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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"I don't think it was the best decision. But I did it anyway, so it's in the past... It was just me being a fighter. Junior is very quick. He has a lot of power in his hands. He timed it perfectly, and it landed... [In the rematch] I'll just go out there and fight my fight, and that's it. I know how he fights. He's got good boxing. I've just got to fight my style of fight, which means a lot of pressure and a lot of offense... The only reason I got into this sport was to be the champion. And now that I'm not champion, it's the only thing that's on my mind right now — to go in there and to win this fight."
-Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and UFC 155 title challenger Cain Velasquez talks to MMAJunkie.com about his decision to fight with an injury into the first bout, and what he needs to do in Saturday's rematch.
Penick's Analysis: It wasn't the smartest move for either Velasquez or dos Santos to continue with that fight last November, but with it being such a heavily promoted bout as the first event on Fox, neither wanted to disappoint. That's why Saturday's fight really feels like a do-over in many ways, and for Velasquez it's the ultimate chance for redemption. If he can fight his fight, impose his gameplan on dos Santos in a way that just didn't happen in their first bout, he can essentially prove that the first fight was a fluke and place it more on the injury than anything. That's what makes Saturday so important for him.
[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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