Lesnar, Velasquez Official for UFC 121

The sport’s most bankable box office draw hit the scales before a throng of boisterous followers and detractors, as his stoic opponent looked on from just a few feet away.

Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar checked in at 264 pounds for his five-round title defense against the unbeaten Cain Velasquez (244) in the UFC 121 main event on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The eight other fighters booked for main card duty -- including co-headliners Jake Shields (170.5) and Martin Kampmann (170) -- also met their mandated weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in.

In just six professional fights, Lesnar has ascended to the top of the heavyweight division. A four-time collegiate All-American wrestler, he won a Div. I national championship at the University of Minnesota in 2000. Lesnar submitted the previously unbeaten Shane Carwin with a second-round arm-triangle choke in the UFC 116 headliner three months ago in Las Vegas, as he returned to the cage following a lengthy illness. Since entering mixed martial arts in 2007, the 6-foot-3 former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar has piled up notable wins against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Heath Herring.

Velasquez has finished seven of his first eight foes, five of them inside one round. The 28-year-old last appeared at UFC 110 in February, when he blasted through beloved Brazilian Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a little more than two minutes at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. A junior college national champion, Velasquez was a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University. Victories against French kickboxer Cheick Kongo and former International Fight League standout Ben Rothwell anchor his resume.

UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez” -- which also features a welterweight duel pitting the world-ranked Paul Thiago (170.5) against Diego Sanchez (170.5), a light heavyweight tilt pairing former champion Tito Ortiz (206) with Matt Hamill (203.5) and a heavyweight bout between “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 finalist Brendan Schaub (239.5) and Gabriel Gonzaga (254) -- will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of fights from the undercard: Court McGee (184.5) vs. Ryan Jensen (185) and Patrick Cote (185) vs. Tom Lawlor (185).

UFC 121 “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”
Saturday, Oct. 23
Honda Center
Anaheim, Calif.

UFC Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar (264) vs. Cain Velasquez (244)

Jake Shields (170.5) vs. Martin Kampmann (170)
Tito Ortiz (206) vs. Matt Hamill (203.5)
Brendan Schaub (239) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (254)
Paulo Thiago (170.5) vs. Diego Sanchez (170.5)
Court McGee (184.5) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)
Patrick Cote (185) vs. Tom Lawlor (185)
Michael Guymon (170) vs. Daniel Roberts (170)
Sam Stout (155.5) vs. Paul Taylor (155)
Dongi Yang (186) vs. Chris Camozzi (185)
Gilbert Yvel (249) vs. Jon Madsen (254.5)