A closer look at the future of Cain Velasquez in the UFC heavyweight division

Cain Velasquez’s triumph over heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo at UFC 99: "The Comeback" on June 13 perhaps created more questions than answers, not only regarding himself and his abilities but also the shape of things to come within the UFC heavyweight division.

Though Velasquez picked up the 'W' and dominated for the duration of the bout, I think he looked a little green and should probably work on some things before he can even contemplate fighting for a title.

His stand-up looked sloppy, especially his defense which saw him practically walk into shots that made his legs buckle. While he was able to recover, his punches seemed to lack power. Definitely a lot of work to be done here.

To his credit, his wrestling did look superb but as we all know wrestling is not Cheick Kongo’s biggest strength, in fact far from it. And Velasquez needs to work on the other aspects of his game and not just rely on his wrestling in the future, especially against the likes of other wrestlers who may pose a huge weight advantage against him.

Kongo said he was promised a title shot with a win over Velasquez at UFC 99, though as Demian Maia and several others can tell you that being promised a title shot by the UFC brass is not always a lock. But still he was no doubt in reaching distance and obviously being considered.

Now with Velasquez beating a potential title contender he’s pretty much set himself up into a situation where there’s not really anywhere to go but up. No easy fights and his next opponent is likely going to be a big name and a tough test.

Velasquez certainly seems like one for the future and if he can keep adding to his arsenal he’s going to be very dangerous down the line, but let’s not forget that Velasquez is only into the early stages of his career and it appears at the present time he’s somewhat a victim of his own hype.

There’s been rumors that he’ll be facing off with wrestling behemoth Shane Carwin next. Which if it happened I don’t see ending well for the young prospect. He proved in the Kongo fight that his chin is durable and he can quickly recover, but I don’t think it would be the same if he walked into the unforgiving hamhocks that Carwin calls hands.

He packs a punch, his power is devastating to say the least and just as Gabriel Gonzaga found out the hard way at UFC 96 in March, one shot is all it takes for it to be lights out.

Love him or hate him Velasquez is a prospect with a ton of potential and given the right chance to grow he can become a force to be reckoned within the UFC. Carwin isn't exactly a spring chicken at the age of 34 but is also considered a bright prospect of the heavyweight division.

I’d personally like to see these two kept apart for a little while. Remember this is the same division that early last year seemed to be in tatters with its foundations crumbling. Now it appears to be much stronger and brimming with talent, but I would like to see the prospects kept apart so that they can each grow into more complete fighters before squaring off.

Though if it did happen and Velasquez lost, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. The UFC realizes his potential and I think if he were to lose to Carwin they’d let him take a step back and give him some easier fights while he grows his skill set further.

As stated, Velasquez is in a predicament where there’s likely to be no more easy fights, just seasoned veterans. One of which I would like to see him against next would be the man he was originally supposed to face at UFC 99, Heath Herring.

The grizzled veteran would be a stern test. A victory for Velasquez would give him a win over another known name, keep him in title contention but also give him time to grow as a fighter. If he proves successful maybe after that he could face off against the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga while he continues to improve.

As for Carwin, it’s hard to say what’s next for him. Everyone else seems to be booked up, leaving him without a dance partner. If by some chance Mirko Cro Cop doesn’t run off to Japan and decides to stick around, he’d be my first choice but right now it doesn’t seem likely.

I do think the UFC has done a good with molding other young guns such as Junior dos Santos. Last year at UFC 90 he burst onto the scene with a shocking upset knockout victory over title contender Fabricio Werdum. He could have easily been thrown into the deep end again after that but they decided to bring him along slowly, which should pay dividends later on.

UFC 100 boasts the heavyweight title unification bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir that will crown an undisputed champion, but after that who’s next in line for a shot?

I would like to see the winner of the UFC 102 main event of Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira get a crack at the gold, while the likes of Velasquez, Carwin and Dos Santos can be brought along and be given time to grow.

If that were to happen, chances are that it would be a big money maker, but Couture is 45 years old with one fight left on his contract after the Nogueira bout and "Minotauro" has echoed his thoughts on retiring soon.

I don’t know if the UFC would be too keen on throwing them into title contention only to have them leave straight after, though Couture originally retired back at UFC 57 in what was a title fight but losing effort against Chuck Liddell.

After the high buy rate of the first Lesnar vs. Couture pay-per-view (PPV) turned out, a second fight may be too tempting to pass up for all parties involved regardless if Couture vacates the title immediately after winning.

If he did win it would once again prove there’s some life left in this old dog and Couture may be keen to stick around for a little longer.

As of now the title picture after Lesnar vs. Mir at UFC 100 on July 11 is looking pretty open. Lots of possibilities and likely lots of surprises along the way. I’ll be interesting to see how things take shape in the coming months.