Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Confirmed For UFC 121 On 10/23

It is now official - UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will have his next title defense against number one heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 on October 23rd.

The Lesnar-Velasquez title bout will emanate from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The 10/23 date for the title contest comes a mere seven days after the UFC 120 event scheduled for the O2 Arena in London, England with Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama as the main event, in what will be a free Spike TV version of a UFC-numbered event. The actual UFC PPV in October will be the Lesnar-Velasquez match on the 10/23 date.

http://www.mmanews.com/news/88349


How do you guys think these two should spend their training camps? Im sure Brock will be working hard on his stand-up with Peter Welch. What about Valasquez? ...Does he need to be concerned with bulking up a bit?

Hard to say, bulking up is the wrong option thought for Cain. I couldnt kelp but feel when Lesnar cowered away when he got hit that a fighter throwing quicker punches or one confident enough to call him back to his feet could have put him away or in more danger at least.

Mir and Carwin bulked up loads, It clearly did Carwins game harm. Mir said he feels it didnt help him either he said 240-245 is what he thinks he should be.

Cain needs to keep his handspeed, I think battering Brock on the feet and being able to survive him on the ground BJJ is the way to go. Attempting subs or tieing him up a bit, Cain can outlast Brock too. So I think concentrate on his BJJ and stick to the Boxing.

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Lesnar just needs hard sparring sessions with someone who will hit him hard enough in the face to trouble him. You would imagine getting a few big guys like Hardonk or Yvel or any good Kickboxer who would spar hard with him and get him more confortable being in a firefight on the feet will help Brock. Just keep doing what he is doing I dont know he doesnt have guys who push him in saprring but he seemed to have learned a bit of a sub game which was his original weakness people said now his standup seems to be the hole in his game. With Cains chin and power being a lot worse I think he will see him have more confidence about him on the feet. Brock is getting better and will always have a physical advantage no matter who he fights so he just needs to get some of his skills up to scratch and the guy could be unstoppable.

Cain just needs to be Cain. Work on his takedown defence, his ground game and his stand-up. He'll destroy Lesnar standing up, and as Ben said, his best option is just to keep making Lesnar stand back up. Lesnar will drop to the ground and curl up in a ball when Cain starts to hit him. Brock doesn't like fighting people that aren't afraid of him.

I agree. I think that, the worst thing Cain could do, is take away what makes him a real threat, his mobility. I think if he avoids being steamrolled early, keeps his head and keeps the fight stood up, he wins.

Hate to say it, but, I think that the Bitch may actually beat the Sexy one as well. What do you guys thing about the Bitchping/Akiyama match-up?

Allright Pete. Reckon Akiyama can bulldoze in and take Bispings punches and has enought groundgame to handle Bisping there. Im backing the sexy one Bisping cant KO him but he can KO Bisping. Unless his size becomes a problem again, his height does make him need to watch for Knees in the Clintch and anyone can get KO'd there, Still think he could make 170 if he does loose.

I don think its a cert that he wins but Chin to Power ratio you gotta back Akiyama to storm forward and land his shot. He rocked Leben and Bisping had to stick and move to get a decision. Akiyama isnt going to be as easy to do that to and shouldnt have too much of a problem Judo throwing Bisping after seeing Wandys trips on him.

I think Akiyama can KO Bisping. He'll walk through The Cunt's shots and land his own, which are much harder. He could also ragdoll him a bit which would be fun!

Hear what you're saying guys, just, Akiyama has looked dreadful his last couple of fights, and, whatever you or I think about him, Bitchping has got good cardio. I suppose it's just whether he can avoid Akiyama for a round and a bit, then go for broke. Have never been any great fan of Bisping, but, jusy see this as a fight he can win. Hope I'm wrong though.

As long as the sexy one doesn't have such a long gap between fights i think his cardio will hold up.

Anfields5thKing wrote:As long as the sexy one doesn't have such a long gap between fights i think his cardio will hold up.

Hope so, but, you would have thought that after his performance against Belcher, he would have improved. As I've said on many occasions, I've been wrong before. I had over £250 on Carwin FFS! And backed everyone BAR Spain in the WC.

An update from Shane Carwin

Well it is one week later and I can't wait to get back in the gym. I have a camping trip I am taking but after that I will be back in the gym helping the guys with up coming fights get ready. I was actually going to go in Monday but I was diagnosed with bronchitis and did not feel well enough to do much of anything.

I went back to work on Thursday and tried to settle back in. It had been awhile. Between all of the cancelations I had been in camp for over a year so I was no longer ahead of the curve on what needed to get done. I am really lucky my boss allows me to work at my own pace but that pace has been lagging lately. I am the designer of the system we use and pretty critical to making sure it work right. I really do love what I do and I am lucky they afford me the time to chase my dreams.

At 35 who knows how much longer my body will allow me to compete at the highest level. I love to compete and I want to be the best at what I do. We have a lot to work on but standing at the base of the mountain you already climbed is a lot less daunting then climbing it for the first time.

I have no idea what the UFC has planned for me yet. I am going to get back to work and try to solve some of my shortcomings, My goal is to face Brock again as soon as possible. I would like another chance and I am willing to work my butt off to get one. Part of the quest will be to win the UFC belt from whoever has it. I want to face the best fighter in MMA and make sure I leave a legacy behind.

I love the sport of MMA, losing has added fuel to the fire. I want to be known for being a complete fighter. I look forward to what ever this sport has in store for me and I am thankful to my Coaches, Training Partners and Sponsors who make this dream of mine possible. Without you I would be at home telling my son and his friends about my glory days as he tries to use my head gear as antennas for TV.

I will be on the road a lot starting August 7th in Bakersfield. While I am out in Bakersfield I am going to try help bring some awareness to the Cal State Bakersfield Wrestling program that is slated to be cut. The sport of wrestling, which is one of the foundations of MMA is under attack and at risk of disappearing because of Title 9. This is all happening as the sport is beginning to have its own version of the NFL with MMA. Imagine the Olympics featuring MMA fighter Ben Askren. We need to do what we can to support our local Wresters and I am doing what I can to help Wrestling as a whole.


I think that Carwin will get the loser of the Brock vs Cain fight.

So it looks like he will have to wait abit longer before he gets another crack at Lesner then

Thought i'd get that in before Anfeild comes out with the,it looks like Carwin will be fighting Brock next then

I think the Sexy vs Bisping fight is a coin toss personally,but after the last 2 Akiyama fights,I think I'm slightly favouring Bisping.

Poor Brock is going to get beaten twice in a row. Cain will destoy him and take his paper title away. Then Carwin will knock him out.

Just out of interest, how would you guys think Josh Barnett would go against the top UFC HW's these days?

I actually think he would do quite well,i even mentioned to chelsea on chatbox that i thought he would be a guy that would be a good threat for Lesner.

Cain will burst the Brock Lesnar Hype bubble in Round 1.

Cain aint bursting anything. His pillow punches Brock will eat tougher things for breakfast. If Carwin cant stop Brock, Cain sure as fuck wont. Brock will find it easier to take Cain down due to size difference. And when Brock is on top the end is near.


And this notion that Fedor and Overroid can beat Brock now after watching 116. What a joke !


The only way they win is by punchers chance, Brock showed he has chin. Brock will take Fedor down with ease. And finsh him. If 70 or so punches by Carwin cant stop Brock. Then one hail mary swing by fedor before getting taken down sure as hell wont stop Brock.


MMA is all about match ups people. Never forget that. Carwin is the worst possible match up for Brock. And Brock still won.

Overeem would be a much worse Fight for Lesnar, he is 10X more dangerous on the feet. He punches about as hard and you throw flying knees and kicks by a 260lbs man into the Mix. He also has a bigger reach and as half a foot taller than Carwin, he is quicker and has better cardio and Subs.

No one is going to Overpower or Outrwestle Lesnar so Carwins game was out the window.

JDS or Overeem would punch a hole in Lesnar, you dont have to Knock comeone spark out to get a TKO victory, and I doubt Lesnars chin holds up to an Overeem Knee anyway.

Cain can stop this TKO if he Lesnar shies away from the standup and Cain doesnt stop punchling like like Carwin did. I wouldnt write him off though I dont think he is the man to get the job done either.

Ginginho wrote:Just out of interest, how would you guys think Josh Barnett would go against the top UFC HW's these days?

Only Cain and JDS would give him trouble and at this point i think he'd beat both. Barnett is the second best HW in MMA after Fedor. His stupidity and lack of decent fights are the reason he's dropped in the rankings.

elmatadorafa wrote:Cain aint bursting anything. His pillow punches Brock will eat tougher things for breakfast. If Carwin cant stop Brock, Cain sure as fuck wont. Brock will find it easier to take Cain down due to size difference. And when Brock is on top the end is near.


And this notion that Fedor and Overroid can beat Brock now after watching 116. What a joke !


The only way they win is by punchers chance, Brock showed he has chin. Brock will take Fedor down with ease. And finsh him. If 70 or so punches by Carwin cant stop Brock. Then one hail mary swing by fedor before getting taken down sure as hell wont stop Brock.


MMA is all about match ups people. Never forget that. Carwin is the worst possible match up for Brock. And Brock still won.

In the words of Gus Johnson...................WORST............POST.............EVER.........

Only Cain and JDS would give him trouble and at this point i think he'd beat both. Barnett is the second best HW in MMA after Fedor. His stupidity and lack of decent fights are the reason he's dropped in the rankings.

Cain would beat seven shades of shit out of Barnett. He is an infintley better striker and MUCH better wrestler, much quicker and has much better cardio. Its a terrible match up for Barnett, his wrestling isn't good enough to take Cain down. On the feet its all Cain, watch Nog vs Cain and thats exactly what would happen. Only advantage Barnett has is grappling but he needs to get Cain down. He wouldn't.

JDS would be a closer fight because JDS doesn't have Cain's wrestling but he has more powerful hands and a better ground game than Cain does. It would depend if he can keep Barnett from taking down because again he is the much better striker. I'd favour JDS because of the massive speed advantage he possesses.

Lesnar would beat Barnett IMO, exactly like Cain except he is much bigger and stronger. Stnadup isn't great by either fighter but Lesnar is a better wrestler, he would take Barnett down and beat the shit out of him. Barnett's only chance is a leg lock after a Lesnar mistake ala Frank Mir.

Carwin would be a 50-50 fight, Carwin is probably a better wrestler but he has much better standup and a whole lot more power.

I'd also like to see how Barnett would do against Overoid, Werdum, Mir. Id also like to see how Barnett vs Fedor would go down.

We really dont know how Barnett stands, him and Aleks has done so much fucking about its really diaspointing. I really want to see how these two would stack up against either UFC or SF's heavies.

I agree with Paynes logic though, Cain gets shit for not putting Kongo away but Barnett hit 3 rounds on top of Yvel to stop him. Im not sold on Barnett as a top 2/3 heavy untill we see he has still got it. Even at that his generation of fighters is passing.

He isnt that old but were seeing the Nog/Crocop/Couture/Liddell/Wanderlei generation all fading stars now. I think JDS/Lesnar/Cain beat him agree with Paynes logic and that JDS is the most beatable of the bunch for him (despite thinking JDS is the most likely man to beat Brock! out of everyone)

I do think he beats Carwin, I give him credit to say he survives a round and I give him credit that if Brock can sub him he can. Carwin gasses in the 2nd Barnett taps him by the 3rd.

I think he beats Couture in a rematch, And Id love him to fight Frank Mir. I think Mir vs Barnett is the most interesting fight UFC could do with him style wise I think it would be great to see.

In SF he could well loose to the top 3 as well though!

ChelseaQuinsfan wrote:

Only Cain and JDS would give him trouble and at this point i think he'd beat both. Barnett is the second best HW in MMA after Fedor. His stupidity and lack of decent fights are the reason he's dropped in the rankings.

Cain would beat seven shades of shit out of Barnett. He is an infintley better striker and MUCH better wrestler, much quicker and has much better cardio. Its a terrible match up for Barnett, his wrestling isn't good enough to take Cain down. On the feet its all Cain, watch Nog vs Cain and thats exactly what would happen. Only advantage Barnett has is grappling but he needs to get Cain down. He wouldn't.

JDS would be a closer fight because JDS doesn't have Cain's wrestling but he has more powerful hands and a better ground game than Cain does. It would depend if he can keep Barnett from taking down because again he is the much better striker. I'd favour JDS because of the massive speed advantage he possesses.

Lesnar would beat Barnett IMO, exactly like Cain except he is much bigger and stronger. Stnadup isn't great by either fighter but Lesnar is a better wrestler, he would take Barnett down and beat the shit out of him. Barnett's only chance is a leg lock after a Lesnar mistake ala Frank Mir.

Carwin would be a 50-50 fight, Carwin is probably a better wrestler but he has much better standup and a whole lot more power.

I'd also like to see how Barnett would do against Overoid, Werdum, Mir. Id also like to see how Barnett vs Fedor would go down.

Barnett has good boxing and is the best submission wrestler in MMA. He could take Cain down using his trips and sweeps.

JDS does not have a better ground game than Cain. He might have better BJJ, but his ground game isn't close to Cain's. Barnett would take JDS down and dominate him on the ground. Standing up JDS would give him problems though.

Barnett would beat Lesnar with relative ease, better on the feet, good enough grappler to avoid getting taken down, and could take Brock down and sub him.

Barnett's only danger against Carwin is Carwin catching him with a huge shot and KOing him. He's a far far better fighter than Carwin.

Barnett has good boxing and is the best submission wrestler in MMA. He could take Cain down using his trips and sweeps.

JDS does not have a better ground game than Cain. He might have better BJJ, but his ground game isn't close to Cain's. Barnett would take JDS down and dominate him on the ground. Standing up JDS would give him problems though.

Barnett would beat Lesnar with relative ease, better on the feet, good enough grappler to avoid getting taken down, and could take Brock down and sub him.

Barnett's only danger against Carwin is Carwin catching him with a huge shot and KOing him. He's a far far better fighter than Carwin.

Barnett has decent boxing, its nothing special. He has about 5 TKOs in a +30 fight career. He has never ever shown anything like Cain's standup against Nog, even against cans. His takedowns are quite shit against anyone who knows how to defend them. In 20 minutes, he couldn't take Cro Cop down ONCE. I know Cro Cop has some of the best takedown defence ever but Wandy, who is 100 pounds less than Barnett took Cro Cop down, as has Gonzaga and a few others as well. Velasquez would keep it standing and KO him.

My mistake, I did mean to say BJJ not all round ground game. JDS vs Barnett is a 50-50 fight really, striker vs grappler.

Barnett might marginally be a better striker but he doesn't have an advantage there. Lesnar has far more power than him and it would only take one shot. Barnett doesn't have enough takedown defence to stop Lesnar's shot. Barnett has never faced a wrestler like Lesnar before as well. On the ground Lesnar probably smashes his head in, but Barnett could stop him with submission attempts.

I agree that thats Carwin's only chance but to be fair it is a very big chance. Carwin is probably the better standup fighter and he certainly has enough strength and technique to stop Barnett's takedowns. Most top HWs are far better fighters than Carwin to be fair but it doesn't mean they can beat him. He is just too big and strong for some fighters, and Barnett is probably one of them.

Cain had never shown stand-up like that before that fight either. Nonsense regarding Barnett's takedowns. Wandi took Mirko down in the first fight, when Mirko hadn't much idea what he was doing. Barnett's takedowns are more than good enough to get Cain down. And no, Cain would not KO Barnett.

JDS vs Barnett is not a 50-50 fight. JDS isn't on Barnett's level.

Barnett is a much better fighter than Brock and has a good chin and would beat him standing with ease, or sub him on the ground.

Lesnar should have been able to stop Couture taking him down, he wasn't. Barnett is MUCH better than Couture when it comes to takedowns. Cain, Brock and Carwin would end up on the ground if Barnett chose to take it there.

R.I.P Brock I'm surprised Dana has allowed this to his cash cow I would have thought they would have thrown him Couture or Mir again after seeing Lesnar against Carwin I'm convinced King Mo would kill him and out wrestle him never mind Ubereem, Barnett, Cain or Fedor beating him.