Brock Lesnar is a force inside the UFC cage. His combination of raw power, size and speed is not an easy thing to duplicate in a training camp. Cain Velasquez is in a very good position as the UFC's #1 heavyweight contender to be able to surround himself with great talent in camp in hopes of finding a way to counteract Lesnar's gifts and taking his title this Saturday night.
UFC 121 Preview: Will Daniel Cormier Help Cain Velasquez Prepare For Brock Lesnar?
The key training partner helping Cain to ready himself for Lesnar’s wrestling game is former two time Olympian Daniel Cormier. Cormier is no joke when it comes to wrestling; if the whole Olympian thing didn’t tip you off, the fact that he captained the team in 2008 should. Daniel has since transferred to mixed martial arts and compiled a 5-0 record. One would think that a heavyweight with the amateur wrestling credentials of Cormier would be an ideal training partner to prepare for Brock Lesnar.
However, just as all great boxers don’t use the same style, Lesnar and Cormier have very different styles and attributes. For starters, Cormier is 5’11” to Lesnar’s 6’3”. Stylistically Lesnar is much more of a bull. He pushes forward and uses his incredible strength to overcome what may be perceived as technical flaws in his wrestling. Cormier is much more technical and has a very timing based game. He chooses the right opportunity to shoot and take opponents down. Again, it isn’t like there are Lesnar clones hanging around every street corner but I do think that Cormier won’t be able to help too much in having Cain ready for what Lesnar brings to the table.
However, the fight doesn't only come down to if Velasquez can prepare for what Lesnar brings. Lesnar also needs to be ready to deal with a very quick heavyweight with an endless gastank and solid striking technique. Cain does not have a lot of striking power, but he has enough that he knocked out a faded but still durable Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their UFC 110 meeting. Cain's workrate is by far his best asset and it's something that could be a problem for Brock.
Lesnar's cardio has been impressive in his bouts so far. He looked amazingly fresh after the first round of his bout with Shane Carwin considering that Carwin was on top of him dropping huge shots for almost the entire round. There is probably nothing more exhausting in MMA than being in serious danger for a sustained amount of time as your heart rate increases and you begin to have massive amounts of adrenaline dump into your system. Still, one would think if Velasquez can drag the fight into the later rounds he should have the advantage.
There are so many variables at play in this fight that it is, without a doubt, the most intriguing heavyweight fight of the past few years. On Saturday night MMA fans around the world will get a chance to see who was able to best prepare for what their opponent brings.
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