Cheick Kongo against Cain Velasquez has all the ingredients to be the fight of the night, and with both men looking at securing the number one contender spot in the UFC heavyweight division, it is sure to be a hard hitting battle.

Kongo looked superb in his last fight against Antoni Hardonk and seems to have turned a corner since his defeat against Heath Herring at UFC 82. His cardio looks great, his muay thai looks better and his kicks look deadly. In fact, for the first time in his UFC career, Kongo looks like a world beater and a man who could rule the heavyweight division.

Standing in his way is a man who I tipped for stardom a long time ago – and he is certainly looking like a good prospect. Undefeated American Cain Velasquez has been dominant since his UFC debut eighteen months ago. His most impressive win, a solid victory over Jake O’Brien, was one of the most one-sided wins I’ve seen in the Octagon. Taking O’Brien down and pinning him against the cage, Velasquez unleashed several punishing shots to the head that O’Brien couldn’t defend because his arms were trapped under the body of the twenty six year old. It was brutal and a sign of things to come in the future. Unfortunately, Velasquez suffered an injury shortly after and his return against Denis Stojnic wasn’t as convincing. There’s no doubt however, that he is one hell of a talent.

I’d be amazed if this fight went the distance. Velasquez has finished all his fights by TKO and Kongo, although going the distance in four of his last seven fights, has looked deadly since switching to the Wolfslair gym. He looks like a fighter who wants to finish fights, not let the judges decide. It could very well be a slow start, but once this gets going, I’d expect both men to come out with some huge haymakers.

For those unaware, Kongo is stepping in for Heath Herring here, who suffered with an illness in the build-up to the fight. In a funny way, that sets up this title contender elimination fight between the two fighters. Dana White has said Kongo will get the shot if he wins, and although he hasn’t been so confident in Velasquez, I’d be surprised if Velasquez didn’t get a title shot if he puts in an impressive performance over the Frenchman. The only other heavyweight fighter available is Shane Carwin, with Junior dos Santos pencilled in for a fight against Justin McCully at UFC 102.

It should be an interesting battle. Don’t blink though – this is going to end with a knockout.

Martin Smith
martin@ifight365.com