Nobody Will Fight Cain Velasquez

by Michael Rome on Aug 15, 2008 1:43 AM EDT in MMA News

According to Bryan Alvarez, the UFC has still not found an opponent for Cain Velasquez at UFC 90:

UFC sources say that despite reports of Cain Velasquez vs. Antoni Hardonk for the Chicago show, as of this morning, there was no opponent for Velasquez.

Dave Meltzer recently noted that they are having a lot of trouble finding people to take fights against Velasquez. He is very good, but he has no name value yet, so fighters don't see any upside in facing him.

Fabricio Werdum, the number one contender, is supposedly booked on this show against Junior dos Santos. This fight really makes no sense at all, it's a guy that is barely known to UFC fans against another that is completely unknown. If Werdum is the top contender, he should fight Velasquez on this show.

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Comments

Velasquez isn’t known either…so no since in feeding him to the wolves so early in his career. IF he did beat Werdum…then you’d still have a relative unknown fighting for the title. I heard Ausserio Silva wanted to come back to the UFC…they should feed him to Velasquez.

http://mma4real.net/

by Tha Realness on Aug 14, 2008 9:55 PM EDT reply actions

Ausserio vs Velasquez would work. I’m going to that show, so I hope it’s someone more… now. But if that’s what’s available, it could work out. Just excited to see him fight, really.

by Blackout612 on Aug 14, 2008 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Dos Santos is a showcase fight for Werdum. I have no idea how that guy got in the UFC.

by Chris Nelson on Aug 14, 2008 10:11 PM EDT reply actions

Can

To make him look good while he waits for TUF to get over with and the winner to emerge?

by Blackout612 on Aug 14, 2008 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh no doubt, I just have literally no idea why Dos Santos would even be on the UFC’s radar. I know they’re strapped for heavyweights, but dude has never fought outside of tiny Brazilian shows and has had (from the few fights I’ve seen) mediocre wins over sub-.500 guys. He’s not a particularly tough looking guy and they probably don’t even have any usable footage for him, and I’m assuming they wouldn’t just sign him to a one-fight deal, so what do they do with him after Fabricio roughs him up? Ah well. Wonder who his manager is?

All this is beside the point – Cain Velasquez is a scary man. I don’t blame anybody for not wanting to fight him right now.

by Chris Nelson on Aug 14, 2008 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions

YouTube only has Cigano’s first two fights unfortunately, I’ll get a couple more posted before he makes his UFC debut.

1st – Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (0-0) vs. Jailson “Mestre Cabo Jai” Santos (1-4-1)
2nd – Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (1-0) vs. Eduardo Maiorino (2-5)

by Chris Nelson on Aug 14, 2008 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice

Thanks dude.

by Blackout612 on Aug 14, 2008 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions

We all know how the Boogie Man Dean Lister got his name. Everyone was scared to fight him.

by UFC-FORUMS.COM on Aug 14, 2008 10:21 PM EDT reply actions

You mean grapple him.

by N. Rodriguez on Aug 14, 2008 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions

How about Gonzaga, Carwin or Lesnar? They can always bring in someone like Monson.

by poopooplatter on Aug 15, 2008 12:09 AM EDT reply actions

Shane is someone they’re trying to build. One of them would be derailed by that fight.
Same with Lesnar. Plus he falls into the “no benefit” category.
I’m not sure what they’re doing with Napao right now…

by Simco on Aug 15, 2008 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Carwin is booked for UFC89 against Neil Wain. Gonzaga would make sense and also put Velasquez’s hype to the test.

by Scott Haber on Aug 15, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually..

What about Coleman? He refuses to fight Lesnar, but he’s gotta fight someone. I don’t believe the reports that he’s trying to fight at 205.

by Blackout612 on Aug 15, 2008 12:35 AM EDT reply actions

Not a bad idea.

But Cain is almost certain to wreak Coleman in similar fashion to Lesnar, so what’s the upside for Mark here? If he backed out of the Lesnar fight, which at least would provide the potential for a bigger payday, why would he take Velasquez?

But without a doubt, Cain is a better ‘fit’ for Mark Coleman. I’m just not sure if it’s enough of a better fit to make a difference.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Aug 15, 2008 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions

I think Coleman is afraid of being overpowered by Brock. He might be able to contend with Velasquez.

by Blackout612 on Aug 15, 2008 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, Meltzer has it straight from UFC people that he has asked to go to 205.

by Michael Rome on Aug 15, 2008 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions

That’s a whole other mess. Who does he want at 205?

by Blackout612 on Aug 15, 2008 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions

He just knows that at 205 he might be able to use his size to his advantage at least, whereas if he stays at heavyweight he pretty much needs to face Lesnar cause he was signed for that. He wants Shogun and Shogun wants him.

by Michael Rome on Aug 15, 2008 2:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Soku’s gonna be talking shit for a looooong time if that happens.

by Blackout612 on Aug 15, 2008 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Giving Coleman a no-name fight is a waste off him as a draw.
The point of him coming back is for the big dollar fights.

by Simco on Aug 15, 2008 5:08 AM EDT up reply actions

ok ok, ill put on 50 more pounds and fight him. Be ready for the fastest knockout in UFC history! My Mum always said I’d break records ;)

by Benicio on Aug 15, 2008 3:46 AM EDT reply actions

Shogun/Coleman would be a waste of time…give me Shogun/Rampage or Shogun/Sokoudjou.

http://mma4real.net/

by Tha Realness on Aug 15, 2008 8:01 AM EDT reply actions

no opponent for cain?

paging eddie sanchez

by woooburn on Aug 15, 2008 8:57 AM EDT reply actions

What about that Austrailian guy with the weird name. Sol Palieli (something like that)

by lovingmma25 on Aug 15, 2008 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Soa Palelei

Eddie Sanchez broke his face – one of his orbitals and possibly his nose, if I recall.
Not sure how long that type of thing takes to heal?

by Chris Nelson on Aug 15, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Depends on how much damage was done,

and which specific parts of the ‘orbital’ socket was broken. There are tons of really delicate bones that sit between your eyes and above your nose (I’m not talking down to anyone here, it’s just that I remember having to memorize the bones of the skull, and I still get twitchy when I hear the word ’ethmoid’). If those ones are broken, as opposed to the outer bones, then it can be quite a bit of surgery to get them correctly re-aligned. The outer section of the orbital socket is pretty straight-forward, and generally simpler to fix.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Aug 15, 2008 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions

Palelei looked awful in that fight.

by Blackout612 on Aug 15, 2008 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

He and Sanchez both. That was really disappointing.

by Chris Nelson on Aug 15, 2008 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

my bad

i didnt even realize sanchez had fought again since the palelei fight.

by woooburn on Aug 15, 2008 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d forgotten about that too. He got Hardonk’d.

by Chris Nelson on Aug 15, 2008 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions

I think a lot of people tried to forget about that one. I bet Sanchez doesn’t remember it either, but for a different reason.

by AJB on Aug 15, 2008 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Eddie Sanchez

I like Eddie, he’s a really nice guy and very conversational… I was rooting for him to win against Hardonk but it became clear that Eddie’s cardio was lacking – probably on account of taking the fight at such short notice. Eddie had guts to take on Hardonk but he suffered for it.