Velasquez-Dos Santos Title Tilt Headlines UFC on Fox 1

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The UFC’s first network television headliner is now official, as UFC President Dana White on Friday announced that Cain Velasquez will make the first defense of his heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos on the inaugural UFC on FOX broadcast.

“We want to deliver to our partners and fans and really kick it off with a bang,” said White. “What better way to kick it off than with a heavyweight title fight?”

Going down Nov. 12 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., the event will also feature a featherweight duel between Dustin Poirier and Pablo Garza.

Undefeated through nine professional contests, Velasquez has been sidelined with a torn rotator cuff for nearly a year. The American Kickboxing Academy standout holds a perfect 7-0 record in the Octagon and most recently knocked out mammoth heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to capture the gold at UFC 121 this past October.

Like the champion, Dos Santos has yet to taste defeat in the UFC. The heavy-handed Brazilian has earned knockout wins over Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve and most recently outpointed Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin to earn his shot at the title. The 26-year-old has been bested only once as a professional and owns eight of his 14 career wins by knockout.

The broadcast itself will last only one hour, showcasing only the Velasquez-Dos Santos fight on Fox’s flagship network. Featuring a full preliminary card prior to the telecast, the event will conclude prior to the start of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez boxing match, which airs on HBO pay-per-view. Though this inaugural UFC on FOX main card will consist of only two fights, future offerings on the network are expected to feature full fight cards similar to Spike TV’s UFC Fight Night broadcasts.

Prior to the UFC announcing its new deal with Fox, it had long been rumored that negotiations to extend the promotion’s contract with longtime broadcast partner Spike had hit a stalemate. In light of this, more rumors circulated that the Zuffa would purchase cable network G4 and create its own channel. This proved to be false, as UFC and Fox executives announced a new partnership on Aug. 18.

The seven-year deal will place UFC programming on the Fox network four times per year. The promotion will also be featured heavily on Fox-owned subsidiary FX, which will broadcast 24 live UFC Fight Night events, as well as an all-new, live version of “The Ultimate Fighter,” beginning with Season 15. Additionally, Fuel TV will now be the home of “UFC Unleashed” and “UFC Prelims Live” broadcasts, as well as serving as the vehicle for pre- and post-fight coverage in conjunction with live events.