The co-main event of UFC 146 in Las Vegas is in the books on Saturday night. Salinas native and former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who fights out of San Jose, took on Antonio Silva in one of the five heavyweight bouts that comprised the main card of the pay-per-view event.
Silva was making his UFC debut and was coming off a loss in the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Silva entered with a record of 16-3, while Velasquez entered with a record of 9-1, with his last fight in November resulting in his losing the heavyweight title to current champion Junior dos Santos.
Velasquez took Silva down lickety-split from the opening bell and commenced with his trademark relentless ground and pound. Within the first two minutes, Velasquez busted open Silva's left eyebrow with a short elbow, which resulted in an impressive amount of blood. Velasquez would not let up and finally the referee called for a stoppage at 3:36 of the first round.
The TKO win was a big one for Velasquez, who is anxious to get a title rematch.
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