Sherdog.com’s 2013 Fighter of the Year

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5. Cain Velasquez

In terms of pure dominance, Velasquez may have the market cornered.

The 31-year-old Salinas, Calif., native strengthened his hold over the heavyweight division during the past 12 months, retaining his UFC championship with one-sided thrashings of Antonio Silva and Junior dos Santos. Now 11-1 inside the Octagon, he has established himself as MMA’s premier big man.

“Bigfoot” Silva was the first man Velasquez preyed upon in 2013. He wiped out Silva with a crisp counter right hand and follow-up ground-and-pound, as the American Kickboxing Academy ace defended his heavyweight crown in the UFC 160 headliner on May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Referee Mario Yamasaki intervened on the fallen Silva’s behalf 1:21 into round one.

“Bigfoot” denied a pair of takedown attempts from the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, but he had no answer for Velasquez’s speed and technique on the feet. The champion countered an ill-advised right uppercut from Silva with a left jab and straight right, dropping the monstrous challenger to a knee. Velasquez then swarmed with punches for the finish.

“I don’t think about it as defending the title,” he said. “I want to win every fight against the best guys. [The belt] just comes along with it, and I was blessed tonight. My game plan was [to move] a lot while looking for takedowns and punches but to never stand in front of him.”

Five months later, Velasquez climbed back into the cage for another rematch, as he opposed dos Santos for a third time in the UFC 166 main event on Oct. 19 at the Toyota Center in Houston, stopping the Brazilian on a fifth-round technical knockout. Dos Santos finally wilted under an accumulation of punishment 3:09 into round five, having struck his head on the canvas during a failed attempt at a guillotine choke. According to preliminary FightMetric figures, Velasquez landed 274 total strikes, 123 of them significant.

Velasquez, who waded through heavy fire throughout, went 2-for-13 on takedown attempts. Instead, he brutalized dos Santos in the clinch, abusing him with punches to the head and knees to the legs and body. The Brazilian simply could not keep any distance between himself and the ruthlessly relentless champion. Velasquez floored him with an overhand right in the third round and swooped in for the finish. Dos Santos somehow survived, but he was never the same.

“I was very OK for this fight,” dos Santos said. “What can I say? He beat me up. He did a great job. Congratulations to him. I’m going to go home and train harder to face him again.”

Shoulder surgery will likely keep Velasquez on the sidelines until late 2014, even as worthy contenders like Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne nip at his heels.