Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Confirmed For UFC 121 In Anaheim
- Thread starter B-Buzz
- Start date
"UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" main card officially announced for Oct. 23
As expected the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to California and Anaheim's Honda Center for UFC 121.
The Oct. 23 event features a heavyweight title fight between champion Brock Lesnar (5-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and top contender Cain Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
Also announced and completing the pay-per-view main card are welterweights Martin Kampmann (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) vs. Jake Shields (25-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), welterweights Diego Sanchez (21-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vs. Paulo Thiago (13-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), light heavyweights Matt Hamill (9-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. Tito Ortiz (15-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC), and heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga (11-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) vs. Brendan Schaub (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
All five fights, which MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, are now official for the fall card.
Although not officially announced, as MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC 121 is expected to get a "UFC Prelims" special. The one-hour Spike TV broadcast will precede the night's PPV airing and feature two preliminary-card bouts.
The focus of UFC 121, of course, is the heavyweight headliner. Lesnar has proven to be perhaps the UFC's biggest PPV draw, and he now faces a fast-rising and undefeated fighter who could make MMA history.
"Throughout fighting history, there has never been a Mexican heavyweight champion, but at UFC 121, Cain Velasquez will try to make history and become the first," UFC President Dana White stated. "To do that, though, he must defeat the baddest man on the planet, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar."
Additional subplots include the promotional debut of former Strikeforce middleweight champion and welterweight notable Jake Shields, as well as Matt Hamill's fight with his coach from "The Ultimate Fighter 3," Tito Ortiz.
The UFC returns to the Honda Center for the first time since 2007, when Chuck Liddell suffered a split-decision defeat to fellow headliner Keith Jardine in themain event of UFC 76. Tickets for UFC 121, which range from $75 to $500, go on sale later this week (stay tuned for details).
The latest UFC 121 card now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez (for heavyweight title)
* Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
* Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
* Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Ryan Jensen vs. Court McGee*
* Todd Duffee vs. Jon Madsen*
* Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor*
* Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor*
* Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts*
* Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang*
* - Not officially announced
As expected the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to California and Anaheim's Honda Center for UFC 121.
The Oct. 23 event features a heavyweight title fight between champion Brock Lesnar (5-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and top contender Cain Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
Also announced and completing the pay-per-view main card are welterweights Martin Kampmann (17-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) vs. Jake Shields (25-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), welterweights Diego Sanchez (21-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) vs. Paulo Thiago (13-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC), light heavyweights Matt Hamill (9-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) vs. Tito Ortiz (15-7-1 MMA, 14-7-1 UFC), and heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga (11-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) vs. Brendan Schaub (6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
All five fights, which MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, are now official for the fall card.
Although not officially announced, as MMAjunkie.com first reported, UFC 121 is expected to get a "UFC Prelims" special. The one-hour Spike TV broadcast will precede the night's PPV airing and feature two preliminary-card bouts.
The focus of UFC 121, of course, is the heavyweight headliner. Lesnar has proven to be perhaps the UFC's biggest PPV draw, and he now faces a fast-rising and undefeated fighter who could make MMA history.
"Throughout fighting history, there has never been a Mexican heavyweight champion, but at UFC 121, Cain Velasquez will try to make history and become the first," UFC President Dana White stated. "To do that, though, he must defeat the baddest man on the planet, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar."
Additional subplots include the promotional debut of former Strikeforce middleweight champion and welterweight notable Jake Shields, as well as Matt Hamill's fight with his coach from "The Ultimate Fighter 3," Tito Ortiz.
The UFC returns to the Honda Center for the first time since 2007, when Chuck Liddell suffered a split-decision defeat to fellow headliner Keith Jardine in themain event of UFC 76. Tickets for UFC 121, which range from $75 to $500, go on sale later this week (stay tuned for details).
The latest UFC 121 card now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez (for heavyweight title)
* Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
* Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
* Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Ryan Jensen vs. Court McGee*
* Todd Duffee vs. Jon Madsen*
* Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor*
* Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor*
* Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts*
* Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang*
* - Not officially announced
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez (for heavyweight title)
* Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
* Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
* Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* Ryan Jensen vs. Court McGee
* Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
* Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
* Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang
* Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez (for heavyweight title)
* Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
* Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
* Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
* Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* Ryan Jensen vs. Court McGee
* Patrick Cote vs. Tom Lawlor
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
* Sam Stout vs. Paul Taylor
* Mike Guymon vs. Daniel Roberts
* Chris Camozzi vs. Dongi Yang
* Jon Madsen vs. Gilbert Yvel
