On Saturday, Nov. 12, the UFC will pit the two best heavyweights in the sport of MMA up against one another, as UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez takes on challenger Junior Dos Santos at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. That fight headlines the UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos card that marks the debut of the promotion on network television, as part of a new, multi-year deal with Fox.
Velasquez was born in Selinas, CA and fights out of San Jose, CA. He's been recognized by the Mayor of San Jose for his achievements in representing the city, and thus, the Bay Area in the sport of mixed martial arts and is most definitely a point of pride for the Bay Area. He's currently undefeated, and will be defending his Heavyweight Championship for the first time since beating Brock Lesnar over a year ago on Oct. 23, 2010 at UFC 121. Velasquez scored a first-round TKO on Lesnar, but missed time following that with an injury.
His opponent, Junior Dos Santos, will easily be his toughest test to date. That's saying a lot when your resume already includes both Lesnar and a legend like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Dos Santos has gone on a tear since entering the UFC, scoring an upset win over Fabricio Werdum in his first fight with an explosive knockout, and followed that up with many dangerous heavyweight opponents, before capping it off with a hugely dominating decision win over Shane Carwin on June 11 of this year.
He's more than ready for his title shot - and in fact, had one guaranteed against Velasquez before the Carwin fight, but elected to keep busy when Velasquez went down with an injury.
As noted, the Bay Area is represented by Velasquez in the main event. But more than that, this fight is huge for the UFC in general. It's the first time the promotion has been on network television, and the bigger significance is the fact that anybody - literally anybody with a TV in America - can see a heavyweight title fight for free. That's the essence of fighting and a huge step in the right direction for the sport. The fact that they're heavyweights, even though it isn't the premier division in the sport right now, is significant because ... well, doesn't that word sink in and resonate with you? Of course it does.
Stay tuned to the stream for in-depth previews of the fight, TV schedules and more.