Jan
21
2010
0

Has The Velasquez-Nogueira Bout Been Overshadowed Or Ignored?

By Bryan Levick (BryanLevick@mmaratings.net)

On a day when the UFC found out that their heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will be returning to the organization this summer, the story has taken all of the attention for the day.

Over the past few weeks much has been written about the upcoming Randy Couture-Mark Coleman bout, who should Paul Daley fight next and the return of the highly popular three week series UFC Primetime.

Other subjects that have been given a lot of attention are who should BJ Penn face next? Frankie Edgar or Grey Maynard.

Not many people have paid attention to what will be one of the most important fights of 2010, next month’s heavyweight showdown between the immortal Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and the hot prospect Cain Velasquez.

Not only will we get to see two of the best heavyweights in the world go at it next month in Australia, the winner of that fight could be next in line for a shot at the heavyweight championship.

As I mentioned in today’s recap of the Lesnar-Dana White conference call, the winner of Big Nog vs Cain could be the next in line to fight Lesnar in the event that the winner of the Shane Carwin-Frank Mir bout is too injured to answer the call.

Granted that opportunity was just established a few short hours ago but the fact remains that we will be witnessing history at UFC 110.

This fight will go a long way in proving whether or not Velasquez is ready to take on the upper echelon UFC heavyweights and whether or not Nogueira is able to hang with the young bucks.

Big Nog looked very sharp against Couture at UFC 102, he looked nothing like the fighter who was dominated and finished for the very first time in his career by Mir at UFC 92 back in December of 2008.

Velasquez unleashed his unbridled fury against the always tough and capable Ben Rothwell at UFC 104.

There’s a big difference between Rothwell and a healthy Nogueira.

I also believe there is a big difference between a 46 year old Couture who is more suited for the light heavyweight division than there is a twenty-seven year old powerhouse who has a never-ending gas tank.

UFC 110 is one month away tomorrow. One would figure when a contest of this significance is getting ready to take place, there would be more attention paid towards the two combatants.

Velsaquez fans have said all along that their man was capable of handling any of the UFC’s top heavyweights, while his detractors point out his inexperience and inability to finish a worn out and weary Check Kongo last June at UFC 99.

Here is his chance to prove to his fans, the UFC and himself that although he may only have seven wins under his belt, he has the toughness and guile of a man who has been competing all of his life.

This fight has so many ramifications. The winner will ultimately face the winner of Lesnar-Mir/Carwin but what happens to the loser?

If Velasquez loses he could take on Nogueira’s teammate Junior dos Santos, providing Cigano is successful against Gabriel Gonzaga in March.

If Nogueira comes up on the short end of the stick he could face the loser of Mir-Carwin.

All in all it’s a very exciting fight that should get the respect it deserves. To me, it’s a lot more important than the Couture-Coleman matchup, it also carries more significance of who fight Daley next.

Those subjects have their place; it just shouldn’t be ahead of Nogueira and Velasquez.


What Do You Think of This Fight/Event?