But will it be enough to take out a man with some of the best cardio in the business? Keep reading to find out.
What Cain Velasquez brings to the table: Velasquez has great wrestling skills. We're talking about a former junior college champion and two time All American from Arizona State. He also displays amazing cardio. Not good cardio; but the kind that allows him to fight with maximum effort every second that he's in the cage, which is a real rarity for heavyweights. Beyond that, he's an outstanding athlete with fast hands.
The interesting thing about Velasquez, however, is that he's never really been in an MMA cage with a fighter that had high level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, so it's hard to know just how good his submission defense is. What's more, though he demonstrates good offensive striking, he's also been tagged in the past (Cheick Kongo, anyone?). Yes, he proved his toughness by withstanding these blows and coming back even stronger. But it's still something worthy of note.
What Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira brings to the table: Nogueira is one of the greatest submission fighters to ever compete in MMA. Further, he has demonstrated good cardio, amazing toughness (legendary toughness, in fact), and more than adequate striking skills (particularly of the boxing variety) throughout his career. For a couple of fights, it was looking as if he had lost his reflexes some and just didn't have the striking skills he displayed earlier in his career. But then he fought and defeated Couture and people- including this writer- finally realized that injuries had been what had been holding him back, not necessarily deteriorating.
Though Nogueira certainly has solid wrestling capabilities, his takedowns and takedown defense are not on the level of Velasquez's.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez Prediction: If this fight stays standing, it's going to be close. That said, Nogueira will probably have far less fear of being taken down by Velasquez than most given his submission capabilities. In fact, he may even want this fight to go to the ground, and that mindset will allow him to focus on his striking almost exclusively when the two throw down, which will be a big help. But eventually, either through Velasquez's choice, happenstance, or a big Nogueira punch, this fight is going to go to the ground. There, I just have a feeling that Velasquez is going to get caught by the best submission fighter he's ever jumped in a professional cage with. And that will be the difference.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Cain Velasquez by second round submission.
