The Bay Area representation will be in full effect at UFC 146 on Saturday. Salinas native and former world heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be in action at UFC 146 and the fan favorite is looking to put on another impressive showing as he works his way back into the title picture.
Velasquez, who fights out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, will be taking on Antonio Silva, the journeyman Brazilian heavyweight. Silva was last in action in September, when he lost by knockout to Daniel Cormier in the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament. Cormier would go on to defeat Josh Barnett to win the Grand Prix. Silva holds an overall mixed martial arts record of 16-3 and will be making his UFC debut at Saturday's event.
This will be Velasquez's first fight back since losing his title to Junior dos Santos in November at the inaugural UFC on FOX event. It was the first loss of Veladquez's career. He now hold a record of 9-1.
Velasquez winning here is of the utmost importance not only to the fighter himself, but to the promotion. UFC needs Velasquez to keep winning, as he is not only one of their most popular fighters, but his success is vital to keeping the heavyweight division strong. Silva will be the underdog in this fight, but should not be taken lightly. 11 of Silva's 16 wins are by knockout.
For more on mixed martial arts in general, check out everything we have to offer over at MMA Fighting and Bloody Elbow.