UFC 131 Lesnar Vs. Dos Santos Prediction

The UFC 131 matchup between Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos is a bounce-back fight for Lesnar, the former champ who was dominated by Cain Velasquez in his last matchup.

Many have put out predictions that Lesnar will lose to dos Santos at UFC 131 but is their logic correct? Let's examine.

Lesnar will be a handful for dos Santos and present problems he's never faced in the Octagon, that much is for sure. Lesnar is a bigger, better wrestler than just about anybody in the division and dos Santos' ground game is in question.

Dos Santos has shown some good takedown defense in recent fights, however, which is crucial against Brock because one takedown could be game over. Where it gets really interesting is if Brock does get dos Santos to the ground and whether or not Junior can bounce back to his feet or maybe even threaten with submissions.

Many UFC fans take shots at dos Santos' ground game but he trains in one of the best jiu-jitsu camps in the world under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and his brother Antonio Rogerio along with Anderson Silva and more. He has said in recent interviews leading up to UFC 131 that he feels quite comfortable with his ground game these days and that's a welcome sign for many MMA and UFC fans who want to see dos Santos take out Lesnar and put his career in doubt. Lesnar has many who still hold a grudge against him for his actions of disrespect against Frank Mir and others.

But Lesnar doesn't mind it. He likes to play the villain and rile up the crowd. This one will be trouble for him if it stays standing, however.

Dos Santos seems to get bigger and stronger with every fight and his boxing is absolutely devastating for MMA fighters who aren't nearly as advanced.

One good uppercut could be enough to dizzy or turn the lights out on Mr. Lesnar. Because dos Santos knows that Lesnar has no intentions of boxing with him, he will probably try to keep his distance and make Lesnar attempt takedowns from a distance while waiting for the perfect moment to counter-strike in this fight.

When that happens, Lesnar, who has shown he can't take a punch too well in past fights, will end up being dazed.

The smart money is definitely on the boxing phenom dos Santos in this fight as he has morphed into a seasoned MMA fighter over the years under the Nogueiras.

UFC 131 prediction: Dos Santos by TKO (3rd round)