Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez is trying to keep it real.

Booked for a rebound fight against Frank Mir at the UFC 146 pay-per-view (PPV) event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 26, 2012, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Velasquez is hoping to erase the memories of a disastrous performance against Junior dos Santos at the inaugural UFC on FOX event late last year.

"Cigano" knocked him silly in just 64 seconds.

It was a performance that left him "unhappy." Not only did he fail to retain his 265-pound crown, but Velasquez also regrets not being able to deliver the kind of fight fans were hoping to see.

Those comments (via Yahoo! Sports) and more, after the jump.

"I'm a realist. I knew I wasn't going to go through my career undefeated. That's how this sport is. People lose. Even the best guys lose. I knew as soon as it was over, I had to pick myself back up and keep going forward. I do have some extra motivation now, for sure, but I wish that for that night things had gone differently and that the fans had gotten the fight they came to see. Ultimately, I let myself down. I don't ever want that to happen, and not for Fox or anything else. I want to go out there and win. Stuff happens. I get that, but I definitely wasn't happy with my performance. What it comes down to it, I don't want to be in that position again."

There's more on the line at UFC 146 than just personal redemption. A win over Mir is expected to earn Velasquez the right to challenge the winner of Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem for the heavyweight crown, who also throw down over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Can he do it?

To see all the news and notes surrounding Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir click here. To get up to speed on all the other heavyweight bouts at UFC 146 click here.