Another UFC trilogy is coming up and everyone’s excited as can be. The most exciting part? This trilogy might actually get extended faster than Bruce Willis can make Die Hard sequel. Yes, Cain Velazquez Vs. Junior Dos Santos has everything needed to be a classic trilogy in UFC history, but the truth is that if this were only a trilogy it’d be a disappointment.
Remember, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos are 2 elite fighters coming into the prime of their careers. Velazquez is 30 going on 31 in July, Dos Santos is only 28 years old, 28! On top of that they are both fighting in the UFC’s thinnest division (Mark Hunt almost got a title shot, love the guy but really, a title shot?!). They both are big draws as heavyweights tend to be and unless something unexpected leads to an early retirement, the UFC is going to keep these 2 superstars around for awhile. So the potential for future Heavyweight superfights between these fighters is almost endless. Imagine if Dos Santos wins the title back, by decision, submission or KO, doesn’t matter, we’d all want to see a rematch. If Dos Santos loses, then we’d want him to work his way back again to a title shot, and unlike the lightweight and middleweight division, this should take about 2 decisive victories in less than a year and he’d be back in the title picture.
If Cain Velazquez keeps fighting until he’s 35, then we should get at least 3-5 more Velasquez vs. Dos Santos bouts, and I’m not joking. Will another heavyweight show up and become a player in the division, of course. Mir can still be a force in the UFC, newcomers are bound to come up, but in the next 5 years it’s hard to imagine this division becoming stacked with high to elite level competitors. It’s just something that’s not seen, it doesn’t happen in boxing, hasn’t happened in MMA since the old ground and pound days of UFC’s beginnings (Mark Coleman anyone?), heck, even in the WWE it’s hard to see heavyweight ATHLETIC performers anymore. The fight game has changed, athleticism is a must for any fighter to be considered elite, Velazquez and Dos Santos have it, almost everyone else in their division doesn’t and that should make for a historic rivalry for us, the MMA fans,
