UFC on Fox Results: Was Cain Velasquez off His Game?
Junior dos Santos shocked UFC fans, and Cain Velasquez, when he landed a big right hand that would lead to a TKO stoppage. Dos Santos was in control of the fight the whole time, and was able fight to his game plan against Velasquez.
When Velasquez won the title against Lesnar, he looked nearly unstoppable. He was able to dictate the fight, and imposed his will on Lesnar.
Velasquez looked out of his element against Dos Santos. He was hesitant with almost everything he did, and looked like he was trying not to lose instead of trying to win the fight.
Velasquez is usually an imposing striker, and I think that the skill of Dos Santos made him hold back. Velasquez didn't look like he wanted anything do do with the boxing exchanges.
He shot only one takedown when Dos Santos tried to land a kick to the center of his body. His strength coming into this fight was wrestling, and he should have tried more to utilize it.
I think that ring rust was a big factor for Velasquez in this fight. Being out of the Octagon for more than a year definitely had some effect.
However, I think that Velasquez will bounce back. He's a good fighter that just had an off day. Look for him to come back in a big way the next time we see him.
With all that said, I'm not taking anything away from Dos Santos. He's a great fighter who fought a perfect fight to take out the champion.
Velasquez is still a young fighter who has yet to have his best performance. After a poor showing against Dos Santos, he will need to come back strong the next time we see him in the Octagon.
