In what has become the norm in recent years, the UFC has put together a stellar month of December in hopes of building momentum into the new year. 2012's December is scheduled to be one of the most exciting month of fights this year with two titles up for grabs and the return of a prodigy.
It's been well-documented that the talent pool in Northern California is a whole lot deeper than most regions across America and two of the most promising fighters will be on display later this year. Gracie Fight Team's Nate Diaz and American Kickboxing Academy's Cain Velasquez are slated to headline two title fights this December.
Diaz, whose last fight was a submission win over Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3, will get his long-awaited shot at Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson. It'll be his first-ever UFC title fight and just the second time in his career that he has a shot at gold.
After his victory over Miller on May 5, UFC President Dana White announced that Diaz would be next in line for a shot at the lightweight title. Up until last Saturday at UFC 150 his opponent was unknown. Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar in a rematch of their bout in February. Many feared that if Edgar had won then there'd be a third bout and Diaz would either wait or forced to put his "No. 1 contender" title on the line.
Diaz vs. Henderson is slated to take place on December 8 on UFC on FOX 5. A location for the card has not yet been determined. Also slated for that card is the return of BJ Penn who will face-off against Rory MacDonald. Their bout was originally slated for UFC 152 Toronto, but due to a laceration above Rory's eye their welterweight fight was put on hold.
Later that month, on the UFC's annual end of the year PPV, the heavyweight title will be up for grabs for the second time this year. It will be a rematch that's been brewing for over a year since the UFC's debut on FOX. On that one-fight card in November, AKA's Cain Velasquez lost his heavyweight title to Junior dos Santos via a first-round TKO.
JDS successfully defended the title on May 26 of this year by finishing Frank Mir at UFC 146. That same night, Velasquez destroyed Antonio Silva via a first-round TKO that left Silva bloodied and with a broken nose. Cain's performance that night promised him a shot at JDS and redemption, but there were rumors that Alistair Overeem would get a title shot when he returned from suspension.
White put those rumors to rest when he announced Cain vs. JDS 2 for December 29 at UFC 155, which will take place in Las Vegas. Cain's waited for over a year to redeem the lone loss on his record and take back the title he believes is rightfully his.
Whatever the outcome of these two fights, one thing is for certain. December will be a joyous month for fight fans and because it's Christmastime.
Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.
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