You'd think it would be a job requirement for Cain Velasquez to say he's the best heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world.
After all, he fights for the UFC, the world's biggest and most popular MMA promotion.
You'd expect him to say he'd wipe the floor with the heavyweights of rival promotions such as Strikeforce, and that there's no comparison in the level of talent. He's certainly had chance to do so since Strikeforce assembled eight of their best for this year's heavyweight grand prix, which kicked off fewer than two weeks ago with its first quarterfinal matchups.
Fans certainly have started the debate without him, and most of the tournament's competitors say the winner of the competition will crown the world's best.
But Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) isn't one to make those kinds of declarations. When it comes to how the heavyweights of the Strikeforce tournament match up against him and the UFC heavyweight division, he said it's impossible to know who's better.
"We won't know unless we get in the same organization," Velasquez told MMAjunkie Radio (
www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "Who's to say that I'm No. 1 or they're No. 1 if we haven't fought yet?"
Sadly, it's a question Velasquez can't answer for now. He badly damaged his rotator cuff when he took the UFC heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar this past October at UFC 121, and he won't be able to fight, conservatively, until the fourth quarter of this year. So for now, he's stuck on the sidelines as the heavyweight world turns.
"I've got to listen to the doctor, do the rehab, and get back as soon as possible," he said.
Before the injury, Velasquez was expected to fight top contender Junior Dos Santos in April. Dos Santos now is coaching opposite of Lesnar on "The Ultimate Fighter 13," and the two are expected to fight at UFC 131 in June. Meanwhile, the second quarterfinal event of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament is expected to take place April 9, and it's already seen a huge upset in the first event with Antonio Silva's victory over Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian since has confronted the possibility of retirement.
Velasquez had picked Emelianenko or Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as favorites prior to the upset. But he said Emelianenko's loss to Silva owed more to lack of size than lack of ability.
"He's still a great fighter," Velasquez said of "The Last Emperor." "He is undersized. He's been undersized since he started. (But) he's always pulled out the win. Those losses are tough, but I think he still has it."
That leaves Overeem to run the table. The champ is first scheduled to face Fabricio Werdum at the April event. His belt will not be on the line.
Velasquez, who fought his first professional fight under the Strikeforce banner, for now will watch the heavyweight tournament unfold as a fan.
"There are definitely great heavyweights that are fighting there," he said. "I'm excited to watch that whole thing. The guys that fought in PRIDE – those guys are definitely the best, too."
But as for who's the best? He can't say.
"We'll never know until we all fight each other," he said. "But they're definitely the top guys. No joke about that."
http://mmaanalysed.com/index.php?option ... c&Itemid=2
