UFC 121 is confirmed and one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights of the year will be underway on October 23, 2010.

Champion Brock Lesnar the four-time All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota will be headlining the main event vs. Cain Velasquez who is looking to take his belt and become the first man to knock him out.

“Throughout fighting history, there has never been a Mexican heavyweight champion, but at UFC 121, Velasquez will try to make history and become the first,” UFC President Dana White said. “To do that though, he must defeat the baddest man on the planet, UFC heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.”

Valasquez has already made short work out of the heavyweight division and promises to make the most of his first shot at the title.

After being sidelined for a year, Brock proved he had overcome the severe illness diverticulitis with a submission victory over a very tough and undefeated Shane Carwin.

In that fight, Carwin was overwhelming Lesner for most of the first round but Lesner kept his composure while intelligently defending himself making it through the round. At the start of round two, the heavyweights looked across the octagon at each other and smiled, then Lesner winked and round two was underway. Lesner took Carwin down and showed some jiu-jitsu skills, submitting Carwin with a serious arm triangle choke for the great come from behind victory. With that win, Lesner showed fight fans that he not only belongs in the UFC, but he is here to stay.

In UFC 121, Lesnar (5-1) and fighting out of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. will be making his third title defense and, if successful, will tie Tim Sylvia for the most heavyweight title defenses.

“I’m looking forward to getting right back in the Octagon. After the long layoff, my last fight was just an appetizer.” – Lesnar

“I’m still hungry. I’m in great condition and the timing couldn’t be better. Cain Velasquez is undefeated and he’s the legitimate No. 1 contender, but he’s not the guy that is going to take my UFC heavyweight title.  It’s not his time; it’s my time.  I’m coming to California to defend my crown, and on October 23rd, I’ll be walking out of the Octagon with my hand raised and the belt around my waist. Cain will be leaving with his first loss. It’s as simple as that.”

Velasquez is no stranger to the MMA fight game. He earned his shot at the belt with an impressive knockout of all-time great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110, but has been idle since February awaiting the outcome of the Lesnar-Carwin matchup.

The California native’s previous win came over “Big” Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. At 8-0 as a pro, Cain is the 20th fighter to fight for a UFC title with less than 10 professional fights. Of the 19 previous fighters, only four were successful in winning the title and interestingly, all were heavyweight fighters. Much like Lesnar, Velasquez was an outstanding collegiate wrestler, as he was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University. His speed and power may be the keys to a victory over Lesnar, as Velasquez has been very successful in using his athleticism to beat bigger foes throughout his career.

“I feel honored to be fighting for the heavyweight title against Brock,” Velasquez said. “He is a great fighter with a lot of size and is super athletic. This will be a great fight with a lot of action and it means a lot to me to be fighting for the title in L.A., close to my hometown.  I will have a lot of people behind me cheering me on.”

Also, fresh off his destruction of Dan Henderson, Jake Shields enters the UFC, and he’s got his sights set on the welterweight title, but he’s got to get by Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann first.

After establishing an impressive international reputation, Jake Shields (fighting out of San Francisco, Calif. with a 25-4-1 record) has made the transition to the Octagon to test his skills against the best fighters in the world. Shields’ resume is an impressive one, as he has been successful in defeating Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Robbie Lawler and former PRIDE champion and UFC veteran Dan Henderson. Shields’ signing has been highly anticipated by the MMA community and his first fight will be a true test to where he stands in the welterweight division.

An established fighter with the UFC, Martin Kampmann (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.with a 17-3 record) is riding a two fight win streak, and has also won four of his last five. Overall in the UFC, “The Hitman” has compiled a record of 8-2, dating back to August of 2006. The Denmark native has tremendous knockout power and an underrated ground game, which could prove to be a tough combination for Shields.

Diego Sanchez (fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.with a 23-4 record) made his UFC debut on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Kenny Florian to win a contract with the organization. The “Nightmare” was successful in the welterweight division, but chose to move to lightweight where he fought for the championship against BJ Penn. Sanchez has since moved back to the welterweight division, as well as back to Greg Jackson’s camp, where he hasn’t trained since he fought Josh Koscheck in 2007.

Special ops police officer Paulo Thiago (fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil with a 13-2 record) made a splash in the welterweight division in 2009 when he defeated Josh Koscheck via first round knockout. Thiago has only five UFC fights in his career however he has proven to be a tough opponent with an iron chin. The submission specialist will be a formidable opponent for Sanchez in a matchup that will help two fighters realize their position within the welterweight division.

One of the most recognizable figures in the MMA community, Tito Ortiz (fighting out of Huntington Beach, Calif. with a 16-7-1 record) is at an interesting place in his storied career. The “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will be taking on his pupil from the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, Matt Hamill, and while Ortiz has dealt with some recent adversity due to injuries, the former world champion is healthy and firing on all cylinders in his quest to beat “The Hammer” and get his title back.  

Matt Hamill (fighting out of Utica, N.Y. by way of Loveland, Ohio (10-2) has been flying under the radar recently and quietly putting together a four fight win streak. Impressive victories over Mark Munoz and Keith Jardine, coupled with a DQ victory over Jon Jones, have elevated Hamill to the upper echelon of the light heavyweight division. His status as a three-time Division III NCAA wrestling champion, as well as a two time world champion in freestyle wrestling, has helped “The Hammer” avoid 90% of total takedowns, as he continues to develop his standup technique. 
Making his debut at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale, Brendan Schaub (fighting out of Denver with a 7-1 record) has been victorious in his last two fights, most recently at UFC 116 when he defeated Chris Tuchscherer via first round KO. A former Golden Gloves champion, “The Hybrid” has obtained a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which will help elevate his status in the heavyweight division.

Another fighter who is at a crossroads in his career is Gabriel Gonzaga who is fighting out of Ludlow, Mass. with an 11-5 record. Coming off tough battles with two of the division’s best in Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin, Gonzaga has seven wins in the UFC and has not been shy to fight top competition, as he has also fought Mirko Cro Cop, Fabricio Werdum and Randy Couture.

Used with permission of the author.

Scott Medeiros is a Florida-based MMA fighter and sportswriter covering the sport. For a competitor/fan’s point of view and pre and post fight info, updates, and the latest buzz surrounding MMA, follow Scott on Sports Climax. In addition to contributing to Sports Climax, his material can also be found on American Top Team’s website. Email Scott @ skizberry@aol.com.

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