Let me start a little off topic by saying that I respect Manny Pacquiao and recognize that he is one of the greatest boxers of our generation, and perhaps all time. His skills truly are a marvel to behold. I am confident that he is going to put on a show en rout to defeating Marquez for the third time. And that is precisely why I have no intention of watching him so. On the other side of the combat sport coin there is another championship fight, one that is a little more dubious. Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez have run through the entire UFC heavyweight division on their way to what might just be the biggest MMA fight in history and dare I saw the biggest combat sport fight of the year. If this were Pacquiao vs Mayweather I’d be singing a different tune but it isn’t. This isn’t a showcase fight. This is a fight between two of the worlds best and it will be anything but predictable.
I almost feel as if I don’t have to write about don’t, and I honestly don’t, since anyone who knows me at all knows how I feel about this fight. I have told anyone who will listen that this is the biggest fight in MMA history, or at least could be. I can almost hear the eye rolling boredom right now saying spare us the same old build. There are two fights you need to know about and you need to watch tonight, two fights that threaten to emerge as fight of the year candidates and have serious implications of the future of their respective divisions.
Ben Hendeson (LW #5) vs Clay Guida (LW #10)
If this fight doesn’t somehow end early we are looking a frontrunner for fight of the century. Clay Guida gets a lot of flack for his wet blanket approach to some fights but if he does anything he pushes the pace. The great thing about Guida in this fight is that he usually has his most exciting fights against guys he can’t take and hold down: Enter Ben Henderson (pictured). Bendo (as he is affectionately called) is a great wrestler and probably the most athletic guy in the lightweight division. I don’t think it is possible to simply bully him around. The chance of a lot wild scrambles, scraps, sweeps and submission attempts is high so don’t blink. This should be a really good showcase for technical grappling and striking at a frenetic pace so watch and learn (and listen to Joe Rogan while they are grappling). Ohhh yeah, and if exciting fights aren’t enough for you – this one is for a title shot against Frankie Edgar. Guida and Bendo will close out the facebook portion of the card so log and full screen it.
UFC Heavyweight Championship – Junior Dos Santso (HW #2) vs Cain Velasquez (Champ – HW #1)
I have said it before and I will say it one more time: never before have two fighters cleared out their division to the extent that these two have. Between the two of them they have 14 wins in the UFC (7 each). They have finished 11 of those 14 fights (Cain – 6, JDS – 5). One could make the argument that between them only Velasquez has lost a single round in that time (and that round is questionable). Of the other 8 top 10 heavyweights in the world they have defeated 4 (by sherdogs list, 3 by ATB). Almost everyone on that list that hasn’t been beaten by the pair come from Strikeforce, who are only in the top 10 because many UFC fighters were thwarted by JDS and Velasquez. If these two men don’t deserve to be in the main event on the first ever UFC on FOX show, I don’t know who would.
In the cage this is going to be a classic striker vs grappler fight for the next generation of MMA, with all the intricacies the sport has to offer. Junior Dos Santos has an advantage on paper in the striking game but Cain Velasquez is no joke with his hands, especially as he uses his takedowns to set up strikes and vice versa. JDS is going to have to change his footing and his stance slightly with the threat of Velasquez’s takedowns and that change will become more detrimental if Cain finds success. On the other hand, JDS has proven he isn’t particularly easy to get down and he is very good at getting back up. Can he keep the distance and pick the champ apart once there though? The longer the fight goes, the more I think it favors the champion. In early rounds I think Dos Santos has his golden opportunity to put hands to face finish the fight but Cain is tough and has a really good chin. The later rounds favor a TKO stoppage or decision victory for the champ. Alas, the best part of this fight is that you could flip a coin and have a better chance of picking the winner than sitting here and breaking down every scenario. Maybe JDS has better cardio than I give him credit for. Maybe Cain has a great striking game plan that JDS will never expect. Maybe… Maybe… Maybe…. This is the biggest fight in MMA from a sport standpoint, a business standpoint, and quite possibly from an entertainment standpoint. The people love heavyweights and now they get to see the two best in the world finally clash.
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