Heath Herring To Fight Cain Velasquez at UFC 99

The Cain Velasquez hype train is hurtling down the tracks right now, and there is no sign of it slowing down.

Many people are calling Cain Velasquez a future UFC heavyweight champion, and that it will just be a matter of time before he ascends to the top of the promotion. Training partners, opponents and even Dana White himself are all unanimous in their praise of the 240 pound monster.

Velasquez will face his stiffest test (by far) when he squares off against Heath Herring at UFC 99. With a win against Herring, Velasquez will elevate himself into the UFC heavyweight title picture.

However, Herring is no pushover. He is extremely hard to knock out (see the Brock Lesnar fight), with his only true knockout loss coming to Mirko Filipovic at PRIDE 26.

Velasquez, who has won every one of his professional fights via knockout, will have a much harder time stopping Heath Herring. Brock Lesnar caved Herring's face in with a massive punch early in their fight, and it still ended up going the limit.

Can Velasquez go a full three rounds without gassing? How will Velasquez fare against a seasoned opponent who has fought against some of the toughest heavyweight fighters in the world?

Herring will bring a wealth of experience into this fight. He has fought against the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Filipovic and Vitor Belfort. Herring will be looking to re-establish himself in the heavyweight division with a win over Velasquez.

To me, this is easily the second most intriguing fight on the UFC 99 card, behind Wanderlei Silva / Rich Franklin.

Velasquez is the fast-rising future superstar, while Heath Herring is the seasoned and experienced fighter who is trying to remain relevant in the heavyweight division.

Velasquez has unbelievable power, while Herring is incredibly hard to knock out.

Velasquez has only had one fight last past the first round, while Herring's last five fights have gone to a decision.

I'm really looking forward to this fight. Is Velasquez for real? An impressive victory over Herring would immediately vault him into the title picture.