Velasquez And Dos Santos The Right Play For Fox Main Event

The UFC doesn't do things halfway. For their first main event on Fox, the promotion pulled out all the stops, booking a heavyweight title bout between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior dos Santos. It's a bold as brass move by the UFC, a company that has never been shy about putting its best foot forward.

The first event on Fox will be incredibly important. The rating will establish where the sport stands in the pecking order of mainstream athletics. A heavyweight title fight speaks volumes about how the UFC is viewing their new relationship with Fox. It's also incredibly smart business.

Cain Velasquez and dos Santos are both well rounded and gifted fighters. But neither are household names yet. This fight on Fox will elevate whoever emerges as champion into the mainstream consciousness. Whoever wins will become a star - and really that's what the Fox deal is all about. Using broadcast television to build their pay per view brand is the perfect scenario for the UFC.

The fight itself will be intriguing. Velasquez is coming off of major shoulder surgery. What he still has left as an athlete is an open question. In dos Santos, he faces a power puncher who slugged out wrestler Shane Carwin to earn the shot. Will Velasquez be able to get Junior to the ground? And once there, what skills does dos Santos have off of his back. These will be the key questions that will decide the first ever main event on Fox.