Cain Velasquez didn't break a sweat to retain his UFC Heavyweight Championship on Saturday after scoring a technical knockout win against Antonio 'Big Foot' Silva at the 1:21 mark of the first round at UFC 160 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Velasquez retained the UFC Heavyweight crown for the first time in his career after his previous reign as the division's champ came to an end at the hands of Junior Dos Santos in November of 2011.
Velasquez has shown significant improvement ever since the loss and that has apparently reaped him results as he reclaims the top spot of the UFC kingdom.
Velasquez, who became a two-time UFC Heavyweight champion by exacting his revenge against Dos Santos at UFC 155, entered Saturday's bout with the intention of scoring another impressive victory against his 33-year old Brazilian.
Saturday's results only showed he was more than ready to retain his title this time.
Just like in the first meeting, Velasquez dominated the bout from the get-go as he executed his ground-and-pound game to perfection. Silva though showed a solid game plan by fending off some Velasquez takedowns.
However, the fight ultimately reached its pivotal point when Velasquez landed a jarring right hand blow on the chin of Silva. Velasquez followed his big shot with a barrage of assaults on the Brazilian, forcing referee Mario Yamasaki to stop the bout in the first round.
"The important thing was to stay moving," Velasquez told reporters after his victory, according to ESPN on Saturday. "Look for takedowns. Look for punches. But never stay in front of him."
Velasquez became UFC's first lineal champion in the heavyweight division since Randy Couture did the trick in 1997.
Silva, on the other hand, expressed his displeasure about the officiating, insisting he's in the receiving ends of illegal blows on the head and it's too early to stop the fight.
"The fight was stopped too early," Silva said. "The way that I think is that the saying that applies to athletes when they do something wrong or illegal, is the same for the referees. They too should be penalized."
With the victory, Velasquez set himself up for a rubber match with Dos Santos, who also pulled off a stellar third round stoppage against Mark Hunt.
Valasquez-Silva Post-Fight Press Conference
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