Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: Cigano Doesn't Deserve Rematch with Champ
After what we witnessed at UFC 155, Junior dos Santos doesn't deserve a rematch with Cain Velasquez.
He'll probably get one, of course. Not only is it what the fans want, but a third edition of this developing rivalry would be incredibly lucrative for all parties involved, none more important than UFC President Dana White.
If there's money to be made and publicity to be gained, you can be sure that he'd be leading the charge for a rematch to take place.
But simply based on the action inside the octagon last night, Dos Santos doesn't deserve to grapple with Velasquez anymore. Velasquez dominated Dos Santos, who never led on any of the judges' scorecards.
From the massive overhand right that dropped Dos Santos towards the end of the first round, Velasquez was able to dictate much of the match.
He looked tentative from the onset, never mounting any substantial offensive attack.
While Dos Santos was able to land a few big punches, he chose to try and fight from a distance to defend against Velasquez' takedown attempts. That strategy didn't work, and Dos Santos failed to adapt.
Dos Santos was unable to keep the fight upright, continually being taken to the mat, and, while he was able to get back up most of the time, he was taking tremendous abuse as Velazquez dominated the former champion in every facet of the ground game.
Perhaps the former champion was dreaming of a bout against Alistair Overeem, who couldn't help himself and had to have some fun at Dos Santos' expense during the fight (via Twitter):
"JDS looks really pretty lol
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) December 30, 2012"
Whatever the reason, Dos Santos looked totally unprepared and uninterested in this fight.
While it's admirable that Dos Santos was able to take a beating and keep getting up, being able to take a beating doesn't make you a world-class fighter.
It makes you tough as nails for sure, but nothing more.
Velasquez was so thoroughly impressive—and Dos Santos so thoroughly disappointing— that it makes you wonder why Dos Santos would even want to tussle with the new champion for a third time.
Junior dos Santos proved two things last night—that Cain Velasquez is on another level than he is as a fighter, and that his first victory over Velasquez really was nothing but a fluke.
