Velasquez outguns Nogueira in Round 1

By Brian Knapp
Sherdog.com

The undefeated Cain Velasquez handed Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira a savage beating in the UFC 110 "Nogueira versus Velasquez" main event on Saturday at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Velasquez brought a decisive end to the one-sided heavyweight match, as he buried the Brazilian legend under a volley of violent strikes 2 minutes, 20 seconds into the first round.

Velasquez never let Nogueira get out of the gate. He landed thudding leg kicks throughout the brief encounter and then went to work upstairs. The American Kickboxing Academy thoroughbred leveled Nogueira with a two-punch combination before finishing him with five unanswered punches on the ground.

"I trained hard for this fight, for the stand-up part of it," Velasquez said. "We were planning on pushing the pace wherever we could. Stay on the outside, work the stand-up, and, when the takedown was there, take it. Just kind of keep him off balance the whole time."

The blitz left the durable Nogueira in a helpless state and forced referee Herb Dean to intervene on his behalf. Still the only man to hold championships inside Pride and the UFC, the Brazilian legend had nothing but praise for Velasquez.

In what many will see as a career-defining performance, the 27-year-old from Salinas, Calif., may have launched himself to the front of the line of challengers awaiting heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar's return.

"Of course, I'm disappointed about this fight," Nogueira said. "He had fast hands tonight, and he deserved to win. He was an upcoming guy. He's one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division."