Dec 29, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Junior Dos Santos leaves the ring after being defeated by Cain Velasquez during UFC 155 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Former UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos vs. K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt.

This fight has been over a year in the making. After obstacles such as travel issues and misunderstandings between bosses, the match between these world champions will finally happen at UFC 160 and not only are both men looking to score a vicious knockout, but also, they are hoping to move one more step closer to No. 1 contender status.

Although dos Santos is coming off of a loss in his rematch against current title holder Cain Velasquez, the fighter known to fans as “Cigano,” has the hands to send anyone to the canvas, including Hunt. Other than the lone KO loss to Melvin Manhoef on his record, the “Super Samoan” had gone up against the best strikers in MMA, and managed to make it out of the fight due to his solid chin.

Hunt has also shown improvement in his ground game since his loss to Sean McCorkle, but dos Santos has grappling skills that could send anyone to the canvas. If the former UFC champion wants to get the quick win, he should take Hunt down in the opening frames of the fight.

Dos Santos faces the same challenge as several former champions when they returned to action after losing their title.

In his last fight against Velasquez, he had said he was facing some personal problems – something we all face. Obstacles, no matter how big or small, physical or emotional, can sometimes sneak up on his and keep us from our full potential.  The loss aside, Cigano seems more focused on getting his fighting career on track. Even if he loses the match to Hunt, the former champion

For dos Santos, winning this fight means he is one step closer to getting back his UFC title, but for Hunt there seems to be more at stake for him in this fight.

The Super Samoan came into the UFC with a 5-7 record. After his loss to McCorkle, some have speculated that his career, at least in the UFC, was over.

Even I had my doubts that Hunt would return to the octagon. But then came the KO over Chris Tuchscherer and then decision victory over Ben Rothwell at UFC 144. Hunt quickly added Chieck Kongo and Stefan Struve to his list of wins. The victory over Struve earned Hunt his first “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

Hunt, who had made a name for himself competing in Japan, was gaining success in the UFC, which has been difficult for some fighters who have come from Japanese organizations like Pride, Dream and Hero’s. Even if he loses to dos Santos, Hunt has gained enough of a winning streak and fan following to warrant him another fight in the octagon.

Putting the future aside, I’ll just come out and say it. For fans of the stand up game – myself included – this fight will be a treat. Both dos Santos and Hunt are known for their powerful hands and, between the two of them,  have a who’s who of names that have fallen after tasting their fists.

I’ll also come forward and say that I do not care who comes out the winner. I am a fan of both fighters and I will be happy no matter who gets their hands raised.

Who do you think will emerge victorious in this clash of strikers? Answer with a comment below or send a tweet to @alstover

Dec 29, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Cain Velasquez (top) strikes Junior Dos Santos (bottom) during UFC 155 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into UFC 155, no fighter had more pressure on them than Cain Velazquez. For the newly re-crowned UFC Heavyweight championship, his rematch with Brazilian Junior dos Santos was not only a chance to redeem his knockout loss to the now former champ, but also a chance to protect his legacy. A second loss to dos Santos would likely mean the end of Velazquez’s days of title contender at heavyweight. To make matters worse, Velazquez does not have the ability to drop down to a lightweight class or move up a la Frankie Edgar, Chael Sonnen, or BJ Penn did when they lost two title fights in their respective divisions.

Luckily for Velazquez, he dominated dos Santos from bell to bell, beating down the Brazilian with constant pressure, takedowns, and ground and pound. The 25-minute beat down leaves the door open for a trilogy fight between the consensus top-two heavyweights in the world, but it does not appear that that fight (which likely be held in a stadium) will be up next. Instead Velazquez, a bout with Dutch behemoth Alistair Overeem seems to be the best option available. Assuming Overeem is licensed in Nevada and can beat the formidable Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva on Super Bowl weekend, a bout between the two makes too much sense not to make sometime in 2013.

In the aftermath of UFC 155, here are seven other bouts that should be made.

Junior dos Santos versus Alistair Overeem – Antonio Silva loser

Even with the loss, dos Santos is not too far out of the title picture in the shallow heavyweight division. At worst, “Cigano” is two fights away from getting a chance to get his title back. A win over either Silva or Overeem would put him real close to getting a trilogy fight against Velazquez. He’s simply too good not to get another crack at the title in late 2013 or in early 2014.

Jim Miller versus Rafael dos Anjos

Miller beat Joe Lauzon in what I consider to be 2012’s “Fight of the Year”. The bloody, exhausting 15-minute bout saw Miller get back in the win column after a submission loss to Nate Diaz back in May. While he’s not quite ready to get back into the immediate title picture, he is ready to earn his place back in that discussion. A bout against the surging dos Anjos would be great scrap for both men in early 2013.

Alan Belcher versus Vitor Belfort – Michael Bisping loser

Yushin Okami simply out grappled Belcher on UFC 155’s main card. “The Talent” lost his big chance to become a real contender at 185, and is now back looking for a big win in order to regain his contender status. A bout with either Belfort or Bisping would be a big opportunity for Belcher to get back on the contender path at 185.

Joe Lauzon versus Mark Bocek

Never is Lauzon in a boring fight, and that streak continued at UFC in his bout with Miller. He may never become a real contender, but he’s always going to be in exciting scraps as long he continues fighting. A bout with the aforementioned Diaz has been mentioned, but once he heals from his wounds, I’d like to see him take on Bocek. If he wins there, he will have earned another crack at a Top 10 opponent in the stacked lightweight division.

Dec 29, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Joe Lauzon during UFC 155 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Perez versus Johnny Bedford

“Goyito” now stands 3-0 at 135 in the UFC, and has the potential to become a real player in the bantamweight division. Still relatively raw, he is not quite ready for the likes of Urijah Faber, Renan Barao, and the other top-level fighters just yet, but he is ready for a step up in completion. Bedford, a tough veteran, is a good step up for Perez, who at 23, is improving in each fight.

Jaime Varner versus Diego Sanchez – Takanori Gomi winner

Varner took home a spilt decision in his grudge match with Melvin Guillard, but he won the fight much clearer than the spilt decision indicates. He wants a rematch with Lauzon, but seeing as the UFC likes to match up fighters who have both won with each other, that bout doesn’t make too much sense. Sanchez and Gomi will throw down in Japan in February, and the winner would make an ideal opponent for the former WEC champ.

Chris Leben versus Alessio Sakara

Leben returned from a long layoff against Derek Brunson on the PPV opener of UFC 155, and he was out grappled en route to a pretty boring decision. Even with the loss, it would be a surprise to see Leben cut considering his long history with the UFC. Matching him up with a striker in his next fight would give him a good opportunity to get back in the win column, and keep his job. Sakara, most recently linked to a bout with Patrick Cote, would be a good opponent for Leben.

It’s finally here. After countless events, injuries and comebacks, we reach the end of one of the strangest years in MMA. Before the year ends, however, there is one more event to be taken care of — UFC 155. It features the heavyweight title as the main event, a rematch between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. The first fight between the two took just over a minute to end after a big hook from Dos Santos knocked down the former champion. In recent weeks there has been a video surfacing that shows Velasquez tearing his ACL prior the first defense of his belt on Fox. Dos Santos manager Ed Soares also came out after the fight and claimed that Dos Santos was not at full health for his fight, so this could be the fight that we expected the first time between two healthy fighters.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez (UFC Heavyweight title)

As stated above both fighters claim to have been injured prior to their first fight at UFC on Fox, therefore we have to expect a different game plan this time around. Velasquez is a former Division 1 wrestler at Arizona State and we have to expect him to go for the takedown this time around.

Minus 13 seconds, we have not seen Dos Santos on his back in the UFC. He is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, but has never faced a wrestler the caliber of Velasquez. In his previous title defense he went up against a jiu-jitsu expert in Frank Mir, but Mir does not possess takedowns the quality of Velasquez.

If Velasquez can get takedowns and utilize ground and pound, this could be a completely different fight than the first, but if Dos Santos is able to defend the takedown, will Velasquez be able to hang in a boxing match with the champion?

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

Lauzon was originally slated to face off against Gray Maynard at UFC 155, but a torn ACL scrapped that fight. The co-main event features two of the most exciting, not to mention durable, fighters in the lightweight division. Both possess outstanding jiu-jitsu and earn fight of the night bonuses. This should be one extremely fun fight, but don’t expect a finish from either fighter in this one.

Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou

Philippou steps up on short notice after Chris Weidman was forced out due to a shoulder injury. This is probably a better matchup for Boetsch, although Philippou has outstanding boxing. Boetsch has reinvented himself since dropping to middleweight and while his last fight against Hector Lombard was not the most exciting he did earn his fourth straight win. He is one of the strongest middleweights and will need to utilize his wrestling background and strength to bully the more technical striker Philippou.

What else to look forward to:

Alan Belcher challenges Yushin Okami in a rematch of their fight at UFC 62. Both fighters have evolved since then and this is the most high profile fight for Belcher in his UFC career. He is looking to earn a title shot and a decisive victory over Okami could put him one win away.

Chris Leben returns to the UFC after a year long suspension and looks to get his first win since July of 2011. The time off may have done wonders for Leben, a fighter that has been in brawls throughout his career. It will be interesting to see whether Leben looks like a refreshed fighter that has recovered from some of the physical injuries and mental demons that have been with him throughout his career or if ring rust will play a factor in this fight.

UFC 155 Fight Card

Pay Per View Card:

Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez

Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou

Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher

Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson

FX Prelims:

Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland

Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth

Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner

Michael Johnson vs. Miles Jury

Facebook Prelims

Phil De Fries vs. Todd Duffee

Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway

Chris Cariaso vs. John Moraga