I just don't get it. It seems that there's been a vocal contingent that have been amped about this fight for months. Why? Cain was knocked out in just over one minute on network television less than one year ago. Since then, he has only managed one win, and one fight. Yes, he mauled Bigfoot and yeah, Bigfoot is pretty legit...but he was also a UFC debutant who had just been brutally knocked out in his previous bout by Daniel Cormier. Beating Bigfoot shouldn't guarantee a UFC titleshot. Is Bigfoot vs. Browne a title eliminator for Browne as well? Of course not.

Beating Bigfoot only matters because it was Cain who did it. But why? It seems that the running argument is that Cain should get such a fast rematch because he didn't look like himself when he fought JDS. He was slow, he may have been injured, etc. Since when was "having an off night" or not being at 100% legitimate grounds for another crack at the title within a year and with little to nothing done in the interim to justify it? Moreover, JDS himself was also injured going into that fight, stating that his knee wasn't right and that he was lucky to not have gone into the deeper rounds. I'm sorry, but JDS/Cain II in 2012 is not a good fight and, quite frankly, it's a crock.

It seems the only grounds for it are:

1) Cain looked off in November.
2) Overeem got caught cheating.

Off-nights are part of the fight game, as are going in at less than 100%. JDS when in to that fight less than 100% as well. It shouldn't be sufficient grounds to warrant such a quick rematch. The idea that a fighter should get a quick rematch simply because his performance didn't live up to expectations is, frankly, ludicrous.

As for the second grounds....well, that has more to do with convenience than actually being deserving, doesn't it? And really, if we're talking rematches with JDS, Fabricio Werdum is far more deserving than Cain. Unlike Cain, Werdum is on a winning streak and has never fought for the UFC title. Unlike Cain, Werdum's fight with JDS was in 2008 and not 2011. Of course, Werdum also made the mistake of underestimating JDS who was, at that time, a complete and total unknown who Werdum took lightly. He fought a totally unknown JDS, who took him by surprise, and he lost. Since then, he's left the UFC, handed Fedor his first lost, and strung together a whole bunch of quality wins, and now he's back in the UFC, with his old nemesis having gone from unknown to champion. That's a far better narrative than "almost immediate rematch because Velasquez had an off night and should get another chance."

So yeah, this wasn't really so much of a post as it is me letting off steam. I just can't comprehend the fans who have been spending the majority of the year desperately hankering for JDS/Cain II.