nick diaz
10-02-2012, 16:53
Shortly after he broke news that Alistair Overeem (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122499/alistair-overeem) is expected to challenge Junior dos Santos (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122489/junior-dos-santos) for the 265-pound strap at UFC 146 (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/event/95237?page=1) on May 26 in Las Vegas, Ultimate Fighting Championship (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/promotion/ufc) (UFC) top dog Lorenzo Fertitta brought word (https://twitter.com/#!/lorenzofertitta/status/167908784394612736) of another Heavyweight (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/heavyweight) hoedown.Frank Mir (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122495/frank-mir) vs. Cain Velasquez (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122504/cain-velasquez).No date or venue has been determined for this battle between former division champions, but with Brock Lesnar (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122494/brock-lesnar)out of the picture and either "Demolition Man" or "Cigano" eliminated over the Memorial Day Weekend, there's no time like the present to start lining up potential title contenders.Or at least getting them "in the mix."After Shane Carwin (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122488/shane-carwin) gave him the Transformers-Rumble-Head-Punch, Mir (16-5) was able to dust himself off and win three straight fights, including a bone-crunching submission victory over Brazilian rival Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122498/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira) at the UFC 140 (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fight-card/79673/ufc-140-jones-vs-machida) event last December.This could be the longtime veteran's last run at the division crown, so expect his best effort if this match-up indeed comes to fruition.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
For Velasquez (9-1), it represents an opportunity to erase the memory of a 64-second knockout, which forced him to relinquish his heavyweight title to Junior dos Santos on national television when the UFC debuted on FOX TV in November 2011.The ex-champ was previously undefeated, with victories over similar opponents like Nogueira and Cheick Kongo (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122493/cheick-kongo), as well as Lesnar, who was too much for Mir to handle.How do you see this fight unfolding?Nothing is official at this time; however, stay tuned to MMAmania.com as more details come to light in the coming weeks.
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg
For Velasquez (9-1), it represents an opportunity to erase the memory of a 64-second knockout, which forced him to relinquish his heavyweight title to Junior dos Santos on national television when the UFC debuted on FOX TV in November 2011.The ex-champ was previously undefeated, with victories over similar opponents like Nogueira and Cheick Kongo (http://www.sbnation.com/mma/fighter/122493/cheick-kongo), as well as Lesnar, who was too much for Mir to handle.How do you see this fight unfolding?Nothing is official at this time; however, stay tuned to MMAmania.com as more details come to light in the coming weeks.