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Cain Velasquez

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Cain Velasquez
BornCain Ramirez Velasquez
(1982-07-28) July 28, 1982 (age 42)
Salinas, California, United States
Other namesThe Terminator
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [1]
Weight244 lb (111 kg; 17 st 6 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach77 in (196 cm)
StyleWrestling
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy
TrainerHead Trainer: Javier Mendez
Strategy Coach: Bob Cook
Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Dave Camarillo
Boxing Coach: Huitsi Mata
RankBrown belt in Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu[2]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total9
Wins9
By knockout8
By decision1
Losses0
Other information
UniversityArizona State University
Iowa Central Community College
SpouseMichelle
Children1
Notable school(s)Kofa High School
Websitehttp://cainmma.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: October 14, 2010

Caín Ramírez Velásquez[3] (born July 28, 1982) is an undefeated Mexican American[4] mixed martial artist and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.[5] He is a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and a Junior College National Champ at Iowa Central Community College.[6] He is a two-time 5A state champion in Arizona, compiling a record of 110–10 for Kofa High School located in Yuma, Arizona under Shawn Rustad and Marty Niblo.[7]

He is currently ranked as the #1 heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog,[8], fighting-mma.com [9], ESPN,[10] and NBC Sports.[11] Velasquez, who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA, won the No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt championships roughly a year after starting submission grappling.[12] He currently holds a brown belt under Dave Camarillo.

Early life

Velasquez was born on July 28, 1982 in Salinas, California to Efrain and Isabel Velasquez. Cain's father, Efrain, came from Mexico to the United States illegally. Efrain met his wife Isabel, married her, and gained US citizenship.[13] The couple have three children, Adela, Efrain Jr., and Cain Velasquez.[3]

Cain graduated from Kofa High School, where he compiled a record of 110-10 in four years of wrestling, including winning the 5A Arizona Wrestling Championship twice. Cain also played football for three years. As a senior, he served as Captain of both his wrestling and football teams.[3]

After Kofa, Cain attended Iowa Central Community College, where he earned an Associates degree. He also wrestled for one season and won the NJCAA National Championship.

After Iowa Central Community College, Cain graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's degree in Education.[3] He wrestled there for three seasons and compiled a record of 86–17, placing 5th in the country in 2005, and 4th in 2006. While at ASU, Cain also wrestled alongside future UFC fighters Ryan Bader and C.B. Dollaway.[14]

Mixed martial arts career

Cain began his mixed martial arts career right after college, joining American Kickboxing Academy. Velasquez is a brown belt in Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu and a NCAA Division I Wrestler. He has notable wins over Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Brock Lesnar.

Early career

Velasquez made his MMA debut on October 7, 2006 against Jesse Fujarczyk at Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello, he won by TKO in the first round. Velasquez then faced Jeremiah Constant at BodogFight: St. Petersburg, he won via TKO in the first round at the 4 minute mark.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Velasquez made his UFC debut against Brad Morris at UFC 83 and won due to strikes in the first round.[16] In his next fight, Velasquez defeated Jake O'Brien at UFC Fight Night 14 by TKO in round one.[17] Velasquez then faced Denis Stojnić at UFC Fight Night 17 and the fight was stopped in round two with Velasquez earning the victory by TKO. Velasquez also earned Knockout of the Night honors for his performance.[18] Velasquez's next fight was in UFC 99 against former kickboxer and established UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was once again dominant, landing 251 strikes and winning the bout by unanimous decision (30–27 on all cards).[19]

Velasquez's next opponent was expected to be Shane Carwin[20] with the winner likely challenging for the UFC Heavyweight Championship held by Brock Lesnar. However that bout was scrapped[21] and Velasquez was instead told he would be fighting Ben Rothwell at UFC 104.[22][23] He defeated Rothwell by second round TKO.[24]

Velasquez faced former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on February 20, 2010 at UFC 110.[25] Going into the fight, some commentators predicted that Nogueira would take the victory due to a supposed lack of striking power for Velasquez.[26] They were proven wrong when Velasquez defeated Nogueira via first round knockout, earning Knockout of the Night honors.[26]

Winning the Heavyweight Championship

Dana White announced via SportsNation that the UFC would be bringing back UFC Primetime to promote Lesnar vs. Velasquez.[27] Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship via TKO in the first round, earning Knockout of the Night honors.[28]

Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during his fight with Lesnar at UFC 121 and was expected to be sidelined for at least 6–8 months.[29] Surgery on the shoulder was successful and Velasquez plans to return as early as Fall 2011.[30]

Velasquez was expected to make his first title defense against Junior dos Santos, with a target date of November 19, 2011 at UFC 139[31], but was later moved to November 12, 2011 to headline the first UFC on Fox 1.[32]

Personal life

Velasquez speaks English and Spanish. He has been a guest star on the Spanish-language television networks Telemundo and Univision. [33] In addition to his Spanish language TV appearances, he was also a featured guest on the TBS late night TV show, Lopez Tonight, starring George Lopez.[34]

Velasquez and his girlfriend welcomed a daughter on May 6, 2009.[35] The couple was married on May 28, 2011.[36]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

  • MMAFighting.com
    • 2010 Fighter of the Year
  • Sherdog
    • 2010 Fighter of the Year
    • 2010 All-Violence 1st Team

Amateur wrestling

  • USA Wrestling
    • FILA Junior Freestyle World Team Trials Winner (2002)
    • ASICS Tiger High School All-American (2001)
    • Western Junior Freestyle Regional Championship (2001)
    • Western Junior Greco-Roman Regional Championship (2001)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
9 matches 9 wins 0 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 0 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 9–0 Brock Lesnar TKO (punches) UFC 121 October 23, 2010 1 4:12 Anaheim, California, United States Won UFC Heavyweight Championship; Knockout of the Night.
Win 8–0 Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira KO (punches) UFC 110 February 21, 2010 1 2:20 Sydney, Australia UFC Heavyweight title eliminator; Knockout of the Night.
Win 7–0 Ben Rothwell TKO (punches) UFC 104 October 24, 2009 2 0:58 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win 6–0 Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) UFC 99 June 13, 2009 3 5:00 Cologne, Germany
Win 5–0 Denis Stojnić TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs. Stephens February 7, 2009 2 2:34 Tampa, Florida, United States Knockout of the Night.
Win 4–0 Jake O'Brien TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night 14 July 19, 2008 1 2:02 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Brad Morris TKO (punches) UFC 83 April 19, 2008 1 2:10 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 2–0 Jeremiah Constant TKO (punches) Bodog Fight: St. Petersburg December 16, 2006 1 4:00 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Win 1–0 Jesse Fujarczyk TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello October 7, 2006 1 1:58 Fresno, California, United States

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cain Velasquez". UFC.com. Retrieved March 3,2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "CAIN VELASQUEZ HAS A BROWN BELT. YOU SERIOUSLY DO NOT WANT TO F#^K WITH THIS MEXICAN!". DstryrSG.com. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  3. ^ a b c d "Cain Velasquez Player Bio". THESUNDEVILS.CSTV.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  4. ^ ""UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" main card officially announced for Oct. 23". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  5. ^ Hatcher, Jason (2009-11-05). "Mexican American Prospect Cain Velasquez". Fighters. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  6. ^ "Cain Velasquez: Searching For Aztec Gold". FIGHTMAGAZINE.com. 2010-01. Retrieved 2010-07-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Cain Velasquez: "I'm going to build my way up to the top"". FIVEOUNCESOFPAIN.com. 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  8. ^ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings: Heavyweight". SHERDOG.com. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  9. ^ http://www.fighting-mma.com/top10/heavy.php
  10. ^ "MMA Power Rankings -- Heavyweight". ESPN.Go.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  11. ^ "Ariel Helwani's Official MMA Rankings". NBCSports.MSNBC.com. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
  12. ^ "Velasquez has chance to show he's real deal". YAHOO! SPORTS. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  13. ^ "Cain Velasquez: Like Father, Like Son". LOWKICK.com. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  14. ^ "Cain Velasquez". WRESTLINGHALLOFFAME. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  15. ^ "Bodog Fight - Clash of the Nations".
  16. ^ "Could Cain Velasquez Be the Future of the Heavyweight Division?". CAGEPOTATO.com. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  17. ^ "Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien". SPIKE.com. 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  18. ^ "UFC Fight Night 17: As expected Cain Velasquez beats Denis Stojnic". MMACRUNCH.com. 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  19. ^ "Cheick Kongo got hit in the head 251 times by Cain Velasquez at UFC 99". URDIRT.com. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  20. ^ Savage, Greg (2009-07-01). "Carwin-Velazquez Likely for UFC 104". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  21. ^ Helwani, Ariel (2009-08-20). "Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez Off; Carwin to Challenge Lesnar for UFC Title". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  22. ^ McNeil, Franklin (2009-10-22). "Rothwell fight a blessing for Velasquez". ESPN.Go.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  23. ^ Morgan, John (2009-08-20). "Cain Velasquez and Ben Rothwell set for heavyweight contest at UFC 104 in Los Angeles". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  24. ^ Okamoto, Brett (2009-10-25). "Cain Velasquez impressive in win, may still have to wait for title shot". LasVegasSun.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  25. ^ Knapp, Brian (2010-02-20). "Velasquez Stops Nogueira at UFC 110". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  26. ^ a b "UFC 110 main card recap: Velasquez stuns Nogueira in first, Silva returns to win column". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  27. ^ "Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez UFC Primtime". MMAFighting.com. 2010-08-26.
  28. ^ "UFC 121 Results & Live Play-by-Play". Sherdog.com. 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  29. ^ "Trainer: UFC champ Velasquez out a minimum of 6-8 months with torn rotator cuff". MMAJunkie.com. 2010-12-29.
  30. ^ "Injured UFC champ Cain Velasquez already back in the gym, return date TBD". MMAJunkie.com. 2011-01-17.
  31. ^ "UFC flexes strong fall schedule with Velasquez defense". latimes.com.com. 2011-06-16.
  32. ^ "Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos headlines UFC's debut on FOX". mmajunkie.com. September 2, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  33. ^ "Cain Velasquez Brings a Little Bit of Bad-Ass to Latin Grammy Awards, Rothwell to Face Cro Cop in Australia?". CAGEPOTATO.com. 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  34. ^ "Cain Velasquez Interviewed on the George Lopez Tonight Show". Mexican-American.org. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  35. ^ "Raising Cain: An MMAmania.com interview exclusive with Cain Velasquez". MMAMANIA.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  36. ^ "Cain Velasquez got married". Fightlinker.com. 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
Achievements
Preceded by 15th UFC Heavyweight Champion
October 23, 2010 – present 		Current holder

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