Velasquez vs. Dos Santos: Rebuilt Shoulder Won't Stop a Velasquez Win

The highest-profile fight in MMA history is just a few hours away, with FOX carrying a national telecast of the UFC’s heavyweight title bout. Undefeated champion Cain Velasquez (9-0, 7-0 UFC) puts his belt on the line against Junior Dos Santos (13-1, 7-0 UFC).

The biggest question mark in the contest is the right shoulder that Velasquez injured in October 2010. In a successful title fight against then-champion Brock Lesnar, Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff and hasn’t fought since having surgery.

Obviously, there’s no substitute for full-speed action when it comes to testing an injury, but Velasquez wouldn’t be fighting if he weren’t confident that the shoulder is ready. This fight is going to be decided by the skill of the respective fighters, not by Velasquez favoring his shoulder.

The two fighters bring decidedly contrasting styles, with former college wrestler Velasquez favoring a grappling approach while Dos Santos prefers boxing.

The decisive factor is likely to be that Velasquez—an enormously powerful striker in his own right—won’t be completely out of his depth, even if Dos Santos can keep the fight from going to the ground.

With two such evenly-matched talents, the fight has a good chance to go the distance. Velasquez’s ability to impress judges with his striking (as opposed to Dos Santos’ little-used grappling ability) could make all the difference in the final scoring.

There’s certainly a chance that Dos Santos will erase all these possibilities with a knockout blow, but the bet here is a decision in favor of the defending champ.