Sherdog’s Top 10: Non Pay-Per-View Main Events

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6. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
UFC on Fox 1 | Nov. 12, 2011 -- Anaheim, Calif.
Fox
The Ultimate Fighting Championship inked a seven-year deal with Fox in the summer of 2011, potentially altering the mixed martial arts landscape forever. For the promotion’s November debut on the network, it needed to make a splash that would set the tone for a partnership that would officially begin the following year. Instead of a full main card, Fox executives requested a single bout to whet the appetite of a curious new audience.

What better way to fit the bill than by offering a heavyweight title fight?

By most definitions, dos Santos-Velasquez is too abbreviated to qualify as an all-time classic -- “Cigano’s” 64-second knockout victory left Fox with plenty of time to fill on its hour-long broadcast -- but by offering a fight that would usually fetch top dollar on pay-per-view, the Las Vegas-based promotion set the tone for what looks to be a prosperous relationship for both parties. Ratings peaked during headliner, as 8.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the title fight; it was the most viewed bout in the history of MMA on American television.

Of course, part of the intrigue of any heavyweight battle is the potential for such a quick finish, which dos Santos delivered in emphatic fashion. The Brazilian floored Velasquez with an overhand right behind the ear, followed his foe to the canvas and finished the contest with strikes on the ground.

“I don’t know if you guys are able to [understand how I feel]. I can’t explain how I’m feeling,” dos Santos said at the post-fight press conference. “It was an important fight for the whole MMA [community] and especially for me and Cain.”

Number 5 » Emelianenko vs. Werdum