Event: UFC 155 Matchup: Junior dos Santos (-150) vs. Cain Velasquez (+120) – five rounds for UFC heavyweight championship Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV Time: 10 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, December 29, 2012 How to watch: Pay-Per-View 
TALE OF THE TAPE: THE FAVORITE Name: Junior dos Santos MMA Record: 15-1 UFC Record: 9-0 Age: 28 Nationality: Brazilian Height: 6-4 Weight: 239 pounds Style: Boxing Camp: Team Nogueira Strengths: Knockout power, boxing, takedown defense, Brazilan Jiu-Jitsu black belt Weaknesses: None Last 5 Fights: W – Frank Mir (TKO), W – Cain Velasquez (KO), W – Shane Carwin (UD), W – Roy Nelson (UD), W – Gabriel Gonzaga (KO) Notable Career Wins: Mir, Velasquez, Carwin, Nelson, Gonzaga, Mirko Cro Cop (SUB), Fabricio Werdum (KO), Stefan Struve (TKO) Notable Career Losses: Joaquim Ferreira (SUB) Notable Career Achievements: Current UFC heavyweight champion Keys to Victory: Keep the fight standing, land the knockout punch, defend the takedown TALE OF THE TAPE: THE UNDERDOG Name: Cain Velasquez MMA Record: 10-1 UFC Record: 8-1 Age: 30 Nationality: American Height: 6-1 Weight: 240 pounds Style: Wrestling Camp: American Kickboxing Academy Strengths: Wrestling, cardio, ground and pound, takedowns, knockout power Weaknesses: Chin, striking defense Last 5 Fights: W – Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (TKO), L – Junior dos Santos (KO), W – Brock Lesnar (TKO), W – Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (KO), W – Ben Rothwell (KO) Notable Career Wins: Silva, Lesnar, Nogueira, Rothwell, Cheick Kongo (UD) Notable Career Losses: Junior dos Santos (KO) Notable Career Achievements: Former UFC heavyweight champion Keys to Victory: Get the takedown, work the ground and pound, keep the chin tucked, don’t attempt to stand and trade with Junior FIGHT BREAKDOWN, PREDICTION, PICK & BET It’s the fight we’ve all been waiting for, as UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and former champ Cain Velasquez are set to collide in the main event of UFC 155. The bout is a rematch of the pair’s first fight, which took place at UFC on FOX 1, when dos Santos knocked out Velasquez in 64 seconds to win the title on November 12, 2011. Since that time, dos Santos has defended his belt once against Frank Mir at UFC 146 last May while Velasquez also picked up a big win over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva on the same card to become the No. 1 contender with Alistair Overeem still out due to a drug suspension. The fight between dos Santos and Velasquez comes down to one question: Can dos Santos stop the takedown? We all know that Velasquez will be looking to take this fight to the mat to work his wrestling and his ground and pound, and dos Santos is going to do everything he can to keep the fight standing and use his superior striking to score the knockout blow. Velasquez, who is known for his cardio, will be relentless with his takedown attempts. However, dos Santos has shown incredible takedown defense so far in his UFC career, and he’s a BJJ black belt, so even if the fight does hit the mat, he has promised he can score the submission victory. If the fight stays standing, there’s no doubt that dos Santos has the edge. While both men possess big-time power, dos Santos has some of the best boxing in the sport of MMA today, and if Velasquez doesn’t protect himself, the result of their first meeting could happen yet again. That’s why Velasquez needs to get the takedowns – he needs to get dos Santos on his back, and he needs to do everything he can to win this fight and get his belt back. But dos Santos will surely have something to say about that. Adam’s Fight Prediction: Junior dos Santos will have 25 minutes to land one punch on Cain Velasquez and put his lights out. In my opinion, he’s going to do just that, finishing the former champ yet again while cementing his place as the undisputed No. 1 heavyweight in the world. Adam’s Pick: Junior dos Santos (-150) via TKO click for the latest (click for the latest UFC odds). Adam’s Recommended Play: Junior dos Santos should win this fight, and I will be betting him.
