Despite defeating Shane Carwin in UFC 116, Brock Lesnar nearly was knocked out in the fight’s opening round. Did Carwin prove that the heavyweight champion’s game is flawed? Nate Lawson of Heavy.com breaks down the five biggest threats to Lesnar’s heavyweight belt, including Cain Velasquez.

Cain Velasquez

Heavy MMA HW Rank: 4

Record: 8-0

Last Five Fights: W-W-W-W-W

Notable Victories: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (KO), Ben Rothwell (TKO)

Notable Losses: None

Next Opponent: Brock Lesnar for UFC heavyweight championship, date undecided

Status: Velasquez has risen to the top of the heavyweight division in a relatively short time and was put on the shelf awaiting the winner of Lesnar vs. Carwin. Lesnar took home the victory and the belt, and now Velasquez has the next shot at stealing away Lesnar’s hardware.

To read the rest of the breakdown of Velasquez, as well as the other four threats to Lesnar’s belt, click here.