UFC 121: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Officially Announced

News, Top Story

As per previous speculation, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be returning to California at Anaheim’s Honda Center for UFC 121.

The newly minted “Brocktober 23rd” event will featured a UFC Heavyweight title fight between the champion, Brock Lesnar (5-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and top contender Cain Velasquez and number one contender Cain Velasquez (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

Also announced for the card were such stand out encounters as Martin Kampmann vs. former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields, welterweights Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago, light heavyweights Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz, and heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga vs. The Ultimate Fighter 11: Heavyweight Runner-up Brendan Schaub .

“Throughout fighting history, there has never been a Mexican heavyweight champion, but at UFC 121, Cain Velasquez will try to make history and become the first,” UFC President Dana White said. “To do that though, he must defeat the baddest man on the planet, UFC heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Also, fresh off his destruction of Dan Henderson, Jake Shields enters the UFC, and he’s got his sights set on the welterweight title, but he’s got to get by Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann first.”

MAIN CARD
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Cain Velasquez (for UFC Heavyweight title)
Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields
Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
Matt Hamill vs. Tito Ortiz
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Brendan Schaub

Tickets for UFC 121 will go on sale Saturday, August 21 at noon PT and will be priced at $500, $400, $300, $200, $125 and $75. Tickets are available at HondaCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone (800.745.3000) and all Ticketmaster retail locations. In addition, any remaining tickets will be available at the Honda Center Box Office beginning Monday, August 23 at 10:00 AM.

An Inside Pulse "original", SMS is one of the founding members of Inside Pulse and serves as the Chief Marketing Officer on the Executive Board. Smith is a fan of mixed martial arts and runs two sections of IP as Editor in Chief, RadioExile.com and InsideFights.com. Having covered music festivals around the world as well as conducting interviews with top-class professional wrestlers and musicians, he switched gears from music coverage at Radio Exile to MMA after the first The Ultimate Fighter Finale. He resides with his wife in New York City.