After all the talk, speculation and hype, the door is now closed on UFC on Fox 1.
Last night (Nov. 12, 2011), big winners emerged from the fights between Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson in front of the thousands in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and about 4.5 million more at home.
The main event saw Junior dos Santos shock the world as he dethroned champion Cain Velasquez with an overhand right to the temple that sent him spiraling to the canvas.
In the co-main event, which aired on Facebook and FOXSports.com, Ben Henderson registered a thrilling three-round unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida in a number one contender eliminator match. Hair and hands flew in abundance. It was an affair to remember.
After the jump, we'll talk about what's next for last night's big winners, "Cigano" and "Smooth:"
For Henderson, the future picture is much clearer. He will fight UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar for his 155-pound world title on Feb. 25, 2012, when the promotion travels to Saitama, Japan.
UFC President Dana White announced the exciting match up, which will presumably serve as the headlining bout, during the UFC on FOX 1 post-fight press conference (watch the video here).
If you thought watching Henderson and Guida go at it for three rounds was fun, just strap on your seatbelt. We are going to get to see Henderson and Edgar fly around the Octagon for five rounds, potentially. And if you can't get up for that, something just ain't right.
The fight will feature a mash up between the current UFC strap holder and the former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion. Who will win when worlds collide?
Stay tuned.
Unlike Henderson, "JDS" will be forced to wait to see who his next opponent will be.
On Dec. 30, the day before New Year's Eve, two mixed martial arts (MMA) monsters will meet as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar squares off against former Strikeforce heavyweight title holder Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in "Sin City."
The winner will be first in line to challenge dos Santos for his newly acquired championship belt. It's anyone's guess who will come away victorious. That said, it's really a "win-win" for the UFC. Whether dos Santos takes on Lesnar or Overeem, it will be a fight that sells itself.
If Overeem comes out on top, we will see quite possibly the two best heavyweight strikers in all of MMA exchanging leather in the cage until someone gets caught and goes to sleep. Should Lesnar get the nod, we will see a pairing that was originally planned when the two coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 before Lesnar was forced to withdraw because of a second bout with diverticulitis.
How excited are you Maniacs about seeing Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar go toe-to-toe? Can Brock Lesnar or Alistair Overeem give Junior dos Santos a serious run for his money?
Let's hear it.
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