In one of the evening's more relevant bouts on the UFC 104 main card, potential future contender Cain Velasquez (6-0, 4-0 UFC) will battle former IFL Heavyweight champion Ben Rothwell (30-6, 0-0 UFC) in a bout that will determine if Velasquez will earn a title shot against the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin or prove that Rothwell has what it takes to compete against the best talent in the UFC's heavyweight division. Velasquez easily has more to lose in this match-up, but it's a chance for him to prove his mettle against a seasoned veteran like Rothwell. Rothwell, on the other hand, stands to gain some considerable exposure and hype if he can defeat Velasquez, and he will most assuredly derail Velasquez's run to the top of the division.

Velasquez enters the contest with an undefeated record of six victories with his most recent coming at UFC 99 against French Muay Thai/kickboxer Cheick Kongo. He was vaulted into the UFC after only two professional fights due to the huge hype surrounding him as possibly being the next great heavyweight fighter. He was a two-time All-American wrestler for Arizona State while also picking up a National Junior College championship at Iowa Central Community College, which also housed Joe Soto and Jon Jones. Combine that with his power and you have the essentials for a dominating heavyweight that has the potential to be a champion.

Rothwell's progression to the UFC took the long winding road instead. Eight years and thirty-seven fights later, he'll make his debut on Saturday against a much less experienced opponent in Velasquez. He has trained under Pat Miletich for years, and he's been training with Duke Roufus for this match-up. He possesses a very well-rounded game that mostly relies on sprawling against opponents to punish them with his hands. His bread and butter comes in the striking department, but he also has the size, strength, and wrestling ability to defend takedowns and put guys on their backs as well.

The key for Rothwell is to maintain his distance, throw his jabs, and keep this fight on the feet in order to pepper Velasquez with shots. I don't see Rothwell being able to finish off Velasquez, but I do see a way for him to win each round by using his size and reach. The problem with that strategy is that it relies completely on Rothwell's takedown defense, which isn't great. He isn't a horrible grappler by any means, but he's going to find it increasingly difficult to do anything on his back against such a highly credentialed wrestler as the fight wears on.

While Cain may have some weaknesses in the striking department, Rothwell has yet to make the strides in his stand-up game to give Cain a dose of Cheick Kongo-level power. Cain's takedowns will wear on Rothwell, and he'll likely implement the same gameplan we saw against Kongo on the floor. For Rothwell, the fight really hinges on his takedown defense and an improvement in his striking, and I'm just not sure he has enough skill to pull off the upset.