UFC 139 Predictions: Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos Fight

Following his destruction of Brock Lesnar, many UFC fans have been waiting to see the newly-crowned heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez back in the Octagon. After a long layoff, it seems like Velasquez is finally ready to make his first UFC title-defense, as he claims to feel healthy enough to take on No.1 contender, Junior Dos Santos later this year at UFC 139.

While not officially announced by the UFC, it is rumored that UFC 139 will take place on November 19^th, 2011, at San Jose California’s HP Pavilion. This would be the very first time that the UFC would host an event in the city that had come to be known as the home for Strikeforce events before the buyout. This is a smart move by Dana White and the Fertittas, given that San Jose has proven to be a great MMA town over the years!

The Mexican-American UFC champ was expected to fight at UFC 129 against Dos Santos, but it was cancelled after Cain discovered he had a torn labrum in his shoulder. It was reported that Velasquez suffered this injury during his title fight against Lesnar last October, but the news didn’t break until a few months later.

As a result, Velasquez has now gone 13 months without stepping foot in the cage, which leads me to believe the heavyweight champ may have some trouble against the ever-improving Brazilian. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure Velasquez’s trainers at the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy will do everything in their power to make sure the champ is in tiptop shape.

“First thing was simple stuff like foot movement,” said Velasquez, who remains undefeated in his MMA career with 8 of his 9 wins coming by a way of knockout. “That and the head movement, and the striking defense and striking offense. I’m just trying to get back the technique into everything I do. Now, it’s trying to get the power and the combinations back.”

But ringrust may still be a factor for the Chicano, as he takes on a guy that has remained active in the cage. By far the most important factor for Dos Santos in the UFC has been his ability to stay healthy. With dominating wins over names like Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Roy Nelson, the heavy-handed Chute Boxe product has all the ingredients to become the next UFC champ.

“Ciagano” which translates to gypsy in Portuguese, solidified himself as the top-heavyweight contender last month at UFC 131. Anticipating a standup war, Dos Santos went into the cage, beat Shane Carwin on his feet, and even displayed some of his much-improved wrestling skills, by dominating the former Division II champ in the grappling game. Dos Santos cruised to an easy unanimous decision: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26.

So now, it will be up to Velasquez to prove that his win over Lesnar wasn’t a fluke. Velasquez understands the challenge in front of him, and what he needs to do to get the job done. It’s worth noting that Dos Santos hasn’t lost a single fight in the UFC, and whose last defeat came almost 4 years ago. This is going to be a great heavyweight battle!