UFC 121 post-fight thoughts

- First off, congratulations to Cain Velasquez for becoming the new heavyweight champion. Going into the fight, I thought that if Brock Lesnar got the fight to the ground, he would be able to keep Velasquez there and inflict damage. Instead, Velasquez was back on his feet almost immediately after getting taken down and blasted Lesnar with hard shots. With a great all-around game that includes elite-level wrestling, superior conditioning and knockout power, Velasquez could be a mainstay at the top of the heavyweight division for quite some time. He will need all those things, because his first title defense comes in the form of dangerous number-one contender Junior dos Santos.

- In his last three fights, Lesnar reacted the same way when getting tagged; turn and cover. While his fight with Shane Carwin was the most famous example, Lesnar also did it when getting hit by Frank Mir in the second round of their rematch before scoring a takedown. Some have taken to questioning Lesnar's heart, which is ridiculous. Some guys react differently when they get hit hard and it will be up to Lesnar and his camp to figure out how to fix that.

- Lesnar's post-fight comments were perfect, saying that he would go back to the drawing board because, "That's what champions do." What's next for Lesnar? Don't be surprised if Mir finally gets the third fight that he's been eyeing since UFC 100.

- I won't say Martin Kampmann cost himself the fight by going to the ground with Jake Shields in the third round. It's a fight, there is no certainty. What I will say, though, is that Kampmann put himself in the worst position to win. It is much harder to finish an opponent on the ground, especially one with the ground skills that Shields possesses. Had Kampmann stood, he would have had a considerable cardio advantage and probably could have staved off Shields' takedown attempts.

- Shields looked awful in this fight. It could have been due to the difficult weight cut that Joe Rogan touched on, or the reports of an injured back that have trickled out. Whatever the reason, Shields had a chance to make a big splash on a big pay-per-view and came up short. Can the UFC really market him as a number-one contender to casual fans after that performance?

- For the first round of the Diego Sanchez/ Paulo Thiago fight, Sanchez looked much like the same fighter he did in the John Hathaway fight. During an exchange in the second round, though, something clicked in Sanchez's mind and he went into beast mode, lifting Thiago into the air and screaming as he slammed him down. Sanchez proceeded to dominate Thiago on the ground for the rest of the fight en route to a decision victory and Fight-of-the-Night bonus. I truly hope that Sanchez decides to remain at welterweight, because he looked good.

- As long as Sanchez and Clay Guida fight under Greg Jackson, kindly take your, 'Jackson fighters are boring' claims and throw them out the window.

- Tito Ortiz ran into the worst style matchup in his loss to Matt Hamill. This fight didn't tell us anything we didn't already know about either fighter. The only question now is where does Ortiz go from here? He has not won a fight since 2006, and while he hasn't reached Chuck Liddell status yet, his days of being a contender are over. Will the UFC keep him around as a gatekeeper, or is he done in the UFC?

- Speaking of gatekeepers, that is exactly what Gabriel Gonzaga has become after having no answer to Brendan Schaub. Schaub called out Mir after the fight, which might not be such a bad idea.

- Court McGee stormed back from a poor first round to ultimately finish Ryan Jensen by arm triangle in the third. McGee showed the type of heart that has and will continue to endear him to the fans.

- If Patrick Cote is fighting a wrestler, pick the wrestler.

- I made it through an entire post-fight thoughts column without complaining about the judging. Wait, someone scored a fight 30-26 for Sanchez? I guess there's always next time... 

UFC 121 quick results

Main Card:
Cain Velasquez def. Brock Lesnar by TKO (punches) at 4:12 of round 1 to become the new UFC heavyweight champion
Jake Shields def. Martin Kampmann by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Diego Sanchez def. Paulo Thiago by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)
Matt Hamill def. Tito Ortiz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Brendan Schaub def. Gabriel Gonzaga by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Spike TV Card:
Court McGee def. Ryan Jensen by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:21 of round 3
Tom Lawlor def. Patrick Cote by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card:
Daniel Roberts def. Mike Guymon by submission (anaconda choke) at 1:13 of round 1
Sam Stout def. Paul Taylor by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Chris Camozzi def. Dong Yi Yang by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Jon Madsen def. Gilbert Yvel by TKO (punches) at 1:48 of round 1

$70,000 bonuses:
Fight of the Night: Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
Knockout of the Night: Cain Velasquez
Submission of the Night: Daniel Roberts

UFC 121 weigh-in results

Main card:
Brock Lesnar (264) vs. Cain Velasquez (244)
Jake Shields (170.5) vs. Martin Kampmann (170)
Tito Ortiz (206) vs. Matt Hamill (203.5)
Brendan Schaub (239) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (254)
Diego Sanchez (170.5) vs. Paulo Thiago (170.5)

Spike TV broadcast:
Court McGee (184.5) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)
Patrick Cote (185) vs. Tom Lawlor (185)

Preliminary card:
Mike Guymon (170) vs. Daniel Roberts (170)
Sam Stout (155.5) vs. Paul Taylor (155)
Chris Camozzi (185) vs. Dong Yi Yang (186)
Jon Madsen (254.5) vs. Gilbert Yvel (249)

UFC 121 preview: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

Brock Lesnar (5-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Cain Velasquez (8-0, 6-0 UFC)

How we got here

UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has become the biggest name in mixed martial arts.

Following his demolishment of Frank Mir at UFC 100, Lesnar looked like an unstoppable force. A near-fatal bout diverticulitis, however, knocked the champion out of competition for a year. When he returned, Lesnar survived a vicious onslaught from challenger Shane Carwin at UFC 116 before coming back in the second round to submit Carwin by arm-triangle choke.

Like Lesnar, Velasquez has left a trail of destruction on his way to the top of the heavyweight division. The former Arizona State University All-American D1 wrestler has finished seven of his eight professional bouts by (T)KO, and dropped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in brutal fashion at UFC 110 to earn a shot at the belt.

The case for Lesnar

When you compare Lesnar and Velasquez, the first thing that stands out is the size difference. Velasquez typically weighs in at around the 240 lbs mark, Lesnar has actually had to cut weight to make the 265 lbs limit. Lesnar's illness, though, caused him to lose a lot of mass and he looked physically different in the Carwin fight than in fights past. Judging by the videos coming out of his camp for this fight, Lesnar looks to have regained a lot of muscle and should look more solid than he did in his last outing.

A lot has been made of Lesnar's inability to take Carwin down in the first round. Again, I attribute a lot of that to Lesnar losing muscle and strength during his illness. Velasquez is a better wrestler than Carwin based on credentials, but Carwin is a much stronger fighter. Don't be surprised to see Lesnar put Velasquez on his back multiple times in this fight.

Velasquez is the technically-superior striker, but Lesnar is a hard and violent puncher. The fact that Lesnar was able to take a barrage of shots from Carwin and (barely) stay in the fight also does not bode well for Velasquez's chances for a knockout. If and when Lesnar gets the fight to the ground, he should be able to wear the smaller Velasquez out en route to a TKO or submission victory.

The case for Velasquez

The key to a Velasquez victory revolves around footwork and cardio. We've seen Lesnar go three rounds before, but at a slow pace. A big body must burn more oxygen to keep moving and Velasquez will need to use his lighter frame to outpoint and outwork Lesnar early. If Velasquez is ahead on points after two rounds, he will be in very good shape.

Bob Cook and Javier Mendez are tremendous coaches at American Kickboxing Academy and they will have Velasquez ready with a good game plan. Velasquez will need to use his foot speed, darting in and out while landing combinations, then circling away to avoid Lesnar's double leg attempts and big right hands. Lesnar's boxing is still very raw and he sits heavy on his feet without much foot movement and Velasquez will be able to take advantage.

Don't expect Velasquez to attempt a single takedown in this fight. The risk of getting stuck underneath Lesnar is too great and would have fight-ending consequences. Instead, Velasquez will use his wrestling to stay on his feet, blasting away at Lesnar with quick combinations before wearing the champion down in the championships rounds.

The verdict

This is one of the hardest fights in recent memory to judge, but I believe Lesnar will eventually get the fight to the ground and finish it there. The talk of Velasquez's cardio and speed advantages might be slightly overstated. While Lesnar might not have the same foot speed that Velasquez does, he moves very quickly and has the explosiveness to get Velasquez down. Once they're on the ground, I have a hard time picturing Velasquez working his way back to the feet and that will spell the end for the challenger. 

UFC 121 preview: Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann

Jake Shields (25-4-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Martin Kampmann (17-3, 8-2 UFC)

How we got here

Shields enters the UFC on a 14-fight winning streak -- you can read our New Blood feature on him here -- and is coming off of a decisive victory over former UFC star Dan Henderson in April to defend his Strikeforce Middleweight title. UFC president Dana White said that Shields, who will drop back down to welterweight in the UFC, will "probably" be next in line to fight for the welterweight title if he wins his debut.

Standing in Shields' way is Kampmann, a Danish kickboxer looking to firmly reestablish himself as a top welterweight contender. Back at UFC 103, Kampmann was originally slated to face Mike Swick in a would-be number-one contender's match. Swick withdrew from the bout with an injury, and Kampmann lost by TKO to replacement Paul Daley. Since then, Kampmann has defeated Jacob Volkmann and the highly touted Paulo Thiago to run his welterweight record to 4-1 in the UFC.

The case for Shields

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, Shields has been a mainstay in top-ten rankings for some time. Shields has not lost since dropping a decision loss to Akira Kikuchi all the way back in 2004 and has victories over top fighters like Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Daley, Robbie Lawler, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Henderson. Perhaps most impressive is that Shields spent the last three fights fighting above his natural weight class of 170 lbs and dominated Henderson on the ground in a way we have never seen Henderson dominated before.

It's no secret that Shields wants to get this fight to the ground and utilize his world-class jiu-jitsu. He has already proven that he can hang with dangerous strikers like Daley and Lawler and was able to repeatedly take down Henderson, who is an Olympic-level wrestler. If the fight hits the mat, it could be Shields' for the taking.

The case for Kampmann

While he is typically type-casted as a kickboxer, Kampmann actually has almost as many wins by submission (six) as knockout (seven). Kampmann has showed that he can more than hang on the ground, submitting D-1 wrestler Jacob Volkmann at UFC 108 then outwrestling and controlling Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Judo black belt Thiago at UFC 115.

Kampmann's only two UFC losses are to Daley and top middleweight Nate Marquardt. If Kampmann can keep the fight standing, he will enjoy a considerable striking advantage. If the fight does go to the ground though, Kampmann's underrated ground skills can help him stave off Shields' submission attempts.

The verdict

This fight is closer than a lot of people are giving it credit for -- Shields is currently a -200 favorite in most betting circles -- but Shields' edge on the ground will be enough to control Kampmann and earn him a unanimous decision victory. 

Dana White UFC 121 Video Blog Episode 2

Props: Youtube.com/UFC

New Blood: UFC 121 Edition

For every UFC fight, TapouTVTC.com introduces you to the fighters making their Octagon debuts.

Name: Jake Shields

Weight class: Welterweight

Fighting: Martin Kampmann

Record: 25-4-1 (3 (T)KOs, 10 submissions)

Recent body of work: Defeated Jason "Mayhem" Miller by unanimous decision to win the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight title, then defeated Dan Henderson by unanimous decision in April to defend the title.

Who he is: A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Cesar Gracie, Shields is one of the best fighters to enter the UFC as of late. A top-five middleweight in most online rankings, Shields will drop back down to welterweight (his better weight class) for his UFC debut. The former EliteXC welterweight champion and Strikeforce middleweight champion has not lost since 2004 and is on a 14-fight win streak, with wins the likes of Robbie Lawler, Paul Daley, Nick Thompson, Henderson, Miller and Mike Pyle.

Name: Dong Yi Yang

Weight class: Middleweight

Fighting: Chris Camozzi

Record: 9-0 (8 (T)KOs, 1 submission)

Recent body of work: Defeated Bill Saures by TKO at "Trench Warz 12: Battle Brawl" in May.

Who he is: Yang fights out of the Korean Top Team camp alongside teammate "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung and earned his first three career wins in a one-night eight-man tournament in 2007. Only one of Yang's fights has made it to the third round.

Shawn Tompkins prepares Sam Stout for UFC 121

TapouT Training Center head coach Shawn Tompkins talks to TapouTVTC.com about preparing Sam Stout for his UFC 121 bout against Paul Taylor

Dana White UFC 121 Video Blog Episode 1

Dana White's first UFC 121 vlog takes us back to UFC 120's fight day last Saturday.

Props: Youtube.com/UFC

Sam Stout on his UFC 121 bout against Paul Taylor

Sam Stout took a break from his training to talk to TapouTVTC.com about his upcoming UFC 121 bout against Paul Taylor.

UFC 121 Trailer

Duffee out, Yvel in againt Madsen at UFC 121

Todd Duffee (6-1, 1-1 UFC) has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 121 bout against Jon Madsen (6-0, 3-0 UFC) with a lingering injury, MMAjunkie.com reported.

Gilbert Yvel (36-15-1, 0-2 UFC) will step in to replace Duffee.

The bout was originally reported by the Las Vegas Sun.

Since losing to Brendan Schaub in the quarterfinals of "The Ultimate Fighter 10," Madsen has gone undefeated in the UFC, notching three straight decision victories.

Yvel, meanwhile, is still searching for his first UFC win after coming up short in his first two attempts. A loss against Madsen could spell the end of his tenure with the organization.

UFC 121 will take place on Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.

Madsen last three fights:
Win (Unanimous Decision): Karlos Vemola - UFC 116 (07/03/10)
Win (Unanimous Decision): Mostapha Al-turk - UFC 112 (04/10/10)
Win (Split Decision): Justin Wren - The Ultimate Finale 10 (12/05/09)

Yvel last three fights:
Loss (Unanimous Decision): Ben Rothwell - UFC 115 (06/12/10)
Loss (TKO): Junior dos Santos - UFC 108 (01/02/10)
Win (KO): Pedro Rizzo - Ultimate Chaos: Lashley vs. Sapp (06/27/09)