5 Reasons Velasquez vs. dos Santos Is More Intriguing Than Lesnar vs. Overeem

In only a week's time, two of the biggest fights of the year have been announced in Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem.

Velasquez, who is the current UFC heavyweight champion, will defend his belt for the first time against dos Santos, who comes into the fight on a seven-fight win streak in the UFC. The fight will go down on the UFC on Fox card on Nov. 12.

Velasquez won the title when he defeated Lesnar in October 2010. A shoulder injury has kept him out of the cage for over a year.

Lesnar hasn't fought since that fight either, as he was battling with diverticulitis for the second time in two years. He will welcome Overeem, who is the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, to the UFC Octagon at UFC 141 on Dec. 30.

Some may be anticipating one over the other, but this is why the Velasquez vs. dos Santos bout is a more intriguing fight right now.

No. 5: Has Potential To Go the Distance and Be Competitive Throughout

Heavyweight title fights usually aren't guaranteed to go the distance, but this one has the makings to do so and for all the right reasons.

While a five-round decision doesn't sound pretty, the two fighters' skill levels makes for a very interesting fight that could see one of the more frenetic and high-paced heavyweight bouts in recent history with many closely contested rounds.

The last two-sided heavyweight title fight to go the distance was Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo, and that was a fight for the ages.

If this fight can outdo that bout from UFC 31, it will have to be one of the best five-round title fights in UFC history. If any fight promises to be that, it's this one.

No. 4: First Fight on Fox

The one-hour special will feature the heavyweight fight and nothing else depending on how long it goes. That shows that this bout promises to draw big numbers, and it will have to live up to hype in being the lone fight on the broadcast.

Either way this fight goes, it should be an attention grabber for the UFC and MMA. The heavyweight championship is one of the more valuable entities in combat sports, and to have Velasquez and dos Santos representing the weight class on Fox is something for everyone from casual fans to the most diehard fans to appreciate.

However this fight ends, it really has no chance of being disappointing.

No. 3: Still Many Unanswered Questions about Both Fighters

Fans have questions about both fighters, and there are some that are still left unanswered.

Many are anticipating this fight to be the toughest championship bout to predict a winner in, and it's for this reason alone. Neither fighter has really faced anyone quite like the other.

How will dos Santos fare off his back? Will he be overwhelmed by the former NCAA Division I wrestler, or does he have an underrated ground game that might come into play when working his guard? Will he be able to avoid being taken down completely?

Can Velasquez survive on the feet with arguably the best striker he has ever faced?

What happens when each fighter goes past the third round for the first time?

Nobody expected the type of results that occurred in both fighters' last fights so this has the making to go a multiple amount of ways.

No. 2: Both Are Undefeated Inside the UFC

Both Velasquez and dos Santos are 7-0 in the UFC with a combined 11 victories by knockout or submission.

Velasquez has beaten the likes of Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo while dos Santos has defeated Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop.

With no similar opposition between them, this creates a very unique opportunity to go into the fight not thinking about how one fighter fared against a certain fighter compared to the other.

Each have looked unbeatable, and it's Velasquez who comes into the fight being the only one to really have been tested during his fight with Kongo. He was able to survive being dropped by Kongo by taking him down and punishing him to win a decision.

The only mark against dos Santos is that his last two fights have both gone the distance, but that also takes away the questions about his cardio. This might actually be the most important thing for him as he prepares to go up against the heavyweight with the best cardio in the division.

No. 1: It Will Determine Who Is No. 1 in the Division

When Lesnar won the UFC title from Randy Couture, some ranked Overeem ahead of him due to his relatively lack of experience and accomplishments in contrast to the K1 kickboxing and MMA champion.

Lesnar deserved his No. 1 spot as the champion, but there was no argument when Velasquez walked through him in one round at UFC 121.

The breathtaking performance of Velasquez in his last fight makes his first defense more important than ever and somewhat more important than Lesnar's first defense of the belt because of how well he is regarded as the leading HW fighter. He will have the tough task of looking impressive against dos Santos but has the perfect opportunity to prove why he is ranked No. 1.

Overeem and Lesnar will be fighting for second place and a shot at the winner of this fight, and that gives this fight special attention in terms of determining who is the best heavyweight in the sport right now.