UFC on FOX: 5 Reasons Velasquez vs. Dos Santos Is UFC's Most Important Fight

Today, UFC president Dana White made the huge announcement that UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will defend his title against Junior dos Santos on FOX November 12^th.

It had been highly speculated that the card would feature two non-title bouts, including a possible one between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida.

Instead, White chose to make the already big heavyweight championship fight even bigger by putting it on a national stage.

Here are the reasons why this will be the most important fight in UFC History.

It Will Be the First Main Event Fight on FOX

When the UFC announced its deal with FOX last month, they also announced that their first show on FOX would take place in November.

Since then everyone has been trying to figure out what fight was going to be the main event.

However, no one could have expected Velasquez vs. dos Santos to be featured on free TV.

Many thought the event would take place a week later at UFC 139, but the bout was never officially announced. This will be the biggest title fight in the UFC this year and it will be featured for the world to see for free.

It Will Be for the UFC Heavyweight Title

Usually title fights are the main events for pay-per-views.

Instead, Dana White made the decision to make the UFC’s biggest title match this year a free one.

Dos Santos versus Velasquez was already going to be huge.

But putting the event live on TV will make the event even bigger.

Besides, if the Super Bowl can be put on FOX every year, why not give what could be MMA's version of it on free TV as well?

It Will Be an Exciting Fight

Let’s look at the tale of the tape for a second.

Dos Santos is 13-1 with eight KOs, three submissions, and two decision victories.

Velasquez is 8-0 with all but one of his wins coming by knockout.

Both guys are known for their striking and are the two best strikers in the UFC heavyweight division.

Whether this fight ends in the first round or somehow goes the full five rounds, it will be a war.

The one thing that the UFC needed for their first fight on FOX was an exciting one, and it may not get any better than this.

New Superstars Will Be Made

When Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 he instantly became one of the UFC’s biggest stars. 

His mixture of being a talented heavyweight, defeating MMA’s biggest draw, and becoming the first fighter with Mexican heritage to become a heavyweight champion in any combat sport made Velasquez a major draw.

Unfortunately, he has been out since that fight thanks to shoulder surgery.

While Velasquez has been out, the UFC has tried to make dos Santos a bigger star. He was featured opposite of Lesnar on last season’s The Ultimate Fighter.

Given the UFC’s success at UFC 134, a dos Santos win would be huge for the Brazilian market.

Although both fighters are already major stars in MMA, having the fight on FOX will put them in the mainstream spotlight.

It Will Lead the UFC and MMA into the Mainstream

One of the big reasons the UFC made this deal with FOX was to bring MMA to the mainstream. 

The only fight that could possibly have been bigger for the first fight on FOX is a superfight featuring Anderson Silva, or the return of Brock Lesnar. 

This fight will have everything casual fans, MMA purists, and new fans of the sport will be looking for: exciting action, high stakes, and easy, low-cost access. 

If this fight is a success, it will go down as one of the UFC's proudest moments and one of the best moments in MMA history.

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