

      Then came Randy Couture, a man who now can’t even fight at heavyweight due to the size differential. Couture was the heavyweight champion when Lesnar broke into the octagon.

      When Lesnar showed up, everyone paid attention. Not only did it seem like a gimmick that a pro wrestler would move into MMA and into the UFC, but his shear size was hard to ignore.

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      Fighters, UFC

      UFC targeting San Jose for Velasquez vs. dos Santos

      June 17, 2011 /

      nullLet’s not waste any time.

      Junior dos Santos just defeated Shane Carwin last week to earn a future UFC Heavyweight Title shot against Cain Velasquez, but the UFC already appears to have the date and location set for the upcoming bout.

      According to the L.A. Times, the two top heavyweights will meet on the champion’s stomping grounds of San Jose, California.

      The Ultimate Fighting Championship is pursuing Nov. 19 as the date that heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will make his first title defense against once-beaten Junior dos Santos at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, company chairman Lorenzo Fertitta told The Times Thursday.

      Velasquez (9-0, 8 KOs) is from Yuma, Ariz., but he trains in San Jose and was born in Salinas, the son of a migrant worker.

      Velasquez hasn’t fought since October, when he upset champion Brock Lesnar at Honda Center in Anaheim by first-round TKO. Velasquez underwent shoulder surgery after the fight, forcing the layoff.

      The Nov. 19 date is expected to be UFC 138, and it will be the first time San Jose has held a UFC PPV event.

      In fact, the promotion hasn’t been to California since Velasquez defeated Lesnar in Anaheim at UFC 121.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Future Fight Watch: Velasquez a slight favorite over dos Santos

      June 13, 2011 /

      nullThe next marquee heavyweight bout has been set with Cain Velasquez defending his title against No. 1 contender, Junior dos Santos.

      Though the fight won’t come for months, the debate has already been heated about which fighter is favored.

      The opening odds actually had Junior dos Santos as a -125 favorite over Velasquez (-105) but after some debate, it appears that the champion has now become the one to beat.

      BetOnFighting.com has the champion as a -120 favorite while dos Santos now has odds of -110.

      While dos Santos looked the best he ever has in his dominant win over Shane Carwin last Saturday, Velasquez is another animal.

      Cain has solid, technical boxing, and his wrestling may be as strong as anyone’s in MMA. The takedown defense dos Santos had against Carwin may not be strong enough to keep him off his back. Also, Carwin didn’t display the technical striking I thought he would against dos Santos. I suspect Velasquez will have the ability to get inside that long reach.

      While I won’t say that Velasquez will clearly win, I do feel he is being somewhat disrespected by the sportsbooks in this one. He is a complete package and a worthy champion.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings

      June 2, 2011 /

      nullWe have worked our way back around to the heavyweights in the rankings list.

      The division has been pretty quiet for the last two months, but June will provide some big shakeups with UFC 131 and the second half of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

      So, without further ado, here is the list.

      1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): The UFC Heavyweight Champion continues to await his next opponent while recovering from shoulder surgery. Newly married, Velasquez will find out whether Junior dos Santos or Shane Carwin is next at UFC 131.

      2. Junior dos Santos (12-1): Junior appears to be the top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, but he has to prove it next weekend against Shane Carwin. Originally set to face Brock Lesnar, dos Santos will now face one of the toughest strikers in the division in Carwin. The fight should be explosive and end with a brutal KO.

      3. Shane Carwin (12-1): Carwin had hit a bit of a funk after having back surgery following his loss to Lesnar last summer, but now he finds himself with a little bit of luck. With Lesnar injured, Carwin now immediately jumps into the title picture with a win over dos Santos at UFC 131.

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      Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC

      MMA Top 10 Pound-For-Pound Rankings

      May 25, 2011 /

      nullWell, I have released all of my rankings for each weight class, so now I work my way back to my pound-for-pound list.

      There hasn’t been an overwhelming amount of action in the UFC in the two months since I first released this list, but here is a look at the latest rankings.

      1. Anderson Silva (28-4): Silva hasn’t competed since last February against Vitor Belfort, but he does have a fight that is getting closer and closer. Silva will face Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in August, looking to avenge a DQ loss to Okami back in 2006. Silva still has been the most impressive champion the UFC has ever had, despite a few lackluster performances. His knockout wins are legendary and his KO of Belfort was one of the greatest front kicks ever seen in MMA.

      2. Georges St. Pierre (22-2): St. Pierre successfully defended his UFC Welterweight Championship against Jake Shields back at UFC 129 on April 30. It was another decision win for GSP, making it four straight, but a win nonetheless. St. Pierre suffered an eye injury during the bout, which hampered him in the final few rounds. Still, GSP is dealing with a lot of criticism following the bout and is now likely to face Strikeforce champion, Nick Diaz, as opposed to moving up to middleweight to face Silva.

      3. Jose Aldo (19-1): Aldo also defended his UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 129, beating Mark Hominick by decision. Aldo looked very beatable in the fifth and final round, as he was taken down and pounded on by a bloody Hominick in the final five minutes, but he still managed to do enough prior to that to earn a win. Aldo was originally expected to face Chad Mendes at UFC 133 in a title defense, but a medical suspension will keep Aldo from fighting until the fall of 2011.

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      Fighters, Rankings, UFC

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