Cain Velasquez Defeats Minotauro Nogueira

This Pay-Per-View could have been called “Big Nog Strikes Out” or “Lights Out For Nogueira”. But…Minotauro deserves more respect than that.

It’s just really hard to put a positive spin on this fight. There’s nothing else to say, other than this was pure dominance from Cain Velasquez.

He had a definite speed advantage. He was able to hit Nogueira with whatever he wanted before Nog could do anything himself. Cain used a variety of strikes. He’s got great leg kicks. Nogueira only felt comfortable throwing one punch at a time. And he didn’t throw many.

Cain on the other hand threw combinations. He’d be able to unleash a flurry and Nogueira would be caught flat-footed. It’s hard to defend against Cain because he’s always coming forward. He doesn’t leave you with an easy escape route.

Until he fought Frank Mir, Minotauro had never been stopped in his MMA career. People were willing to give Nog a pass in that fight, as he had just recovered from a severe staph infection. Of course, we should still give Frank Mir a pat on the back for taking out a half-strength Nogueira…I guess.

Tonight, we knew that Nogueira was in good shape. There’s no excuse for him this time. For what it’s worth, Cain looks like he can take out almost any heavyweight out there. So, there’s no shame in Nogueira losing, even if it was a first round stoppage.

The real test for Cain comes when he faces a talented 250 lb. + fighter. It’d be great to see him up against Shane Carwin or Brock Lesnar, as it would negate Cain’s wrestling. Mind you, he won tonight without using any wrestling. There’s a good chance that Brown Pride will be in the title picture before the year closes.

Next Fight: Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar

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