Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Headlines UFC 121 on October 23 in California
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez have agreed to meet in the main event of UFC 121 on October 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, UFC President Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting late Friday.
Returning from an illness that had sidelined him since last July, Lesnar (5-1) survived a first-round attack to submit interim title-holder Shane Carwin in the main event at UFC 116 on July 3 for his fourth-straight win.
Velasquez (8-0) remained undefeated and earned a shot at the heavyweight title by scoring a first-round TKO of former champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at February’s UFC 110.
The UFC’s fall schedule also includes “UFC 119: Mir vs. Nogueira 2” on September 25 in Indianapolis and “UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama” on October 16 in London.
For the latest UFC 121 news and UFC 121 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.
Pictured: Brock Lesnar
Tags: Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez
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Anaheim?
Really?
I knew this would happen. The UFC has been trying to market heavily to the Hispanic population. So it only makes since to have Cain challenge in So Cal. Im very happy tho, im right here in So Cal and will be getting tickets the day they come out.
Thats cool, and I hope you have a blast at the event, but with all the Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and Tejanos up from Texas living and working in and around Las Vegas, DW could have accomplished the same thing by making this title fight a “home game”…
;-)
Hell yeah so cal represent
Don’t hate b*tchez
yea i have to say i am a little surprised this fight is not happening in vegas but im kind of glad that lesnar is finally having to fight somewhere besides vegas and minnesota
Who thinks Cain will give Brock a run for his title?
Not me.
Currently CV is too small to deal with Lesnar.
His stand-up is great, but if Carwin couldn’t finish Lesnar, than CV won’t because he doesn’t hit as hard as Carwin does, but then again neither does anyone else in MMA.
CV’s a great wrestler, but not good enough to make up for a significant strength and size difference.
Finally, I haven’t seen CV demonstrate any skills in the cage that Lesnar can’t counter with either his superior reach, rapidly-improving catch-wrestling, and/or equal speed and athleticism…
i agree that is lesnar is definitley favored but i dont think it is going to be a cake walk like u are making it out to be. cain has a better chance than anybody else in the division right now (besides Carwin) and u are basically acting like cain doesnt have a snow balls chance in hell but i think he can beat him
No way Brock is as fast as Cain. No way.
The combinations that Cain bounced off the face of Nog were far and above anything he had put together against anyone else previously. Brock is a one or two punch fighter, and even those aren’t coming in too fast. Couture said he saw Brock’s big punch coming all the way, but just misjudged the distance.
I’m pretty sure Cain could bounce a one-two combo off the Champ’s chin before Lesnar could even say his first name. And it’s only one syllable.
This, of course, does not mean that I think Cain will beat Brock. However, I think if Cain can land some good combinations in the opening minute or two, and defend the obligatory Lesnar takedown attempt or two, keeping the entire first round on the feet, he could be in good position to win.
Brock is just a beast, and 116 showed that yet again. In order for Cain to win this, he’s got to “Carwin” (pummel) Brock in the 1st, and not “Carwin” (gas out) in the 2nd. I wonder if he’ll add some pounds to his frame? Physically, come fight night, I bet Brock is 40 pounds heavier than Cain. Game plan for Cain: blast Brock with some powerful leg kicks, and get a good upper-cut in when Brock shoots and take his back. Game plan for Brock: out-muscle Cain with his bigger frame, control the Octagon, and “Mir” (as in 100) him.
I think for CV key thing will be defending the take downs of Brock. He will run through the octagon like a bull. And if CV somehow capitalize it by countering a punch or knee and make brock bleed from his nose.
i do beleive that Brock did not cut weight for his Carwin encounter, which leads me to believe that he entered the ring very close to 265lbs, If i’m right, then Cain may only have to surrender 25lbs or so. Of course that is still significant.
I think he’s capable…
Thats about all I can say really
These are 2 of my fav fighters throw dos santos in ther also but i think cains got a real good chance i know he’s smaller but the guy has huge heart and his stand up is of the charts..This should be a hell of a fight i want brock to win but i wont be suprised if cain pulls the upset!…
DUDE, i live about 30 min from anaheim. my bday is november… def gonna ask for this as my present!! :) let me know asap if yall here about ticket sales please
I known Lesnar has the size and strength advantage
But don’t forget Velasquez was a National Champion divison 1 wrestler
Velasquez is the most atheltic and has the best cardio in the HW divison
Velasquez dominants fights when he gets the takedown but can he take Lesnar down?
Cain Velasquez in a great wrestler, has knockout power, has technical striking skills, speed, and also trains with one of the top teams in the American Kickboxing Academy
Im going for Velasquez , Cardio and speed kill
CV might be a NCAA D1 wrestler, but Lesnar was an NCAA D1 CHAMPION.
Can be a big difference in skill level there.
Plus he’s AT LEAST as athletic as CV, which is MORE impressive when you consider the size differential. If you think I’m kidding just check out some of the training vids his team has posted. Quite frankly its almost inhuman that a man that size and weight can do some of the things I’ve seen him do, which is why I frequently refer to him as “Neanderthalic”.
And cardio didn’t seemed to be an issue for him the one time he did go 15 minutes with Heath Herring.
Also, CV probably has a hand-speed edge, but Lesnar has greater reach and equal all-arond quickness.
Previously I would have given CV the training edge, but Lesnar is starting to roll more and more with guys like Randy Couture, and trains with the best catch-wrestler in the world, Erik Paulson.
Don’t get me wrong. I think CV is one of the best in the world. I just don’t think he’s had enough fights to learn how to deal with someone like Brock Lesnar.
If you think CV will win, thats cool.
If you’re a CV supporter, thats cool too.
I just thought you’d appreciate some more info when posting a prediction…
I agree….I like Cain, but I’d love to see him cut to 205. Hell, with his newfound chin, Lesnar may even decide to Homer Simpson Cain. :)
cain does not need to cut to lhw he is not as big as lesnar and carwin but he is not a little guy. he seems to be doing pretty decent at the weightclass he is in right now considering nobody has even gave him a challenge yet
Jcohl I always respect what you say
and what you say is true
but Im going for CV
@the zan man – and I hope you’re right, my friend.
I’m no supporter of the champ, I just think he’ll win the fight.
However I’ll be giggling like one of those middle school girls at the premiere of the new Twilight flock if Velasquez KTFOs Lesnar…
Speed off his back? i think cain will get taken down early and take some vicious gNp
And the uk lose out again…….
It wad probably just wishful thinking on my behalf but I really thought the ufc might throw us a bone with a big title fight.
But no, our main event is Bisping who chances of winning a title in his career rate somewhere between slim to none against a guy who just lost to a guy that Bisping had already beaten
I agree with jcohl..
Why are you guys crying we hardly ever have a big fight like this in suthern california….its always in canada, vegas that have the big fights….anyways I think we shouldn’t count cain out yes he is a small heavyweight but his speed striking and cardio are top notch I think he’s gonna stick and move and take brock down from time to time to keep brock guessing ala gsp I not to familiar with the wrestling divisions and stuff but I believe jchol told me before that brocks level is higher than cain…I think cains wrestling will be good enough to keep the fight standing and we all know he can take a puch we saw it vs congo I think cain cain pulls off the upset tko 3rd rnd.
This is aswome news a big fight in so cal.. I think we shouldn’t count cain out in this fight he is small compared to those beasts (carwin,lesnar) but his striking,speed,and cardio are amazing for a heavyweight I think he could fight lesnar ala gsp stick and move with precise kicks and puches and surprise takedowns to mix it up I’m not to familiar with divisions in wrestling but Mr. Jchol informed me that lesnar is higher level than cain but I think that with his striking he could get a takedown if he catches lesnar off balance and I also believe he would stop brocks takedowns with his agility and be able to stay on his feet and strike…I pick cain tko 3rd rnd
glad to see they are having fights in different places, what is it going to take to get one in st. louis? brock is gonna walk through cain but still a solid match-up. why does everyone talk about cain’s cardio, can someone give me an example of when brock has ever looked tired in the cage?
to jcohl not every fight can be in las vegas or a home game there are mma fans everywhere and i like randy couture but @ this point in his career what do you think, other than advice, he can really do to help brock train. randy is only a step or two behind chuck not getting ktfo but vera handled him and is beating mark coleman realy an accomplishment. (i know randy got decision over vera but that was b/c it was randy you and i both know he lost)
Seriously?
How could Couture help train Brock Lesnar?
Apologies in advance for the following if that was meant as a joke.
Do you mean how could Couture help train Lesnar aside from helping him with dirty boxing, applying Greco techniques in MMA, Octagon control, and fightplanning?
Also in spite of all the Greg Jackson noise, Xtreme Couture is one of the top MMA training centers on the planet.
You think that happened by accident, or because only a handful of men understand this sport at or above the level of its most decorated champion?
Sorry if that seemed overly harsh, but that one was just WAY TOO easy.
Also, “Vera handled Couture?”
Really?
Is that why Couture spent 12 1/2 out of 15 minutes of the fight imposing his will on a younger and presumably stronger fighter with better cardio?
I watched the fight repeatedly and actually timed it out, so you’re not even remotely close to accurate when you post that “Vera handled Couture”.
And THATS why Randy Couture EARNED a grinding decision over Brandon Vera.
Suggesting that he won for some other reason disrespects Couture, Vera, the cageside judges, the SAC that appoints them, the UFC, and the sport as a whole.
I’m thinking if you “like Randy Couture” you might want to re-think posting stuff like that.
Hopefully you’re all sorted on that issue as well.
As for fights of consequence dropping outside of Las Vegas, I’m of a mixed opinion.
For most of my life I’ve lived and worked in and around Las Vegas, and have sort of “grown up” with the UFC. Seeing big fights like a HW title bout take place elsewhere subjectively offends me, but objectively I understand the need for the UFC to push beyond its own backyard and run events elsewhere.
I don’t have to like it, but I’ll eventually get used to it, especially because right now I’m squatting in Reno for a variety of reasons, and I’m not sure when things will shake out and I can go back home…
And apologies again if that was too harsh.
I wasn’t trying to put you on blast or anything…
ps i have been reading the frenzy for much longer than i have been posting not questioning your knowledge at all just disagree on couture really benefitting brocks training.
After seeing Brock take those hits from Carwin, an still pullin the win off to win his belt an me 50 bucks lol, I think no one has a chance aginst Brock
No worries, friend.
I just make a habit of posting at length regarding Randy Couture given any opportunity…
;-)
yea nobody can make any kind of comment about couture that is negative on this website. it is against the law in the world of jcohl. but i do agree that saying couture cant help lesnar is absolutley ridiculous
@willyt – I’m fine with someone commenting that Couture isn’t exactly the gold standard for marital fidelity or domestic tranquility.
If someone wants to go on at length about how the Natural should probably dress more his age and less like one of those clueless college d-bags rocking walkout wear with flaming skulls, demon wings, and barbed wire chains, I won’t say a word.
There are those who make a solid point about Couture abandoning Team Quest when they needed him most to start up Xtreme Couture. I don’t necessarily agree, but their POV is as valid as mine is on that matter.
I can even understand, and in some cases agree, when the old Couture/UFC issue comes up from a few years ago, which saw Couture sit out and wherein Couture is AT LEAST as much at fault as Dana White was.
And how can anyone defend such cinematic trainwrecks as the Scorpion King 2?!
Also, if someone posts, “hey, Couture can’t hang with guys like Rua, Machida, Evans, Jackson, etc”, I may not agree, and will discuss it at length, but I’d bener definitively say that at nearly 48 years old that Couture, at least on paper, is going to lift the 205 title from Shogun Rua.
Of course in MMA anything can happen, just ask Fabricio Werdum.
But generally speaking, Couture would need a near-miracle to beat Rua or Machida.
However I reserve the right, of course within the stated posting parameters of the frenZy, to address every single post that comments disrespectfully and/or inaccurately about Randy Couture’s MMA career, which is of course the most decorated in UFC history.
The difference between me and those that rationalize specific POVs supporting other fighters is that I tend to use more facts in my response, and less stuff like a simple and unsubstantiated “I think so and so sucks” or “mah boy iz gunna lay handz on _______”.
If someone doesn’t want to support Randy Couture, thats their call. If someone is a supporter of Couture’s opponent for a specific fight, thats cool as well.
When someone posts nonsense like, “Couture isn’t that good”, or “Couture isn’t all that to MMA”, I’m going to [figuratively] hammer them every single time until they recant the comment or one of the mods waves me off, which I view as a ref stoppage.
I’ll never disrespect a mod, or the site, but at some point the trash needs to be taken out, PARTICULARLY when it involves Couture, and if I have the time and inclination, I’m more than willing and capable of doing so.
At least until a mod asks me to stop, as was recently the case on another thread.
Its nothing personal against any specific fighter, but the site has to have some baseline for factuality, and the Natural is as good a place as any to start.
Letting crap slide like “Couture’s no good” eventually leads to stuff like, “GSP sucks” or “Royce Gracie’s BJJ is only so-so”, or “Liddell and Hughes didn’t fight that much in the UFC”.
And on the main page noise like that maes the frenZy look no better than sherpup or fivepoundsof****e.
I like this site, I like almost all of the posters here, and I like the break from an otherwise crappy life the frenZy provides for me, and I’d rather not see that foodcart overturned by poor posting.
I hope that makes my position on this glass clear…
i am a fan of couture and i understand that less mma educated people make ridiculous comments about him and i understand why that angers u cuz its stupid. and honestly the only thing that u have said that regarding couture that i disagreed with and correct me if im wrong it has been a while back but when the article came out on here about shogun wanting to fight couture i said that couture did not deserve the first shot at rua and i believe u said that he did but correct me if i am wrong it has been a while. but besides that i agree with u i was just joking and referencing the fact that u cant read an article on here without a couture outburst from u of some form
James toney is gonna knock randy out with one punch
@vincent661 – you may be right, but that would be a lot worse for the sport than it would be specifically for Couture or his supporters.
We’ll eventually get over it, but James Toney in the UFC with a win over an icon will continue to drag the collective level of sportsmanship down into the toilet.
For the good of both the UFC and MMA, Toney needs to be shut up by being shut down as quickly and as violently as the Natural can manage.
Hopefully Couture will sink in a double wristlock, and crank. if the ref is a half step slow, or Toney is too stupid to tap, we’ll all be treated to a “snap”, ideally followed by Toney sharting himself in the Octagon from the pain.
Then, maybe after a long, painful walk back to the dressing room with his gekked arm held close against him, a hot mess in his fight shorts, and the derisive laughter of thousands in his ears, he’ll realize that he picked the wrong sport and wrong sportsman to disrespect.
@willyt – I won’t pretend to remember every word of every post I drop here at the frenZy, but I will say that IMO there is a difference between “deserves” a title shot and has earned a title shot.
I could understand the POV that during his current 205 run Couture has not faced enough [any] contenders to merit, or earn a title shot, however I would say that in the UFC former champions are usually held to a different standard than other contenders in a given weightclass.
But when we talk “deserves”, I’m fine with posting under my name that Randy Couture absolutely “deserves” a title shot, ESPECIALLY when the new champion specifically asked for a fight with him.
Not too many fighters still active have done as much or more for MMA in general and the UFC in particular than Couture has, so IMO he deserves whatever title consideration the UFC throws his way.
Consider it one of the perks of being in the Hall of Fame.
Also, as many of the frenZied point out, this IS also a business, and not too many fighters still active bring the PPV buys and ticket sales that the Natural does to a card.
Maybe “deserves” isn’t exactly the right word, but when it comes to BOTH the sport side and the financial side of the UFC, Dana could do worse than granting Rua his wish to fight Couture for the 205 title…
In all seriousness, how much of the credit that Couture is getting should also be given to Chuck for the three epic fights the two had? There’s no sarcasm or subtle nastiness in the question, just want your opinion.
fosho imma be there..cain gonna take it…lesnar panicks when pressured with good stand up and has shown to leave his chin out there…wresling is pretty evenly matched d1 champ vs d1 AA….size matters(haha) but cain said himself hes brought in huge guys to wrestle with and a lot training has been off his back so he should be well prepared…
sorry bout double comment i thought the first one didnt post
People wake up! Brock was getting destroyed! If Carwin didn’t gas out after only one round, he would have done the same thing to Lesnar in the second and finished him. Brock got knocked down and pretty muched covered up like a little baby. It was embarassing. It could have easily been stopped in the first round. Many UFC fights have been stopped under similiar situations. If it did, all of you would have been singing a diffrent tune. It wasn’t about Brock having a good chin. We now know he doesn’t have a good chin. A good chin is when you get punched in the face really hard and your still standing. Not when you’re on your back covering up for dear life. Please.. Brock has shown that he has heart, not a good chin. Cain is definitely big enough. 240lbs. can get the job done. Being big hasn’t worked for Carwin in his last fight and it sure didn’t make Mir the bigger better fighter he thought he became by becoming bigger. As big as Brock is, he was so close to losing that fight. If Cain manages to connect and drop Brock ( which Im sure he can) trust me, he will finish him with some ground n pound.
Brock is going to eat him alive, if Kongo had any ground defense at all, he would have defeated Cain. Kongo punished him standing up, but obviously Kongo’s biggest weakness is takedown defense.
Brock’s standup is going to keep getting better and better, and Cain won’t be taking Brock down, so I can see Brock just tiring him out in Round 1 and finishing the fight in Round 2.
yea but velasquez is not just a one dimentional fighter we have seen how much his stand up has improved since that fight so i definitley give the advantage to cain standing up
maybe machida in the co main of this card? hopefully he will be fighting franklin but i will be really surprised if it is not rampage he is fighting next. that is the only reason i can think of that rampage is not fighting lil nog now. i would personally love to see griffin rampage 2 though that was one of the greatest fights of all time IMO
While I’d love to see Lesnar dethroned and humiliated, I just don’t see a single facet of the game where Cain has an advantage over him. Carido, big heart, striking, wrestling…I’m just not seeing where he comes out on top in this match up. Prove me wrong Cain, please, prove me wrong.
Therefore, I am looking down the road and may re-tract my Lesnar PPV boycott IF we see Lesnar vs Big Country. That thought puts a big smirk on my face. Then again, there’s enough casual fans to dupe into paying for the Big Monster’s PPV’s…
Cain has better standup than Brock, by a mile. I would go so far to say that the only punches Brock’s landed while standing have been lucky. However, this fight is going to the ground in the first round. Brock is going to steamroll him.
No disrespect to Cain, but regardless of his skill or ability, he cannot and will not be able to deal with the sheer size, explosiveness, and as we saw in R1 of the Carwin fight) durability of Lesnar. Cain is very good, but not genetically gifted enough to beat Lesnar. I would LOVE to see Brock get beat by a superior fighter but no attribute Cain possesses is elite enough to overcome the sheer mass/force/animal that Brock is. Build this fight up all you want, but reality will eventually set in. None of that is even taking into account how much better this guys keeps getting – he only has 6 fights! I don’t even like the guy, but we should be in awe of his sheer potential and subsequent reign as champ.
Lesnar in Cali….
My girl’s always wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. This might be her opportunity ;)
@eldiablo – if you can work out your schedules, you definitely need to take her out to Catalina for an overnight, especially if you’ve never been.
If you decide to, hit me up and I can recommend a couple of places that won’t completely kill your bank account, but just remember, we are talking Cali here…
Cv is used to the ground and pound. He can’t win the same way that he’s won with his previous opponents against Lesnar. The weight difference as well as Cain’s lack of serious power in his punch (sorry Cain)is gonna be his major downfall. Lesnar gets on him and it’s over. He hasn’t fought anyone in their prime at his own weight let alone 265. I wish he could have fought like Mir or Carwin before taking on Lesnar, There should be a Super Heavyweight division for monsters like Brock.
We’re discussing that very thing [a super HW class] over at the forum…
Super Heavyweight division? who’s going to be there? brock, carwin, and mir? Who else?
If Brock can’t damage Cain in the first 7 minutes he will probably suffer an exhausting and embarrasing loss to Cain along the lines of a UD or a late stoppage or tapout.