UFC 146 results: Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez knockouts equal a heavyweight rematch

Everyone loves a rematch.

UFC 52 featured the second bout between Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell and that event jump started a boom period the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) still enjoys to this day.

Moving beyond mixed martial arts (MMA), the rematch between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson drew record numbers at the time. Everyone who bought that pay-per-view (PPV) witnessed a grown man biting his opponent's ear off.

Everyone loves a rematch.

Thankfully for the UFC's bottom line, they've got one heck of a rematch ready to be made.

Last night (May 26, 2012) at UFC 146, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez won their respective bouts in dominating fashion. Velasquez made a bloody mess of Antonio Silva and dos Santos battered and bruised Frank Mir en route to a brutal second round knockout.

The UFC Heavyweight Champion dos Santos ripped the title away from Velasquez last November during the promotion's initial broadcast television showing in 64 seconds. A fight ending that quickly might bring up feelings it could have ended either way. A single punch thrown at the exact right moment can significantly alter the ending of a fight.

Lucky or not, the punch lands and the the bout is determined.

Seeing as how decisively both fighters finished their bouts last night, one can't help but wonder if that single punch landed from the opposite fighter might have given fans a completely different ending.

That's exactly why a rematch between the champion and the man he wrested the title away from needs to happen.

Dos Santos/Velasquez II must be booked.

Velasquez lost his title six months ago and made his return to the Octagon last night. He was initially set to take on Mir but a card shuffling led to a bout with Silva.

The Brazilian is a former EliteXC heavyweight champion and battered heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko for two rounds, earning him a spot as a top 15, possibly 10 heavyweight. When Mir stepped in for Alistair Overeem, the Brazilian was booked against Velasquez.

The former champion made a complete bloody mess of Silva throughout the first round and essentially forced a mercy stoppage from the referee after the Brazilian appeared less as a heavyweight title contender and more as a horror movie victim.

The canvas, painted crimson from Silva's blood, remained a gory reminder of Velasquez's dominance in the co-main event going into the show's climax.

Shortly after, dos Santos proved exactly why he is dubbed the "baddest man on the planet" when he brutalized Mir for the entirety of the first round and most of the second until the referee decided the challenger could withstand no more punishment.

Six months ago, their fight ended in 64 seconds.

A few months from now? Who knows?

And that's what makes the prospect of a rematch irresistible.

A heavyweight title rematch between dos Santos and Velasquez needs to happen. Beyond the rankings, beyond what promises were made concerning future matchmaking, this is the fight that must be made.

Based on money. Based on fan interest. Based on everything.

The UFC absolutely needs to book this fight. Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2. Make it happen.