by Harold Hughes
As I’m sure all of you have seen by now, and certainly all of you know, Brock Lesnar was beat… and beat handily. Cain Velasquez is the current UFC Heavyweight champion and faces a bout against the new number 1 contender Junior Dos Santos.
I was never a Brock Lesnar fan per say, only a fan of his skills. His attitude left something to be desired, but as I posted on my Facebook fan page, the greatest thing about him was certainly the coverage that came with his name. With Brock out of the conversation in the title bouts for at least the first half of 2011, the lack of media coverage on prime sports television will be evident. Outside of MMA Live on ESPN2, MMA rarely sees mainstream sports fans and while this will definitely suck for the sport I believe a Brock Lesnar loss makes for so many more interesting conversations in regards to the big boys!
For well over a year the debate wasn’t who WILL be the heavyweight champ, but who CAN beat Brock Lesnar. Every conversation had him at the top of the list. Would Mir beat Brock, would Carwin beat Brock, would Cain beat Brock. If you don’t get what I am trying to say don’t worry, I think I confused myself sometimes. Brock Lesnar was seen as the top dog, the guy that so little could compare to, and Cain Velasquez put an end to that and now the title seems within reach for so many more fighters!
The next bout for the championship is Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. This fight proves to be a great one and one that will be debated evenly for and against each competitor. The winner of said bout was to fight the winner of Shane Carwin vs. Roy Nelson, but with Carwin out after back surgery on the 2nd… Who will Roy fight, and will it be for a title shot?
Mirko Cro Cop has expressed interest in the fight, but that would surely kill Nelson’s title shot chances even with a win considering Mirko’s lack-luster performances as of late. Big Nog is as always a staple in the title competition, as well as Mir, Carwin(upon return), Lesnar, and maybe even Schaub.
If I were Joe Silva, and it were up to me, I see the best bouts being as follows.
Championship Bout: Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
Winner gets: winner of Nelson vs. Mir
Who will fight the
Winner of: winner of Schaub vs. Big Nog
Who will fight
Winner of: winner of Carwin vs. Lesnar II
If this were to play out exactly as I say it should I believe Dos Santos would take on Mir and win, then continue on to fight Brendan Schaub and win again, only to fight Brock Lesnar and get rolled on.
Keep in mind, like I said I am not a fan of Brock Lesnar, only his skills… and I see him coming back with a vengeance. I say Brock gets his title back in early 2012 depending on the span between the fights.
