Velasquez, Dos Santos To Headline UFC 138

Velasquez, Dos Santos Clash In Huge November Headliner

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is expected to make the first defense of his championship when he faces Junior dos Santos at UFC 138 on Nov. 19.

That’s according to a report from the Los Angeles Times, who confirmed the news with UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta on Thursday evening.

The event is scheduled to take place in the champion’s adopted hometown of San Jose, where Velasquez has trained at American Kickboxing Academy since graduating from Arizona State as one of the nation’s top amateur wrestlers.

MMA oddsmakers opened up dos Santos as a slight favorite in the fight, but public sentiment has shifted the line heavily in Velasquez’s favor.

Dos Santos battered Shane Carwin beyond recognition last Saturday at UFC 131 in Vancouver, earning the title shot he’d already once earned with a win over Roy Nelson last August. The win over Carwin was his seventh in a row inside the Octagon.

Velasquez has been out of action since capturing the UFC heavyweight title from Brock Lesnar last October at UFC 121. He has been sidelined ever since the Lesnar win with a torn rotator cuff, an injury that required him to undergo surgery. Velasquez has yet to resume full training, but is expected to do so at some point in the next six weeks.