UFC 131 Recap: Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez is up next

With NHL Stanley Cup fever in Vancouver, the city was in a festive mood in anticipation for the UFC 131 main event between Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. The winner of the bout would get a UFC Heavyweight title shot against the current champion Cain Velasquez. Originally JDS was supposed face Brock Lesnar the opposing coach from season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, but due to Lesnar’s diagnosis of diverticulitis he had to pull out of the fight. Junior before knowing Carwin would be his opponent was busy sharpening up his wrestling abilities and Carwin was focused on being a better conditioned fighter.

Today two of some of the best Heavyweights in MMA squared off and it quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Using his speed, angles, and more technical boxing the man they call ‘Cigano’ showed off the performance of his career. Anyone who is familiar with both men’s body of work know very well that their fights don’t last. This one went the distance. Carwin tried to takedown dos Santos numerous times but to no avail. With a combination of jabs, hooks, wonderful head movement, and superior foot work, the Brazilian was able to turn the Engineer’s face into a crimson red. Late in the third round with Shane’s gas tank close to empty, dos Santos surprised everyone by taking down the NCAA Division II wrestling. At the end of the night Junior’s hand was raised in victory with Cain Velasquez waiting in shadows.

Questions after seeing JDS vs. Carwin:

-Can dos Santos handle Cain’s wrestling and technical striking?

-Who is next for Shane Carwin?

-Should the winner of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix face the winner of JDS vs. Cain?

Notes from UFC 131:

–Kenny Florian put on a wonderful performance against the exciting Diego Nunes. I expect Diego to be better after this fight and I see Kenny getting his shot after two more fights at Featherweight.

–Mark Munoz showcased some wonderful ground game and hung with an elite BJJ artist in Demian Maia. Within a few fights you might consider Munoz in the title picture but as long as Anderson Silva wears the belt he won’t challenge for it.

-Jon Olav Einemo and Dave Herman was an all out war. I was surprised by JOE’s recklessness in the striking department knowing he trains closely with Alistair Overeem and the Golden Glory camp. It’s back to the drawing board for him.

–Donald Cerrone showcased some wonderful all-around skills against Vagner Rocha. The Jackson’s Camp fighter is another threat in an already stacked Lightweight division.

Lowkick.com UFC 131 main card awards:

Fight of the Night – Kenny Florian and Diego Nunes showcased some wonderful skills on both the feet and ground for three rounds.

Performance of the Night – Junior dos Santos gave us the performance of a lifetime showcasing much more technical boxing and a very much improved wrestling game.

Finish of the Night – Ed Herman‘s 2nd round TKO victory was one that had the Rogers Arena in Vancouver on it’s feet.

Disapointment of the Night – Demian Maia was outclassed by Munoz. He had his moments but on paper it looked like he was the better fighter than The Filipino Wrecking Machine.

Notable mention – Sam Stout‘s KO of Yves Edwards is possibly the KO of 2011.

Photo: MMAWeekly.com