Velasquez vs. Dos Santos III – An Ideal Trilogy
By Christopher Jester
Saturday’s UFC 160 made sure that Cain Velasquez versus Junior dos Santos III was inevitable. After both men finished their opposition, no fight makes more sense for two of the greatest heavyweights in the world. Although the two will face each other for the third time within two years, it is this sort of clash that highlights why the UFC is still the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world. Only in the Octagon can you find the best fighters fighting at the highest level and for championship gold for the third time in such a pivotal match-up.
A rivalry that began November 12, 2011 on the inaugural UFC on FOX card, UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez met the Brazilian Junior “Cigano” dos Santos. Dos Santos would end the fight in the first round with a clipping overhand and the rest was history. Dos Santos celebrated the victory, whereas Cain Velasquez promised that he would get back to the title and win it back. Little did we know at the time that this promise was not just empty words.
After demolishing Antonio “Big Foot” Silva at UFC 146, Velasquez had proven just how motivated he was to get back to the title he had lost in his previous fight. On that same card, Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos won his first title defense against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir via strikes in the second round. Both of their impressive victories set up what was destined to be their rematch.
The second fight took place on December 29, 2012 at UFC 155 and it could not have gone any more different than the first fight. A healthy and reinvigorated Cain Velasquez applied the pressure on the champion and dropped him in the first round with strikes. This would continue over the five championship required rounds, where Velasquez bruised and demolished Dos Santos en route to an unanimous decision victory that saw Velasquez reclaim his UFC title.
UFC 160 was very similar to UFC 155. The champion was in the main event and the former champion was in the co-main event. Each won by KO or TKO. Each was impressive enough to warrant a rematch. The third fight to this trilogy was ready to commence.
What makes this trilogy so exciting is that by its end it will define who is the best heavyweight in the world. Both fighters have been as near infallible as one can get. Each were undefeated in the UFC before they met one another, and each had thoroughly dispatched their opposition while rising to the top of the heavyweight division. Their rematches to get back to the previous winner was impressive enough to remove all doubts if this was the fight to make. Velasquez and Dos Santos III is going to be a fight for the history books.
Very few trilogies has this much merit to them. Most trilogies in the fight business is just as much about pride as it is about anything else. The Tito Ortiz/Ken Shamrock trilogy is the perfect example of this. Shamrock clearly hated losing to Ortiz and would go on to lose all three fights in the trilogy. The same cannot be said about the forthcoming Velasquez/Dos Santos III. Sure they may not like losing, but it is about much more than that.
Winning that championship gold and being the best in the world is what defines this trilogy over some of the others. Championship trilogies are rare in the UFC, with the only other two being the Chuck Liddell/Randy Couture trilogy and the Tim Sylvia/Andrei Arlovski trilogy. Liddell would end up being the best light-heavyweight in the world after those subsequent victories, and Tim Sylvia was simply the best in a heavyweight division that was not as talented as it is currently.
Usually, the UFC elects to wait for the dust to settle to determine if any other contenders are available but this is not the sort of time to posture. With everyone vying for the number three spot, Velasquez and Dos Santos appear to always rank number one or number two. Even with a loss, will this change? They are simply in a class of their own in the heavyweight division right now. These two are clearly the best in the heavyweight division and are primed to take on their third match-up to decide just who is the better fighter. With the fight proposed for later this year, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos’ rematch will close a book on one of the better trilogies that has ever graced the Octagon.
Dana White: Cain vs JDS III “A No-Brainer”
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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