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UFC 155 Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II: 5 Burning Questions

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Merry Christmas!

After a 10-day hiatus, I’m finally back here at Keyboard Kimura to tackle another UFC event, starting in familiar fashion with the latest edition of 5 Burning Questions.

I apologize for my absence – I’ve been working on some other projects for other sites (read: ufc.com, Sportsnet, top secret plans for world domination), spending time with my family, and just taking a little down time before 2013 gets started, but with Fight Week officially starting later today in Las Vegas, the time was right to make my triumphant (?) return.

Hopefully everyone missed me for one reason or another, had themselves a wonderful Christmas, and is ready for a great fight card to close out the year… I know I am.

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1. What Will the Heavyweight Landscape Look Like on Sunday?

By the time the dust settles after Saturday’s main event, we’ll either have a new heavyweight champion and the potential for a trilogy fight or we’ll be left wondering how long it will take for Cain Velasquez to escape “The Rich Franklin Zone.”

Those are two very different pictures, and both equally intriguing.

If Junior dos Santos successfully defends his title for a second time, “Cigano” will stamp himself as one of the best the UFC heavyweight division has ever seen. He’ll enter 2013 with two potential challengers left to vanquish – Daniel Cormier and Alistair Overeem – and questions about a superfight with light heavyweight champ Jon Jones start to be asked.

Should the Brazilian retain, Velasquez will face an uphill battle to get back to championship contention. With a pair of losses to dos Santos, he’d likely be out of the running for a third title shot until his nemesis drops the belt and/or he piles up four or five very good victories.

However, if Velasquez is able to avenge the lone loss of his career, the UFC will have the potential to put together a heavyweight championship trilogy bout between the UFC 155 headliners. They could also opt to slot someone into the challenger’s role in the interim, like the Alistair Overeem/Antonio Silva winner, first. A Velasquez win would make Cormier look at a move to light heavyweight (so he’s said thus far), which would be an interesting bonus prize from the championship changing hands.

All in all, there is a lot on the line and a lot to be decided in the main event which is precisely why I can’t wait for Saturday night to get here already.

2. Can Joe Lauzon Take the Next Step?

Later this week on Sportsnet, I dive head-first into this one, but the Cliff Notes version goes like this:

Lauzon is always entertaining and the owner of 11 “Fight Night” bonuses in 13 UFC appearances, but has come up short every time he’s had a chance to advance to the next level.

His losses to Kenny Florian, George Sotiropoulos, and Anthony Pettis all came when wins could have moved the Bridgewater, Massachusetts native into title contention in the lightweight division. Now comes a tough fight with Jim Miller, who stepped in when Gray Maynard was forced out with a knee injury. It’s a tough fight – but a better match-up than one with “The Bully” in my opinion – but once again, Lauzon is in position to move into the upper echelon of the division with a win.

This is arguably the best chance he’s had, as Miller is a good stylistic match-up for Lauzon, who is dynamic on the ground, and has really improved his hands over the years. Will he do it? That’s why we watch.

3. Which Middleweight Will Make the Biggest Impact?

The first three fights on the pay-per-view portion of the card are middleweight contests, and one fighter in each pairing is in a position to make a serious statement about their respective careers.

Tim Boetsch can further elevate his status as a contender with a win over Costa Philippou. “The Barbarian” has won all four of his contests since moving down to the 185-pound ranks, and was originally slated to face fellow top contender Chris Weidman here before he was forced to undergo shoulder surgery. Boetsch is the most slept on contender in the division, but can make a grand statement by halting Philippou’s four-fight win streak here.

For a number of years, Alan Belcher has said he’s the man to beat Anderson Silva. Like Boetsch, he enters UFC 155 on a four-fight winning streak, having earned stoppages over Wilson Gouveia, Patrick Cote, Jason MacDonald, and Rousimar Palhares since losing a razor-thin split decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100. If “The Talent” can stop Yushin Okami, he too will be in the mix in the middleweight division.

While he’s not in the title hunt, Chris Leben’s first bout in 13 months might be the most anticipated of the evening. “The Crippler” has been suspended for the last year. Over that time, he’s gone through rehab, battled back the demons he’s wrestled with for most of his life, and come out the other side ready to start the next chapter of his career against Derek Brunson. Having spoken with him last week, I can tell you that Leben sounds much better today – more focused, more hungry, more motivated – than he did in the times I spoke to him pre-suspension. I wouldn’t be surprised if Leben earns the biggest ovation of the night on Saturday.

4. Who is the Next Bantamweight Contender?

With Dominick Cruz suffering a setback in his recovery from knee surgery, uber-prospect Michael McDonald is set to step up and face Renan Barao for the interim title this coming February in England. As a result, the top of the list of contenders in the division is up for grabs, and the winner of Saturday’s fight between Eddie Wineland and Brad Pickett will likely crown the next challenger.

Raphael Assuncao could have moved himself to the head of the class, but struggled in his win over Mike Easton in Seattle. Given that he broke his arm in that fight, he’s out of the mix for the time being. Should Ivan Menjivar upset Urijah Faber early next year, the long-time veteran could certainly move into the mix.

That being said, Pickett and Wineland are consistently entertaining fighters, and the winner of this one is the odds-in choice to be the next to challenge for the title. Wineland is coming off a great performance against Scott Jorgensen, while Pickett has posted back-to-back wins over Damacio Page and Yves Jabouin.

There shouldn’t be many dull moments in this one.

5. Which Emerging Star Will Continue to Shine?

Erik “Goyito” Perez is a dark horse contender in the bantamweight division heading into 2013, having finished each of his first two UFC opponents inside the first round. If he stops Byron Bloodworth on Saturday, he’ll earn a big step up in competition next time out, and you’ll start to hear even more about the man who could very well walk to the cage as a masked luchador this weekend.

Michael Johnson has already won three straight this year, and looks to wrap up “The Year of The Menace” with a fourth consecutive victory. The charismatic “Blackzilian” meets unbeaten TUF alum Myles Jury in a bout many see as a step back. Johnson knows it’s a dangerous match-up, and is focused on moving one step closer to contention before the year ends.

John Moraga looked nasty in his UFC debut when he absolutely destroyed Ulysses Gomez. He gets a step up in competition this weekend when he faces off with veteran Chris Cariaso, but a second straight win on the biggest stage in the sport could deliver an express ticket to contention in the flyweight division.

Cody McKenzie’s loss is Max Holloway’s gain. The young Hawaiian striker stepped into the void left by “The AK Kid” and will kick off UFC 155 against veteran slugger Leonard Garcia. Holloway has looked very good earning victories in his last two, and has the markings of a potential contender in the featherweight division. He’s not yet ready to battle with the big boys, but a win over “Bad Boy” will show that he’s ready to face stiffer competition in 2013.

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If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow me (@spencerkyte) for even more MMA talk… and all kinds of randomness too.



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