UFC on Fox Primer: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos

UFC® on Fox Weigh-In at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Friday, November 11, 2011 in Santa Monica, CA. (Photos by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) via UFC.com

In the main event of UFC on Fox 1, Cain Velasquez (9-0; 7-0 UFC) faces Junior dos Santos (13-1; 7-0 UFC). This fight is for Cain's UFC Heavyweight championship, and is the only televised fight on the card. It's also a clash between the top two Heavyweight fighters in the world according to the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, where Velasquez is ranked #1 and dos Santos #2. The card airs on Fox on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

This is an interesting fight where the actual fight itself has taken something of a backseat to the business ramifications. Which, in many ways, is entirely understandable. This is a very important historic fight. It's the UFC's first foray onto Fox, and network television. We've also been promised a new look with a more sports-oriented presentation. In short, it's the dawn of a new era, and fans are excited to see what it brings. As for the fight itself - it's the top two Heavyweight fighters in the world clashing for the title. The two men hold only 1 loss between them, and both have steamrolled through all their UFC competition. This is going to be good.

How do these two stack up?

Velasquez: 29 years old | 6'1" | 77" reach
dos Santos: 27 years old | 6'3" | 77" reach

What have these two done recently?

Velasquez: W - Brock Lesnar (TKO) | W - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (KO) | W - Ben Rothwell (TKO)
dos Santos: W - Shane Carwin (UD) | W - Roy Nelson (UD) | W - Gabriel Gonzaga (KO)

How did these two get here?

Cain Velasquez won the Heavyweight title a year ago. Injury sidelined him during the first part of this year, but that turned out to be somewhat advantageous as it put him in position for this fight. The champion is a perfect 9-0. Of those 9 fights, only 1 has gone to a decision, and that was the only fight where he ever looked in danger. He is a superb wrestler with incredible cardio and drive. He's added a top notch striking game to that wrestling to become a dangerous fighter in every aspect. If there's a weakness, it's the fact that he has been hit and hurt.

Cigano, Junior dos Santos, is also undefeated in the UFC. He's a bit more one-dimensional than Velasquez, but it's quite a dimension. Dos Santos is a striker, and primarily a boxer. His strategy is simple - keep the fight standing and land those bombs in his fists on the champion. He's used those heavy hands to obliterate Fabricio Werdum, to break the face of Mirko Cro Cop, and to savagely beat down Shane Carwin among others. Cigano is the epitome of a fighter who can end his opponent's night in an instant, but he's also ready to keep up the pressure and wear his opponent down over multiple rounds. This is his first 5 round title fight.

Why should you care?

It's an incredibly close fight between two of the best in the world, competing for the sport's top honor. And it's free. Hopefully this is one that new fans do tune in for, because they won't be disappointed.

More UFC on Fox preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos

UFC on Fox: Cain Velasquez Vs. Junior Dos Santos Weigh In Highlight Videos - Matthew Roth

UFC on Fox: Clay Guida Vs. Ben Henderson For Number One Contender - Matthew Roth

UFC on Fox Weigh-In Results: Velasquez - 249, Dos Santos - 239 - Tim Burke

UFC on Fox 1: Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson Dissection - Dallas Winston

UFC on Fox 1: Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza Dissection - Dallas Winston

UFC on Fox: Saying Goodbye to Gladiator Man With an Examination of Gladiatorial History

UFC Sells Out Advertising Space for Debut on Fox, Attracts Big Name Sponsors - Leland Roling

UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs dos Santos Staff Picks and Predictions

UFC on Fox: For Champions, What A Difference Five Years Can Make - Josh Nason

UFC on Fox: Cain Velasquez Career Retrospective Part 3 - Fraser Coffeen