The UFC has a new heavyweight champion, as Cain Velasquez brutalized Brock Lesnar to win a first-round technical knockout Saturday at UFC 121.The fight wasn't close, as Velasquez showed vastly superior technique and unloaded on Lesnar on the ground until Lesnar's face was a bloody mess and referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
"I trained for a five-round fight and that's what I was hoping for," Velasquez said afterward. "I wasn't expecting this. You can't expect a first-round stoppage."
Velasquez improved his record to 9-0, while Lesnar falls to 5-2.
Lesnar went on the attack from the get-go, tying Velasquez up, going for a takedown and getting Velasquez on his back 30 seconds into the first round. But Velasquez didn't have any trouble shrugging Lesnar off and getting back up to his feet and against the cage. Both Velasquez and Lesnar are former NCAA All-American wrestlers, and it was clear that they both felt like they could be successful grappling with the other.
After a couple minutes of fighting it was Velasquez who got the takedown, getting Lesnar on the ground, landing some punches and appearing to hurt Lesnar. Although Lesnar briefly got back up, Velasquez knocked him down and got on top of him against the cage, and then proceeded to pummel Lesnar with vicious ground and pound.
Lesnar was gracious in defeat and vowed to come back stronger.
"I expected nothing less," Lesnar said. "He's a great fighter. I knew I had a great challenge in front of me. Congratulations, Cain. I had a good training camp. What can I say? He was better than me tonight."
.fanhouseButton {margin:2em 0;} .fanhouseButton a:link, .fanhouseButton a:visited, .fanhouseButton a:hover, .fanhouseButton a:active {background-color:#dd2829;color:#FFFFFF;font-size:18px;padding:0.3em 0.6em;text-decoration:none;} .fanhouseButton a:hover {background-color:#000000;}
Get the latest gear
