Storylines that Emerged from UFC 121

The Winners

Cain Velasquez
He was quicker, more accurate and eminently more composed in the exchanges. And just like that, Velasquez is the new UFC heavyweight champion. The no-frills former ASU wrestler lived up to every bit of the hype, as he took apart champion Brock Lesnar with a clinical approach, drilling the bigger man on the feet and using a composed attack via ground-and-pound to render the Minnesotan helpless en route to a stoppage.

Velasquez holds the edge that no smaller man will ever know in terms of fighter marketing -- he’s a heavyweight. That brings all sorts of marketing mojo and “sellability,” to say nothing of the inherent bona fides of being bilingual and having a “Brown Pride” tat on his chest. It’s been a while coming, but the guess here is that America’s vast Latino population takes a quantum leap toward watching MMA.

Why? Because Velasquez is the perfect story and style they can root for. How can you not like a guy whose parents were immigrants, and made himself into an NCAA wrestling standout? Velasquez is the antithesis of the Lesnar image, and fans of all backgrounds will gravitate to him. It matters what you do during fights, and he delivered huge Saturday night.

Brendan Schaub
Schaub, a TUF 11 finalist who lost to Roy Nelson, has improved steadily and shown marked improvement since the reality show. Heavyweights with striking are always in demand, and his footwork and sense of timing were razor-sharp against Gabriel Gonzaga. Schaub’s solid hands and good understanding of distance were on display Saturday night, and he even went for a takedown at the end of the bout, though it may have gotten him into a choke if the round hadn’t ended.

MMA is consistently evolving into a case of who is the better athlete, and Schaub’s athleticism is eminent. He is developing a good understanding of the game and getting better with each outing. He’ll definitely be one to watch, especially with his punching power and physical ability.

The Losers

Fedor Emelianenko
The once-dominant champion held the world in his sway each time rumors swirled about the UFC trying to sign him. Yeah, Emelianenko probably won’t lose any sleep over what happened at UFC 121. And he’ll live a fruitful and happy life, given his stoic approach to defining what he wants to do and who he’ll do it with. But for the former Pride heavyweight champion, Saturday’s Velasquez-Lesnar bout only underscored how far along the game has come, and how increasingly irrelevant Fedor is to it, a division he once ruled in the eyes of fans and writers with an iron hand.

There was no question he was the best a couple years ago. Now, Fedor fades further into the background each time a heavyweight title contest is held and he’s not involved.

The “Big heavyweights will rule” theory
In recent years, the theory that big heavyweights are somehow holding an unfair advantage was proven brutally incorrect. Thanks to Velasquez destruction of Lesnar, fans were reminded that it’s not how big you are, but how readily you can put the leather to the other guy that counts. Velasquez, at a mere 244 pounds, reminded us that a good athlete and coordination go a lot further than the big size and huge muscles that Lesnar brought into the bout. Things don’t matter if you are getting drilled and can’t connect, and Velasquez showed that size really doesn’t count when you’re getting your licks in and the bigger guy isn’t.

It’s just a good thing to see given the public’s obsession with size, and it plays a big role in dismissing the recurring (and silly) talk of a need for a “super heavyweight division,” variants of which pop up every time some 265-pound muscle head beats up a 240 pound guy. Velasquez proves that heavyweights don’t need to be huge to be successful.