• UFC 121

Lesnar battered by new champion Velasquez

Brock Lesnar had no defence off his back © Getty Images

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The belligerent force of Cain Velasquez exploited every hole in Brock Lesnar's MMA skill set to dish out one of the all-time UFC beatings on his way to being crowned the new heavyweight champion at UFC 121.

Known behind the scenes as the most dangerous, the most relentless heavyweight in the business, Velasquez left Lesnar a bloodied mess with a sensational TKO at 4.12 of the first round in Anaheim. When the stoppage arrived, Lesnar was ready to continue fighting, but there was no doubt referee Herb Dean had to step in as the former champion simply had no response to his awesome opponent.

Velasquez highlighted every weakness in Lesnar's technically stunted game, and he capitalised in ruthless fashion from the very moment that he broke Lesnar's will. That moment came after the defending champion came rushing out of his corner in bull-like fashion, secured an early takedown, but then clung on desperately as Velasquez instantly powered back to his feet. "We expected him to cover up, go hard in, look for the takedown, throw punches, we were ready for that," said Velasquez, who takes his undefeated record to 9-0.

If that moment was significant, the next was monumental as Velasquez employed a single-leg to get Lesnar to the ground, showing the capacity crowd and - most importantly - the defending champion that Lesnar had no advantage when it came to wrestling. From that moment on, it was all about Velasquez's hands as he dropped his rival before sending him spinning uncontrollably across the Octagon.

Giving away 20lbs in weight and four inches in reach, Velasquez simply had far superior technique, and he learned from Shane Carwin's loss to Lesnar, taking his time and picking his shots as Lesnar was left with no escape. By the end, the face of the outgoing champion was red, a huge cut poured with blood, and he had no arguments with the inevitable stoppage.

"I expected nothing less," said a graceful Lesnar. "He's a great fighter, I knew I had a great challenge in front of me. Congratulations Cain. I had a good camp, but what can I say? He was better than me tonight."

Asked if he would go away and bid to return a better fighter, Lesnar replied: "That's what a champion does, right?"

In the co-main event, Jake Shields was far from impressive on his UFC debut as he snatched a split decision victory over Martin Kampmann. Displaying a severe lack of cardio due to the weight cut to 170lbs, Shields won by virtue of his takedown offence during the first two rounds, but he spent most of the third clinging on as Kampmann failed to find a finish.

The UFC knew what it was getting when it signed Shields. The BJJ black belt arrived on a 14-fight win streak, beating the likes of Paul Daley and Dan Henderson in the process, but his reputation is not an exciting one. What he does have is a powerful wrestling game that frequently puts him on top, which could provide a future test for the seemingly unbeatable Georges St-Pierre.

However, on this performance Shields would be foolish to share an Octagon with the current champion, after he completely gassed in round three. Kampmann was able to stuff takedowns at ease, but he could not find the fight-ending choke as Shields took an unimpressive decision victory.

Earlier in the night, Diego Sanchez silenced anybody who doubted his welterweight credentials with yet another career defining victory over Paulo Thiago in the Fight of the Night. After claiming the 2009 Fight of the Year award for his TUF 9 Finale collision with Clay Guida, Sanchez registered a contender for the 2010 honour in a heavier weight class, recovering from a tough first round to overwhelm his Brazilian opponent for a 30-26 29-28 29-28 decision.

Diego Sanchez produced memories of Matt Hughes v Frank Trigg © Getty Images

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If there is one man who encapsulates the warrior spirit of the UFC, it is Sanchez, who initially lost out to Thiago's greater reach and submissions arsenal in round one. However, The Nightmare came to life in the second, igniting the crowd with a huge slam, and he spent the majority of the rest of the bout displaying some vicious ground-and-pound before finishing the fight teeing off from mount.

"I was really humbled by my last two losses," said Sanchez following his shock loss to John Hathaway. "My moral for my camp was 'just earn it', and I worked very hard for this."

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has serious question marks over his future after Matt Hamill showed superior striking ability and a more aggressive takedown offence to claim a unanimous decision against the hometown favourite. Ortiz, who has now lost four and drawn one in his last five fights, once coached a raw Hamill on TUF 3, but he was second best in all aspects against his former pupil.

Afterwards, UFC president Dana White said on ESPN's MMA Live: "Tito has lost four in a row now, and I think we all know what happens when you lose four in a row in the UFC."

And in the opening fight of the main card, Brendan Schaub produced a superb display of striking to defeat Gabriel Gonzaga via a unanimous 30-27 decision. Schaub dropped Gonzaga, who has beaten the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, in round one, before picking off his opponent for the rest of the fight to record the biggest win of his career.

"Gabe's one of the top heavyweights in the world. It was a big step up for me and I was just happy to get out with a victory," said Schaub, now 7-1 on his MMA record. "It was key to our gameplan to mix it up, Gabe's a tough competitor so I'm just happy to get out with a win."

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