Velasquez back in swing after first UFC loss
A 64-second knockout in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on network television in November earned Junior dos Santos the heavyweight title and propelled him to stardom.
Former champion Cain Velasquez was on the receiving end of that right hand and he surrendered the belt after suffering his first career defeat at UFC on Fox 1 in Anaheim, Calif.
“At first, it just sucked,” Velasquez said. “I just had to pull myself together and started watching film to see what I did wrong and just tried to learn from it. That’s all you can do. You can’t dwell on it. You have to move forward and work on getting back in there again.”
The 29-year-old former two-time all-American wrestler at Arizona State will finally get the chance to put the loss behind him May 26 when he faces Antonio Silva at UFC 146 at the MGM Grand Garden. It is part of the first all-heavyweight main card in the organization’s history.
The card has undergone major alterations since its original announcement. Alistair Overeem was supposed to be dos Santos’ first title challenger, but was denied a license to fight after an out-of-competition drug test showed elevated levels of testosterone. Frank Mir, who was supposed to fight Velasquez, was moved into the main event to challenge for the belt.
Velasquez said he is fine with being passed over for a second shot at dos Santos.
“I feel like it made more sense for Frank to move up. He’s on a three-fight winning streak. I’ll get back there sooner or later, so it’s really no problem for me,” said Velasquez, who is not sure where he stands in the title picture. “With Mir, I would have been one win away. Now, nobody has said anything. I’m just going in there trying to fight a good fight and we’ll just see what happens.”
One thing Velasquez is not going to do is panic and change up a lot of things in his camp after his loss to dos Santos.
“We’re still doing the same things,” he said. “It was one punch. It happened so quick. It shows how close these fights are. One little mistake and it’s all over.”
While Velasquez doesn’t mind waiting to fight dos Santos, he said he definitely wants another chance against the Brazilian, whether it’s for the title or not.
UFC 146 will go a long way in determining how the heavyweight division shapes up. A win would put Velasquez in good position to get another crack at dos Santos. For now, he’s looking forward to the weight class being in the spotlight.
“It’s going to be a great card,” he said. “The UFC has never really done this before. People love seeing heavyweights fight and I do, too. It should be really fun.”
■ DIAZ HAS DAY IN COURT – UFC welterweight contender Nick Diaz on Monday was denied an injunction to have his suspension lifted and prevent the Nevada Athletic Commission from imposing any further penalties.
The ruling by Clark County District Court Judge Rob Bare opens the door for Diaz’s case to be heard at the commission’s next meeting on May 21 in Las Vegas.
Ross Goodman, Diaz’s Las Vegas-based attorney, argued the NAC violated the fighter’s due process rights by exceeding the 45-day limit to determine the outcome of a summary suspension. Diaz was suspended when his drug test immediately after a Feb. 4 loss to Carlos Condit showed marijuana metabolites in his system.
NAC executive director Keith Kizer said Diaz’s case has not been heard because the NAC was giving the fighter and his camp time to produce a medical marijuana card to his attorney, at Goodman’s request.
Future delays will be documented in writing, Kizer said.
■ FUEL TV CARD TONIGHT – Rising UFC star Dustin Poirier attempts to extend his five-fight winning streak tonight when the 23-year-old takes on “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, in the five-round main event of UFC on Fuel TV 3 at Fairfax, Va., with a possible featherweight title shot at stake.
Also, Donald Cerrone faces Jeremy Stephens in a battle of lightweight brawlers, and middleweights Jason MacDonald and Tom Lawlor square off.
The card airs live at 5 p.m. on Fuel (Cable 319), with the preliminary card streaming live on Facebook.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.
