UFC 146 Results: What's Next for Cain Velasquez?

From the first second Cain Velasquez locked eyes with Antonio Silva on Saturday night at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, it was easy to see he was back. This wasn’t the doughier, slower version of the AKA standout that had lost his gold to Junior dos Santos in November.

Not even close.

This was the well-oiled machine, the terminator that fans had come to know and love back when he was an undefeated titleholder.

It only took one half-hearted Silva leg kick for people to see just how back Velasquez was. He caught the kick, dumped his enormous opponent on the mat and proceeded to unleash an unholy beating on par with any ever seen in the UFC.

A few minutes and a few gouts of blood later, and Velasquez had punched his ticket to a chance at regaining his UFC title. He didn’t know it officially, and who was holding that title wasn’t known for sure either, but there was no way anyone else was cutting in line after how decisively he’d won. The opponent was simply a formality.

As it turned out, Dos Santos defended the title he took from Velasquez only moments later for the first time, and by the evening’s post-fight press conference it was on.

"Velasquez-dos Santos II: This Time It’s Personal."

Or something like that.

Combat sports loves a multi-fight story, a narrative that spans over a rematch or a trilogy and gives a promotion traction and marketers fodder to make a big sell. When it comes to the fight game, perhaps nothing is sexier than multiple contests to secure the title of heavyweight champion of the world.

Ali-Frazier. Tyson-Holyfield. Now, Velasquez-Dos Santos.

It’s a different era, a different sport, but the message is the same: The big boys have a beef, and they’ll settle it with their fists.

The reality is that Velasquez and Dos Santos essentially have a purely competitive rivalry. They’re the two best heavyweights in the world, both young, hungry lions in a sport that needs such men to be figureheads in an important division.

Both are humble, respectful and respectable, which are traits many love in a champion. It’s not hard to believe that either man isn’t in love with their first meeting—Velasquez because he was floored so quickly, Dos Santos because he didn’t get to show for much over a minute just how good he can be against such a high-level opponent.

Now they’ll get to do it again with a clean slate, the two best heavyweights of this generation looking to lay claim to divisional dominance.

What’s next for Cain Velasquez? Everything.

He has to fight the only man who ever bested him, and he has to win. If he doesn’t, he’ll never see another shot at the title for as long as it’s around the waist of Dos Santos. For a man not quite 30, those are huge stakes.

Time will tell if he’s up to the challenge, but the bare minimum this rematch will provide is another epic heavyweight battle between the two best big men in MMA today.

Once again, as they say, getcha popcorn ready.