UFC 110: Cain Velasquez - “A Star on the Rise”
Cain Velasquez to face Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in UFC 110's main event
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The careers of UFC 110 main event'ers Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira could not be more different. Nogueira has over a decade worth of professional experience that is full of meaningful bouts compared to Velasquez who hasn’t had a pressure-filled fight with title implications at stake. That is, until now, on February 21st Velasquez will try and match his Brazilian opponents’ jiu-jitsu wizardry with his aggressive wrestling and powerful ground striking ability.
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If Velasquez has shown any weaknesses through his first seven career bouts, it has been his mediocre stand-up skills. Nogueira’s strength is his jiu-jitsu but he also uses precise striking to wear down his opponents. Velasquez will probably have to outlast Nogueira’s flurry, work his wrestling skills to gain dominant position and try to either grind out a decision win or try and finish the durable Nogueira, a feat that has been accomplished once in his career.
If Velasquez is able to get the victory over Nogueira, it will no doubt be the biggest of his young career. It would also bring him one step closer to challenging Brock Lesnar for the organization’s Heavyweight Championship.
It’s not like Velasquez is in any hurry, UFC 110 will be just his eighth career fight and sixth inside the octagon. Among his five UFC victories, four have been via TKO including Jake O’Brien, Brad Morris, Denis Stojnic, and Ben Rothwell. His UFC 99 bout with Cheick Kongo was the only time that he was taken to a decision.
If Nogueira’s experience proves too much for Velasquez’ youth, it won’t derail the American Kickboxing Academy Heavyweight for long. With the skills he has shown so far, it looks as if he is destined for stardom at some point. As surprising as it may sound, a loss for Velasquez could possibly serve as a positive in his career. A loss is a loss no matter how you look at it, but a loss to a fighter with Nogueira’s stature would not put him back at ground zero, instead it could possibly give him the some focus which is bad news for any future opponent.
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Either way you look at it, Velasquez has a great opportunity ahead of him at UFC 110. A victory basically vaults him to either a #1 contender or championship bout in the near future. A loss isn’t the end of the world either; it would give the 27-year-old former Arizona State University wrestler much needed experience against a world class mixed martial artist. Velasquez is finally center stage at UFC 110 and ready to prove that his stock is on the rise.
> Check out our UFC 110 feature on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - Experience Down Under exclusively here at Pro Fighting Fans!
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer