Cain Velasquez cemented his standing as a top contender in the Heavyweight division to Brock Lesnar with a stunning knockout victory over veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  Velasquez (8-0) connected with a right hook to the chin which floored Nogueira (32-6-1) instantly, ending the bout at 2:20 of the first round.

Velasquez Scores Knockout Victory

The unbeaten Velasquez, an All-American wrestler at Arizona State made the strategic decision to keep the fight on his feet against the Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu expert Nogueira.  Despite weaknesses in his stand up in previous fights, most memorably against Cheick Kongo, the strategy paid off.

Velasquez had Nogueira surprised by his strategy from the opening bell.  Velasquez was able to connect on a handful of shots early on, causing Nogueira to regroup after an early combination that caught him flush.  As Nogueira came forward to unleash a combination, Velasquez was able to counter and land his right hook just before Nogueira’s right hook, rocking the veteran and sending him crashing to the canvas.  Velasquez would pounce and land five unanswered shots to the head before referee Herb Dean could stop the fight.

For Velasquez, this is a signature win but questions still surround his skills and preparedness for the next level of competition.   Tonight’s fight unfortunately didn’t allow for a gauge on exactly how good Velasquez is, as he was just the guy that landed his wild right hook first.

Regardless, Velasquez has taken on and beaten all comers in the division and his time has arrived for a major headline fight.  We’ll probably look to Velasquez taking on the winner of the upcoming Mir-Carwin bout, with the winner getting a crack at Lesnar.