Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs. Cain Velasquez: UFC 110 Roundtable

For our final discussion of UFC 110, we will be looking at the main event of the evening; a heavyweight showdown between former PRIDE sensation Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and undefeated rising star Cain Velasquez.

Before we get started, I would just like to thank both of my colleagues Erik Fontanez and Bryan Levick for three great discussions.

Bryan Levick: And on to the main event of the evening. Wow, I can’t wait to hear those words! I am really torn on how this one will turn out. Under normal circumstances, I would go with the proven commodity, the guy with all the big fight experience, but this fight is as far from normal as it gets.

Cain Velasquez isn’t your ordinary young mixed martial artist with only seven fights under his belt, but then again, Nogueira isn’t your normal tried and true veteran.

We all know each of the fighter’s strengths, but what we don’t know is how Velasquez will respond if he gets locked into a submission.

And, we don’t know how Nogueira, who looked fantastic against Randy Couture in August, will react to the non-stop pressure, and never ending gas tank that Velasquez brings to the table.

All I know is that this one is going to be a great fight, one that will be the talk of the MMA community for a long time.

A win for Cain sends him right to the top, but a loss for him doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the world either. Look at Couture, he and Nog put on a hell of a fight, and Randy walked away smelling like roses.

Nogueira on the other hand, needs this win to get another title shot. A loss wouldn’t kill him, but it would put him at the end of an ever growing line of contenders.

Robert Gardner: I am expecting an all-out war in this one with a lot of constant action. What I am most curious to see in this one is whether Velasquez will push for the takedown right off the bat or if he will try to utilize a little more of his stand up game.

Big Nog is about as slick a HW off his back as this sport has seen, so I don't think Velasquez is going to push the issue before he has a really good sweat going.

Erik Fontanez: Big Nog and Cain is going to be a great fight.  People talk of Nogueira's age playing a factor in all his fights but he's only 32 and, in my opinion, has a whole lot of fight left in him. 

At UFC 102, Mike Goldberg kept comparing Nog to a car with a lot of miles on it.  If we're going to think of him in that sense then he's got about 100,000 miles left to go before the engine starts to give in.

Cain Velasquez looked really impressive in his last fight against Ben Rothwell.  That gas tank of his may come in handy if this fight stays on the feet. 

On the ground, Nog will be in a comfortable place so it's probably in Cain's better interest to stay standing as long as possible and avoid trying to wrestle with the former Pride heavyweight champion.

Nog has an unholy grip and can latch onto a limb like a bear trap.  Not to play Captain Obvious, but I'm willing to bet he'll look to gobble up Cain's neck or one of his arms for a submission win.

Robert Gardner: We all agree that this has the potential to be a great matchup and all-out war, but the more I think about this matchup, the harder time I have seeing Velasquez with his hand raised at the end.

Outside of his wrestling, what does Velasquez do better than Big Nog?

Nog has great submissions and from what I have seen of Velasquez's boxing Nog is far ahead of him there too.

Coming into this fight I was really thinking upset for Velasquez but I just don't know if he has enough tools in the box to pull it off.

Bryan Levick: 32, isn’t that crazy, Nogueira is only 32, but man has he been in some wars throughout his career. 

I am not concerned with his age; he takes care of his body, and knows what he has to do to prepare himself. The man is an icon who still has plenty left in him.

Velasquez has all the potential in the world, but as we have seen, his stand-up needs some work. He will be at a disadvantage here in every department other than wrestling and cardio.

Experience is a huge factor, one that shouldn’t be discounted. Although Velasquez showed a lot of the same grit and determination that we are accustomed to seeing from Nog, as he was cracked by Kongo, he hasn’t been locked into a choke where the lights are starting to turn off on him.

I am really torn on this one; both guys are great in and out of the cage. I keep going back and forth. I was leaning towards Nogueira and then I spoke with Velasquez and the tone in his voice really opened my eyes to the type of fighter this guy really is.

All I know is that there will be no losers in this bout.

Erik Fontanez: There aren't many departments Cain is better than Nog in, but wrestling is definitely one of them.  On the stand up, Nog has the edge.  Jiu-jitsu is a no-brainer.  Cain's key to winning this fight is simply to out-wrestle Big for the duration of the bout.  If he can do that, he can grind out the decision.

The problem with trying to wrestle Nog is that one mistake can lead to a quick submission, so Cain has to be very careful with trying to gain position on the ground.

Wrestlers haven't had the greatest success against Nog, but for Cain Velasquez, it's his only reasonable way to a win.

Robert Gardner: I don't know if simply out wrestling Nog will be enough for Velasquez to win this fight. Sure, he should be able to take Nog done and inflict a little GnP, but I have a hard time picturing Velasquez cutting though Nog's guard and gaining a dominate position. If Velasquez can't get into a dominate position then Nog's BJJ will take over.

Its one thing to be a good wrestler, but it is another to be an effective wrestler in MMA when you are fighting a BJJ ace like Big Nog.

I can see Velasquez's confidence and reliance on his wrestling ultimately costing him this fight.

Bryan Levick: I would say that we are all in agreement that Nogueira has the upper hand here. I think Velasquez will push the pace and at times stun Big Nog, but sometime in the third round, Velasquez will hurt Nog and get excited. That’s where Nog is at his best; he will lure the younger, less experienced Velasquez in and lock in a submission.

Nogueira wins via third-round submission in a potential fight of the night bout.

Erik Fontanez: Out wrestling Nog would be his only way of getting the win for Cain.  Not saying it will happen though. 

I'm thinking Nog by unanimous decision.

Robert Gardner: Really looking forward to this fight and seeing where Velasquez is in his development as a fighter. But, I don't see the youngster getting the better of Big Nog.

Big Nog wins via Unanimous Decision.

If you haven’t done so already please check out our discussions regarding the Mirko Cro Cop—Ben Rothwell matchup as well as the Wanderlei Silva—Michael Bisping matchup .