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Working under the assumption that Alistair Overeem defeats Bigfoot Silva in February, how do you think Cain Velasquez matches up with him after recapturing the UFC Heavyweight Championship?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
The UFC sure liked to sell Junior dos Santos as having all this one-punch KO power, but then why did he also lead the HW division with career knockdowns? Sounds like he has knockdown power more so than knockout power, no? Alistair Overeem is a slower yet more well rounded striker than Junior dos Santos. He's also a hell of a lot more experienced than dos Santos. And there's not one person on the face of the Earth that believes Overeem can't knock out anybody with one strike. That said, I don't see how he keeps Velasquez off of him. Ask me again in June, but as of now, in the afterglow of Velasquez's evisceration of dos Santos, I think Velasquez destroys Overeem.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think he matches pretty well. I could see either guy winning as I feel it's pretty close between them. A lot of it depends on if Overeem shows up to fight. It would be an exciting fight, I think.
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I think that Cain Velasquez will do just fine against Alistair Overeem. Seeing that Overeem is your basic heavy handed striker, Velasquez should have problem employing the basic, if not same, game plan that won him back the championship against Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez has this fight easily.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I was thinking before UFC 155 that JDS matched up much better against Overeem. After the way Cain dominated JDS I am a firm believer that he can dictate where any fight takes place. Dominating wrestlers can keep the fight standing or take the fight to the ground. JDS was one of the best all time at keeping fights standing. Cain destroyed him and took him down at will. Overeem is well known as the best known kick boxer of all time in MMA. I think that Cain showed that he can take anyone down in MMA. I think that this is a fight that Cain can and will win. I think that Cain will take Overeem down and win by ground and pound.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
The biggest hole in Overeem's game is his chin; he's been knocked silly by guys much smaller and weaker than Cain Velasquez. I think it looks like a fantastic striking exchange on paper but after the dismantling of dos Santos this past weekend I don't think things look to be going in Overeem's favor. Sure, he's got a good submission game and some of the most powerful all around striking in the division, but how is someone going to handle the Cain Velasquez that showed up at UFC 155? He looked like an entirely new kind of monster who pushed forward, took down and beat the crap out of the former champion. Overeem could pull it off with that one lucky punch, kick or submission, but honestly I think Cain wipes the mat with Overeem and walks through the rest of the division at it stands.
[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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