Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez Possible

[xtremebadass]

Dana White a believer in "real deal" Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez fight possible?
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Mar 22, 2010 at 2:20 pm ET

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Dana White found a way to dodge the question a dozen different ways from a dozen different reporters – both before and after Sunday's UFC on Versus 1 post-fight press conference.

But following the heavyweight fighter's dismantling of Gabriel Gonzaga, Junior Dos Santos would seem a logical next opponent for fellow fast-rising heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez.

While UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Dos Santos' latest win solidifies his standing as "the real deal," he's not ready to commit to Velasquez – or any potential opponent – just yet.

In the UFC on Versus 1 co-headliner in Broomfield, Colo., Dos Santos made quick work of Gonzaga while flooring the longtime contender with a left hook. Dos Santos then stood over his downed opponent and rained down heavy blows until the referee halted the action four minutes into the first round.

Dos Santos (11-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has now posted knockouts in all five of his UFC wins (four in the first round). In fact, all 11 of his pro wins have come via stoppage, 10 of which were the result of his heavy hands.

White, though, said the Gonzaga win proves that Dos Santos isn't a mere one-dimensional striker.

"There are a lot of questions [about] his ground game because he's been knocking people out so fast," White told MMAjunkie.com. "Tonight, he got in a scramble with Gonzaga, and he popped right out of it. It was impressive. He's the real deal; I think this kid is the real deal."

So why not match him up with Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), a two-time Division I All-American who recently toppled former UFC and PRIDE champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110? Why not whittle down the list of contenders by pitting two of them against each other?

White simply wants to await this weekend's UFC 111 co-headliner between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin, which earns the winner an interim heavyweight title and a likely title-unification bout with current champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in July.

With so many pieces available, White simply wants to see how it all shakes out. That's why doesn't want to commit to Dos Santos vs. Velasquez – or any other heavyweight bouts – right away.

"They're all going to fight," White said of the glut of contenders. "All these guys in that lineup are going to fight, but we've got to figure out how it's all going to go down. Mir and Carwin are going to get this thing started. We'll see what happens there, and the great thing is, we're a week away from that."

And while MMA fans have never proven to be a patient bunch, White said the list of fight possibilities – with the likes of Lesnar, Carwin, Mir, Dos Santos, Velasquez, Nogueira and even UFC on Versus 1 winner Cheick Kongo and UFC Fight Night 21's Stefan Struve – proves just how far the once-depleted division has come.

"We've got this big lineup of heavyweights," White said. "Back in the day, it was pretty grim. Now we've got them lined up ready to go. They're all great guys, and there's so many different ways that we can mix and match these guys that it's going to be fun."

Seriously, this is ridiculous. What does Cain have to do to get a title shot? The dude is 6-0 coming off the huge win over Nog. This guy should be considered for the belt way more than Frank Mir let alone Dos Santos.

 

[Wordlife]

Cain deserves the title over Mir anyday. It seems as if he gets robbed every single fight. He wins a great fight, and gets snubbed by someone else.

 

[EnterTamed]

lets not forget the competition that Mir has faced lately has been better than Velasquez's and lets not forget that Mir has already beat the champ and it's always easier for a former champ to get a rematch becuase he's proven himself against the top competition


also the only way to deserve a title is win it, so dont say he deserves a title over anyone, over lesnar maybe cuz the guy hasn't fought anyone decent besides Mir(couture was 46 coming off a near 2 year retirement)

 

[xtremebadass]

Sorry I meant deserve a title shot, not deserve the title.

I still don't think Mir has proven himself since losing to Lesnar last July. He beat Cheick Kongo...and that qualifies himself to be in a Interim title fight? He got destroyed by Lesnar and brought nothing to the table in that fight for the most part. If anything Mir should have had atleast one more fight, atleast, before getting any title, or interim title, shot. Both Carwin and Velasquez should definitely be ahead of Mir in this title chase just by wins alone. I know factoring ability to draw and other factors go into these match ups, but one victory after a crucial defeat at the hands of Brock should not warrant this Interim title shot to Mir.

 

[Wordlife]

Quite frankly if Mir looses this Saturday night, he shouldn't face Lesnar for the title, Velasquez should.

 

[xtremebadass]

I remember reading that if the winner of Carwin and Mir is not able to compete for any reason come July Cain Velasquez will get the shot.

It also says that on Wikipedia if that means anything.

 

[phantomgerald]

Dude, you're clouded by your hate for Frank Mir. Be objective man! Mir more than deserved it. He already beaten Brock once, so the score is 1-1 regardless of the match itself. He more than deserved a title shot. The only notable name Cain's beaten is Big Nog.

And yes, Dana said, if Mir/Carwin is too hurt or suspended, Cain gets the fight at UFC116.

 

[xtremebadass]

I don't know if saying a fight that happened two years ago can play into being worthy of a title shot even if it was over the current champ.

 

[phantomgerald]

I hate how Lesnar fans like to drone on and on about how they don't want to see him fight Mir because he's already decimated Frank Mir and Frank is no match for Brock. But put it in perspective and the fact is, they both finished one fight each. I'm not saying he deserves that title shot. But I see this as unfinished business, and unless Lesnar/Mir3 goes down, the feud will never end. So the UFC as a business should and will probably milk this feud for what's its worth.