Velasquez made Lesnar his Fourthmeal.
I have mocked Diego Sanchez in excess over the last few years, but he won me back as a fan after that most impressive comeback against a very tough, and Joe Silva hated, Paulo Thiago. I always cheer for Thiago, but Sanchez has that poor man's Georges St-Pierre attitude that is always welcomed in MMA. Yes, (Yes! Yes! Yes!) he's very eccentric, but he has always been focused on being the best fighter he could be.
I wish Matt Hamill had a more aggressive fighting approach. I think Hamill would be highly-dominate if he showed a little more aggression. He and Michael Bisping need a Part 2 in their series. Hamill should have won the first fight, but I think Bisping would also win the second. Bisping may not have "knock-out power" but he's evolved since he first entered the Octagon. Against Yoshihiro Akiyama, he displayed confident striking in the pocket, and a willingness to exchange strikes against top talent is something he always needed to check off his To-do list.
The weight cut appeared to have really hurt Jake Shields. He looked like a shell of his former self. What is with fighters ignoring their strengths? Gabriel Gonzaga, Demian Maia, and Martin Kampmann: Stop dicking around. Even a half-dead Jake Shields had enough wherewithal to control Kampmann in grappling. Shields' grappling is mesmerizing. His skill is so impressive, and he's so active, that I do not mind watching 15 minutes of grappling. Shields ate two powerful knee strikes to the face, looked hurt, and yet, when Kampmann had the opportunity to stand and strike, he tried to grapple. I cheered for Shields, but found it odd that Kampmann chose to not strike with Shields. If Shields wishes to be competitive against Georges St-Pierre, he'll need to become comfortable at 170 pounds. It's a shame for Shields that his next fight is a title fight, as I think he needs one more fight at 170 to acclimate his body to the weight class and its demands. If this version of Jake Shields shows up against St-Pierre, St-Pierre will govern the entire match with flashes of grappling command from Shields.
Cain Velasquez's knock-out of Big Nog is still an impressive, and frightening, feat. Velasquez is quick and powerful with a solid wrestling base--yet I chose Brock Lesnar to win, as Lesnar has monster strength and a solid wrestling base. Lesnar loss because Velasquez has superior speed and striking technique. In his first two years, Brock has dominated with his monster strength and wrestling alone. Now, he should try to evolve as a fighter. Brock Lesnar with a wrestling base and kick-boxing prowess would be terrifying. Who in the world would want to exchange technical strikes with Lesnar? I expect to see a much improved Lesnar in his next fight. Lesnar still has a lot to learn, and now he'll get to show the world how great he will be.
Just for the record, Junior dos Santos is good at the two-dimensional fighting he does. However, Cain Velasquez is better and far more balanced. Velasquez will run a train over dos Santos, and probably face Brock Lesnar in a rematch. Lesnar's tune-up fight should be against Frank Mir. I have given up on Mir ever fully-utilizing his potential. So, I hope Lesnar exhibits better striking, and knocks out Mir.