UFC 121 Results: Cain Velasquez Dominates Brock Lesnar, Proves Size Doesn't Matter

Brock is the bigger, stronger fighter. If Cain gets taken down, he won’t be able to get back to his feet. Cain doesn’t have the power to stop Brock.

This was the majority of the talk heading into the big Heavyweight Championship bout at UFC 121.

In stunning fashion, Cain Velasquez brutalized Brock Lesnar and got the first round TKO stoppage to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Lesnar came out extremely aggressive and took the fight straight to Velasquez. After a few exchanges, the hulking champion secured an easy takedown that surely had Velasquez fans holding their breath.

It didn’t take long for Velasquez to find an opening and scramble back to his feet.

On the feet, Lesnar was persistent with his wrestling. He pushed Velasquez into the cage and grabbed another takedown, but Velasquez was defiant and immediately popped back to his feet again.

"We expected him to come out, go hard in, and go for a takedown," Velasquez said. "We were ready for that. We worked on positions and worst-case scenarios."

The tables started to turn when Velasquez sought out the single and dragged the champ to the ground. After getting blasted with solid shots from side control, Lesnar stumbled away in a drunken stupor with a relentless Velasquez following close behind.

Velasquez teed off on Lesnar against the cage with punches before landing a huge knee that put the gargantuan on the floor. A bloodied and battered Lesnar hung tough, but Velasquez’s rain of ground and pound proved too much as the referee stopped the carnage at 4:12 of the first round.

"I trained for a five round fight," Velasquez told Joe Rogan after the fight. "I’m always ready for that. You can’t expect an early stoppage."

Lesnar, who was on pace to set the UFC record for Heavyweight title defenses, was humble in defeat amongst a pro-Velasquez crowd.

"I expected nothing less. I knew there was a great challenge in front of me," Lesnar said. "He’s a great fighter. What can I say? He was better than me tonight."

Shields Squeaks Past Kampmann

Jake Shields got his first win in the UFC, but it was far from dominant. After a three round battle, Shields did just enough in the eyes of the judges to earn the split decision nod over a tough Martin Kampmann.

Shields didn’t waste time in the opening round securing a takedown and working from top position. Things didn’t look great for the Dane early out as Shields quickly transitioned to full mount, but Kampmann did a great job of defending in bad situations and regaining guard.

After a solid first round, Shields came out winded in the second. Kampmann was able to land a higher volume of strikes on the feet and defend the majority of the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion’s takedowns.

The third round was more of the same. Kampmann continued to utilize a great sprawl against Shields, who was persistent in getting the takedown throughout. The biggest mistake for Kampmann came when he was reversed on the ground after over-committing on a brabo choke attempt. Shields was then able to transition to back control and ride out the rest of the fight in a dominant position.

"It feels great to win. I don’t think it was my best performance. I don’t want to make any excuses, but I felt a little fatigued tonight," Shields said. "I felt a little not quite there tonight, but I dug deep and pulled through."

According to UFC President Dana White, this win puts Shields next in line to challenge the winner of Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck for the Welterweight Title.

 

"The Nightmare" Returns to Form

After a rocky first round, Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez put on a vintage performance against top ten Welterweight Paulo Thiago. While two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Sanchez, one judge had it 30-26.

Thiago looked strong early. He was able to stifle Sanchez’s takedowns with good defense and submission threats. Sanchez looked more like a Lightweight fighting a Welterweight. Thiago bullied him in the clinch and was successful in getting a takedown after securing double underhooks.

The round ended with Sanchez fending off multiple choke attempts. Thiago had a tight brabo late in the first, but Sanchez reminded the world of his exceptional submission defense by scrambling free.

In the second round, Sanchez landed in top position early after out scrambling Thiago on the ground. From his back, Thiago showcased great guard control as he threatened Sanchez with submissions and thwarted any attempts at passing.

After solid top time, Sanchez was caught off guard by a tremendous sweep from Thiago that had him somersaulting across the octagon. Thiago raced after Sanchez to try to win back the round, but Sanchez got deep in on a takedown and hoisted the BJJ black belt into the air before slamming him to the canvas. The crowd was on its feet as Sanchez lit Thiago up with punches from top.

The final round was even nastier for the Black House student as Sanchez continued to impose his will from top position. Sanchez’s relentless pace was just too much for Thiago in this fight.

"It took those last two losses to really humble me, bringing me back to the real me. Now I’m just focused on one thing and one thing only. That’s God, my family, and this career right here," Sanchez stated in a post-fight interview. "This is just the tip of the iceberg of what I’m gonna bring. I promise every time I’m gonna get better."

Hameill Batters Ortiz

There were no excuses tonight. Tito Ortiz put on a good performance in a losing effort to Matt Hamill, who was awarded the unanimous decision.

When the fight started, Ortiz charged after Hamill with one-twos and high kicks. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s standup looked much improved, but issues with his cardio continued to plague him against the well-prepared Hamill.

Ortiz struggled to defend against Hamill’s takedowns, which were explosive and perfectly timed. Hamill, who generally secures takedowns from the clinch, showcased a solid outside shot that may have been overlooked coming into this bout.

Ortiz really started to fade as the fight wore on. Hamill stayed active on the feet with his jab. Ortiz landed significant shots of his own, but Hamill’s takedowns and top time was the former Light Heavyweight Champion’s undoing.

"I feel great because I want to show people where I’m standing, and I want to show the world what I’m capable of," Hamill said. "A lot of people think that I’m still, like, green level, but I’m more than that. If they want to beat me, it takes more than that to beat The Hammer."

Schaub Climbs the Ranks

The octagon woes of Gabriel Gonzaga continued on Saturday as Brendan Schaub dominated the standup exchanges en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Schaub was superb on his feet as he moved in and out of range to blast Napao with punches. Gonzaga was hesitant throughout the bout, and he chose to once again put his grappling on the back burner. Outside of a couple of stuffed shots, Gonzaga was never persistent with his takedowns.

On the other hand, Schaub showcased a tremendous upside with explosive power and raw athleticism. This was easily the biggest win of his young career.

"Gabe’s one of the top heavyweights in the world. It’s a big step up for me. I’m just glad to get out of here with a victory," Schaub told Joe Rogan after the bout.

With this win, Schaub is now on a three fight win streak. Gonzaga is 3-5 in his last eight bouts.

 

Main Card Results

Cain Velasquez Defeats Brock Lesnar By Round 1 TKO Stoppage (4:12)

Jake Shields Defeats Martin Kampmann By Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27 Shields)

Diego Sanchez Defeats Paulo Thiago By Unanimous Decision

Matt Hamill Defeats Tito Ortiz By Unanimous Decision

Brendan Schaub Defeats Gabriel Gonzaga By Unanimous Decision

Undercard Results

Court McGee Submits Ryan Jensen By Round 3 Arm Triangle (1:21)

Tom Lawlor Defeats Patrick Cote By Unanimous Decision

Daniel Roberts Submits Mike Guymon By Round 1 Anaconda Choke (1:13)

Sam Stout Defeats Paul Taylor By Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Chris Camozzi Defeats Dongi Yang By Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jon Madsen Defeats Gilbert Yvel By Round 1 TKO Stoppage (1:48)

(Originally Published at SportsHaze.com...Follow me on Bleacher Report or on Twitter SportsHaze_MMA)