Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: In his UFC Title rematch with Junior dos Santos, will Cain Velasquez fare better, worse, or the same?
May 30, 2012 - 8:50:53 PM

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In the rematch with JDS, will Cain Velasquez fare better, worse, or the same as in their first fight?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Damned if I know. The simple fact is, we don't know how injured Cain Velasquez was on November 12, 2011, and it is doubtful we ever will. We also don't know how much of a factor said possible injury may or may not have been. All I do know is that if in fact Cain was damaged goods (and there's no reason to think he was close to 100%), he'll be the toughest test of dos Santos' career. So, all of that aside, I think a healthy JDS beats a healthy Velasquez seven out of ten times. But will the rematch be one of the seven, or one of the three? Damned if I know.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I want to give Cain the benefit of the doubt and assume that he'll change his strategy for this fight. However, I don't think that will matter and he'll still lose. I think Cain will do better in this fight, but he still comes up short. JDS is the best boxer in the heavyweight division, and I think that is too much for Cain to overcome.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I think that Velasquez is very deserving of this title shot. Besides Overeem, he is the only other realistic threat to the heavyweight belt. In order for him to win the title, he must do something that no other fighter has been able to do: Get JDS to the ground and keep him there. I think that Velasquez will last longer in the second fight, but ultimately the outcome will be the same as the first. JDS will eventually knock Velasquez out.


GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Cain will do FAR better in the rematch, dethroning JDS and restoring his dominance as the best heavyweight in the world. He will not be injured, he'll be properly trained and JDS is in for the first beating of his life. Cain is the real deal and in the end/into the near future we will see that.


BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Is it even possible for him to fare worse? I think Velasquez's problem started with his lack of initiative to take JDS down and he got wrecked for it. I honestly believe that Cain can defeat Junior, but I also believe that it will take every ounce of energy he has and most likely be a late submission or a decision. The fight will hopefully deliver what we hoped for the first time and not be a 64 second flash KO finish that leaves us all rolling our eyes. Short answer; he will fare better, much better and win the title back.


ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Cain Velasquez will fare better in his rematch with Junior Dos Santos. It's almost impossible for him to fare worse.


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

If Cain Velasquez fights at 100%, without injury, he has more of a chance than anyone else in the UFC heavyweight division to beat Junior dos Santos. He looked exceptional on Saturday night, and as motivated, if not more so than when he took the belt from Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. It's common knowledge that both he and JDS were carrying injuries last November, so any rematch between the two is an intriguing proposition with questions still unanswered. I would still be inclined to put my money on JDS to get a second win, but I'd be very skeptical of saying it would end as quickly as 64 seconds the next time.


JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

There's absolutely no way to tell how JDS and Cain Velasquez will match up in the rematch; that's probably what makes the fight so exciting. We've seen Velasquez excel on the feet against lesser strikers and we've seen him effortlessly take down and assault fighters who are deficient in the wrestling department.

The one time Velasquez fought a striker that he couldn't just throw around, he lost in 64 seconds; as Joe Rogan stated on the UFC 146 broadcast, that's all we know so far. No one has been able to force "Cigano" to fight off of his back in the UFC, and it's not for a lack of trying. JDS has proven exceedingly difficult to take down and has demonstrated the hips, instinct and explosive capability to get back to his feet when he is taken down.

I have no idea what Velasquez is actually going to be able to get done in the rematch, but I just hope we get to see the sport's two premier heavyweights square off for more than 64 seconds this time.

[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]