UFC 121 Aftermath: Will Cain Velasquez Be The Best UFC Heavyweight Champ Ever?
"You got him hurt bad". "Now he's worried; You cut him!, You hurt him!" "You see? He's not a machine! He's a man!"
These are the motivational words that Duke spoke to Rocky after the end of the first round in his fight against the killing machine that was Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. These would have been the words that Cain Velasquez received from his corner last night, had the fight actually gone that far.
Amazingly, it was actually Velasquez that appeared to be the unstoppable warrior; from the very start of round one Lesnar attempted to impose his will on the ASU alumn. However, Velasquez managed to stay calm and actually go to war with the beast. At every point in the match, Velasquez readily accepted everything that Lesnar was able to dish out, and then return fire with just as much ferocity. There was a cold and dead look in his eyes that seemed to tell Brock his days as champ are over.
Towards the middle of the fight's only round, we could see that Velasquez had broken Lesnar's will, by not succumbing to the then champ's take down attempts. Once the ref called the match in Cain's favor, the celebration was able to begin. Now that it's all said and done, we need to begin asking whether there will be anyone who can defeat Cain?
He exhibits all the skill necessary to not only survive in the division, but thrive. In a way, he's almost a perfect heavyweight:
- The endurance of a much lighter fighter.
- Strong, Accurate, & Intelligent Striker.
- Strong Chin.
- Astounding Wrestler. Brock was unable to keep him down at all.
- Just the right blend of size without the loss of speed.
With Lesnar defeated, Cain's next challenge will be Junior Dos Santos. However, after seeing Dos Santos struggle against Roy Nelson in his last fight, it looks as though Velasquez will be holding on to newly earned title for a very long time.
