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Following the beautiful finish by Junior Dos Santos of Cain Velasquez at the UFC on FOX 1 card, it was disclosed that “Cigano” was indeed nursing an injury going into his bout with Velasquez. Shortly after Junior’s victory, teammate Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira joked about how Dos Santos was actually on crutches just days before his bout with Cain. It’s not uncommon to hear of fighters competing hurt, or not operating at 100% capacity or efficiency, but when it’s for the title you have to dig down deep and prove that you have what it takes to be a champion. We all know the outcome now in that Dos Santos knocked out Velasquez in just 64 seconds to capture the heavyweight title, and also remain undefeated inside the octagon.

Brazilian media outlet Portal do Vale Tudo reported earlier this week that Dos Santos was to undergo a surgical procedure to repair an injured meniscus in his left knee on Wednesday. Sources close to the UFC champ stated that the operation should only keep him out of training for a month, so it appears as though the injury is not severe enough to require a prolonged absence from competition.

Meanwhile, fans are gearing up for the bout that will determine Junior’s next title challenger, the match-up of Brock Lesnar, who is making yet another return to the cage after his continued battle with the illness diverticulitis, against recent UFC signing, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, and top 3 heavyweight Alistair Overeem, which is scheduled as the main event for UFC 141 on December 30^th.

Brock’s larger-than-life presence can only be matched by Overeem’s actual physical appearance. If there is one competitor in the heavyweight ranks that looks as scary as Lesnar, it would be Alistair. Overeem is also the only MMA fighter to ever win the K-1 World Grand Prix, so his striking abilities are off the charts. Throw in the stellar national championship wrestling pedigree that Lesnar comes from and you have the fixings for an interesting contrast in fighting styles. This truly is the classic “wrestler” vs. “striker” match-up.

Now we will have to wait and see which fighter can impose their will and which one will figure out what techniques to utilize to obtain a victory. Overeem hits hard and has the muscle to avoid being taken down for the most part, and Lesnar does not appear to enjoy getting punched in the face, so the striking and aggression edge should go to Alistair. Lesnar on the other hand is equally, if not more powerful than Overeem, so he may be able to use his strength and superior position control to neutralize the onslaught from Alistair.

Thinking about all of the directions that this contest could go almost makes my head spin. What a way to end 2011!

Check out more articles for James Begley at www.jbstaredownmma.com