Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will put his title on the line for the first time ever when he takes on number one contender Junior dos Santos at UFC 138, which is tentatively scheduled for the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2011.
Los Angeles Times today confirmed the date and location for the showdown with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta.
Velasquez has not competed since beating Brock Lesnar to a pulp at UFC 121 in Oct. 2010 to win the belt. He has been on the mend ever since, recovering from a serious shoulder injury, which required even more serious surgery to repair.
With such a long layoff, as well as a fighting such a formidable opponent immediately upon his return, oddsmakers pegged "Brown Pride" as an early underdog.
Perhaps that will change now that it has been revealed that the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout will have home field advantage on fight night.
Dos Santos, meanwhile, has been cracking skulls (literally) and taking names since his Octagon debut back in 2008. He has rattled off seven consecutive wins since that time, finishing five of those fine folks before the final bell.
"Cigano" most recently blasted past Shane Carwin via unanimous decision at UFC 131 to punch his title ticket. He emphatically put his stamp on his status as the second best heavyweight in the division with yet another convincing win over the best the division has to offer.
UFC 138: Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos in the works for San Jose on Nov. 19 - MMAmania.com
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