UFC on FOX: Is Velasquez vs. Dos Santos the UFC's Ali vs. Foreman?

The UFC made a big splash today, announcing that the planned world heavyweight title fight between champion Cain Velasquez and top contender Junior dos Santos will now headline the promotion's first event on FOX.

The announcement is an exciting one for fight fans who will now be able to see one of the biggest fights in UFC history happen on live, free television.

Although the magnitude is quite apparent with regards to the UFC, some are beginning to draw comparison between some of boxing's legendary matches—specifically Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman.

Immediately I must say that this comparison is very premature.

There is no questioning each of these fighter's abilities but to say that they are on par with these two legends is just too soon.

Let's start off by comparing Foreman and Velasquez.

At the time of the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle", Foreman was the reigning heavyweight champion taking on an older Ali that few people thought could win.  Foreman was coming into the fight riding a perfect 40-0 win streak, with knockouts of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton (both men owning wins over Ali).

Foreman was the king at the time, and in that respect, Velasquez can compare.  Velasquez is undefeated coming into the fight, but his resume only includes two big wins—knockouts of Brock Lesnar (a terrible striker) and Minotauro Nogueira.

Velasquez is also defending his belt for the first time, while Foreman defended his belts twice before facing Ali.

Skill-wise, Foreman was a more mature fighter in his bout with Ali than Velasquez will be entering his first title defense.

Comparing Ali and dos Santos, the first thing that comes to mind is knockout power.

True, both fighters carry heavy hands, but Ali was a much more experienced fighter coming in with some of the biggest boxing matches in history already to his credit.

At the time, Ali had already avenged both his losses to Ken Norton and Joe Frazier as well as owning wins over Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson.  Dos Santos will enter the bout with a big wins over Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson, but neither fighter was knocked out and his win over Mirko Cro Cop was a bit of a mismatch now that Cro Cop is in the twilight of his career.

Dos Santos is also more evenly matched with Velasquez where as everyone and their mother thought Ali would lose to Foreman. 

The biggest difference between these two epic bouts is that Ali and Foreman already had numerous accomplishments and were seasoned veterans when they fought.  Ali may have been the elder, but there was no denying Foreman's accolades and past performances.

Velasquez and dos Santos, although clearly skilled, are still relatively young fighters in the sport.

Hindsight, though, may change my mind when I look back on this bout.  If Velasquez and dos Santos put on a war and can arouse the passions of new viewers and old fans alike, then maybe the comparing them to these boxing legends isn't so far fetched.

Source: UFC on FOX: Is Velasquez vs. Dos Santos the UFC's Ali vs. Foreman?