UFC 121: San Jose's Cain Velasquez takes belt from Lesnar

Oct-24-2010, 04:07 AM

Velasquez stuns Lesnar, claims UFC title

By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports
3 hours, 33 minutes ago

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ANAHEIM, Calif. – Cain Velasquez weathered an early storm from Brock Lesnar and proved why he has long been regarded as one of the top prospects in the sport, pounding Lesnar in a stunningly brutal and one-sided fight to win the UFC heavyweight championship at the Honda Center in the main event of UFC 121.

Cain Velasquez made quick work of former champion Brock Lesnar.
(Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images)
Velasquez hurt Lesnar with nearly every punch he threw and knocked him down several times. After the final knockdown, Velasquez pounded him with elbows and punches before referee Herb Dean stopped it at 4:12 of the first.

“He was better than me tonight,” Lesnar said.

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Lesnar roared out of his corner and threw a knee, but Velasquez answered with a hard combination that opened a small gash under Lesnar’s left eye. After they grappled briefly, Lesnar took Velasquez down hard.

Velasquez, though, was calm and worked back to his feet quickly. After one more Lesnar takedown, he bounced up and began letting his hands go. He battered the retreating Lesnar all over the ring, pummeling him with hard shots until Dean halted it.

Jake Shields won his UFC debut, but struggled to get it, pulling off a split decision over Martin Kampmann. Shields seemed to be completely gassed by the middle of the second round and struggled to do much in the final seven or eight minutes.

But judges had it 30-27 and 29-28 for Shields and 29-28 for Kampmann, apparently qualifying Shields for a shot at the winner of the welterweight title bout at UFC 124 on Dec. 11 between champion Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck. Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, Dave Doyle and Dave Meltzer all had it 29-28 Kampmann.

Kampmann never let his hands go, and that may have hurt him with the judges. But Shields was breathing hard, looking at the clock and appearing to try to stall over the final few minutes of the match.

Diego Sanchez was coming off a pair of bad losses, to then-lightweight champion B.J. Penn and to John Hathaway, and he seemed to be written off as a contender. But after a slow start against Paulo Thiago, it was vintage Sanchez the rest of the way.

In a high-action fight, Sanchez won the last two rounds on all three cards in a high-energy match to take a unanimous decision. Sanchez was flipped by Thiago in the second, got up and slammed Thiago hard. He dominated the fight after that point and won by scores of 30-26, 29-28 and 29-28.

“I was very humbled by the last two losses,” said Sanchez, who returned to train with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M. “My motto for this camp was ‘Just earn it.’ “

And earn it he did with a high-energy performance that had the large crowd roaring its approval.

Matt Hamill got an emotional victory over his former coach on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Tito Ortiz, scoring a unanimous decision that puts the future of the former UFC light heavyweight champion in question.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_yl...ufcearly102310

**Les** · Oct-27-2010, 05:54 PM

Good.I can't stand Lesnar.

Oh,and he had a run in with the Undertaker in the stands after the match.

**vandelay industries** · Oct-27-2010, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Les

Good.I can't stand Lesnar.

Oh,and he had a run in with the Undertaker in the stands after the match.

Yup.

http://withleather.uproxx.com/2010/1...ertakers-music

The fight itself on Saturday wasn't that great, but it was still very exciting just because of how pumped up everybody was. I watched it for free online Saturday night.

Oct-27-2010, 06:52 PM

Everyone was pretty stunned.

I'm glad Brock lost because I hate the guy's cocky attitude- but I actually give him credit for doing so well without really being in the sport that long and without completely rounded mma skills. He is basically gotten by on being strong and fast and he beat guy's like Mir and Couture so that is something to hang your hat on.

**Les** · Oct-27-2010, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by sjdrewk

Everyone was pretty stunned.

I'm glad Brock lost because I hate the guy's cocky attitude- but I actually give him credit for doing so well without really being in the sport that long and without completely rounded mma skills. He is basically gotten by on being strong and fast and he beat guy's like Mir and Couture so that is something to hang your hat on.

Very true.I guess an argument could be made for him beating a Randy Couture on the tail end of his career though,but still.

Oct-27-2010, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by Les

Very true.I guess an argument could be made for him beating a Randy Couture on the tail end of his career though,but still.

Exactly, if at all possible I try to give Brock Lesnar as little credit as possible. But I have to be fair about it too- you're right, Couture is at the end of his career and is about to retire but at the time he was the champ and very viable....and it is Randy we are talking about so credit to Brock where it is due- but at the same time, the only reason why Brock beat Randy is because Brock is a freak of nature, with ungodly strength and speed for his size and a NCAA wrestling champ. He outweighed Randy by 50,000 lbs.!....and he is a big ape that can hit like a ton of bricks. lol

**Les** · Oct-27-2010, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by sjdrewk

Exactly, if at all possible I try to give Brock Lesnar as little credit as possible. But I have to be fair about it too- you're right, Couture is at the end of his career and is about to retire but at the time he was the champ and very viable....and it is Randy we are talking about so credit to Brock where it is due- but at the same time, the only reason why Brock beat Randy is because Brock is a freak of nature, with ungodly strength and speed for his size and a NCAA wrestling champ. He outweighed Randy by 50,000 lbs.!....and he is a big ape that can hit like a ton of bricks. lol

Totally agree!!!

Oh,and I still HATE Tito Ortiz.