UFC on FOX: Things Casual Fans Should Know About Velasquez vs. Dos Santos

The inaugural UFC on Fox event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos is almost here, but how much do casual fans know about these two titans of the mixed martial arts world?

Velasquez and "Cigano" are slated to throw down live on UFC on Fox on Saturday.

The hype is almost over, and by the end of the nights proceedings on Nov. 12, one of these two warriors will go down in MMA folklore.

Let’s take a look at what is to know about these combatants and their role in this great event.

The Best of the Best

This will be the greatest MMA heavyweight contest in the history of the sport. Expect this fight to eclipse some of the other great battles we have witnessed over the years.

In 2003, Fedor “The Emperor” Emelianenko usurped then Pride heavyweight champion Antônio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.

Later The Emperor took on and defeated Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović to retain his title in 2005.

The UFC had their own share of exciting wars—Brock Lesnar dethroning Randy “The Natural” Couture to become UFC heavyweight champion in 2008.

And then there was that fight that could stand alone in the pantheon of mixed martial arts, as being arguably the greatest ever heavyweight clash—Velasquez’s utter annihilation of Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight crown at UFC 121.

This fight, however, is guaranteed to be an über-explosive, edge-of-the-seat affair—blink and it could be over before you know it.

And to cap it all, it’s on free TV.

Junior dos Santos

Record: 13-1

Age: 27

Height: 6’3”

Nationality: Brazilian

Notable wins: Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson, Gilbert Yvel, Mirko Filipović and Fabricio Werdum

Notable losses: Joaquim Ferreira

Junior dos Santos, more than anyone else in MMA or the UFC heavyweight division poses the utmost threat to Cain Velasquez’s reign as the division's champion.

Dos Santos is on an equal par or even more so in the striking department.

The only aspect of dos Santos’s game in which Velasquez has a serious edge is his wrestling pedigree.

His takedown defense, which has been somewhat suspect in the past, has been ironed out to some degree.  

Since his loss to Ferreira, dos Santos has gone eight fights undefeated.

“Cigano” is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who trains at the renowned Team Nogueira.

Cain Velasquez

Record: 9-0

Age: 29

Height: 6’1”

Nationality: American

Notable wins: Brock Lesnar, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo

Cain Velasquez is riding a nine-fight win streak with eight of those wins coming by way of TKO/KO and the other via decision.

The UFC brass knows potential when they see it, and the young Velasquez had bucket loads of it.

After his first two career fights with Strikeforce and Bodog Fight, he was subsequently signed to the Zuffa-based company.

Since then, Velasquez has become quite of an investment for Dana White and the Fertitta brothers—winning his first seven bouts and the UFC heavyweight championship along the way.

Velasquez is an NCAA Division 1 wrestler with a brown belt in Guerrilla jiu-jitsu. His all-around game makes Velasquez the most dangerous heavyweight in MMA today.

The Greatest Heavyweight in MMA History?

Both dos Santos and Velasquez are supreme athletes at the top of their game, so even though the latter is the champion going into the fight, it’s not a given that he’ll come out victorious.

The winner of this matchup will have the moniker of top dog in UFC heavyweight division.

And I’ll go one better, and even suggest that the victor in this bout could be proclaimed as the greatest heavyweight in the history of MMA. That is in no way an absurdity or an overly preposterous remark.

Who's Next for the Winner?

The hand that is raised aloft at the end of this historical bout is slated to lock horns with the winner of the UFC 141 bout between ex-Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair “The Reem” Overeem and ex-UFC king Brock Lesnar sometime in early 2012.

If either Velasquez or dos Santos are victorious against the aforementioned, then there are a host of heavyweights waiting in line for a shot at their title, and the glory that comes with it.

Possible candidates for a title shot could emerge from the recently acquired Strikeforce company—Josh “Baby-Faced Assassin” Barnett, Daniel “DC” Cormier, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and Antonio “Big Foot” Silva.

From the UFC itself, Frank Mir, Minotauro Nogueira and Shane Carwin are also on the contenders list.