UFC 121 "Lesnar vs. Velasquez" Officially Announced

The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently released the official lineup for their upcoming UFC 121 event, and it should come as no surprise that Brock Lesnar defending his UFC Heavyweight Championship against Cain Velasquez has taken center stage as the show’s main event. Brock Lesnar was last seen pulling off one of the biggest, best comebacks of 2010, absorbing all former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin had to give him for five full minutes, then submitting Carwin via Arm Triangle Choke early in the second round. Cain Velasquez’s last fight saw him demolish the once-unbreakable chin of PRIDE FC legend Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. UFC 121 will take place October 23 in Anaheim, California, and features a star-studded main card in addition to the big-money main event.

In the co-main event slot, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will make his debut in the UFC, fresh off his five-round outclassing of Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville in April of this year. Standing in his way is the tough Martin Kampmann, who rebounded from a KO loss to UFC exile Paul Daley with big wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago. Speaking of Paulo Thiago, the man still trying to step out of the shadow of his surprise KO over the current UFC Welterweight Championship #1 Contender Josh Koscheck will also be competing at UFC 121. Facing Thiago will be Diego Sanchez, in Sanchez’s second Welterweight fight since losing a fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship to then-champion BJ Penn.

Also announced is a fight between popular UFC Light Heavyweight Matt Hamill and his friend/coach/mentor Tito Ortiz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and one of the most controversial fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon. Ortiz will be returning from an injury that forced him to back out of a proposed third fight with Chuck Liddell. It’s been four long years since Tito Ortiz has scored a win inside the Octagon. Rounding out the main card is a fight pitting Heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Gabriel Gonzaga against each other. Gonzaga may have been cast in the role of elite-level gatekeeper in his recent fights, but should prove a very tough test for Schaub, who has looked excellent in all his UFC fights save for a KO loss to Roy Nelson.

UFC 121 is shaping up to be one of the best cards of the year, an astonishing fact considering that 2010 gave us “Aldo vs. Faber” and UFC 116. This card is loaded with potential from top to bottom, and I think every single Pay-Per-View fight could have been a headline attraction in their own right. Lesnar vs. Velasquez is a no-brainer. With the mentor vs. student appeal, Ortiz vs. Hamill could have headlined its own Pay-Per-View. Shields/Kampmann could easily have led a British PPV or a Fight Night Live, as could Paul Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez and Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Anything can happen when the cameras go live, but on paper, the Pay-Per-View card is filed to the brim with can’t-miss fights. If all the fights live up to their potential, UFC 121 will be like a Christmas gift come early, even though it takes place near Halloween.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you for UFC 121, and which fight in particular are you looking forward to the most?