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| team = [[American Kickboxing Academy]]
| team = [[American Kickboxing Academy]]
| trainer = Muay Thai: Javier Mendez <br /> Strategy Coach: Bob Cook <br /> Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Leandro Vieira <br /> Boxing Coach: Arturo Mata <br /> Wrestling Coach: [[Daniel Cormier]]
| trainer = Muay Thai: Javier Mendez <br /> Strategy Coach: Bob Cook <br /> Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Leandro Vieira <br /> Boxing Coach: Arturo Mata <br /> Wrestling Coach: [[Daniel Cormier]]
| rank = {{color box|brown}} brown belt in [[Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dstryrsg.com/2010/12/cain-velasquez-has-brown-belt-you.html|title=CAIN VELASQUEZ HAS A BROWN BELT.|publisher=DstryrSG.com|date=2010-12-22|accessdate=2011-06-12}}</ref>
| rank = {{color box|brown}} brown belt in [[Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dstryrsg.com/2010/12/cain-velasquez-has-brown-belt-you.html|title=CAIN VELASQUEZ HAS A BROWN BELT.|publisher=DstryrSG.com|date=2010-12-22|accessdate=2011-06-12}}</ref>
| wrestling = NCAA Division I [[Collegiate wrestling|Wrestling]]
| wrestling = NCAA Division I [[Collegiate wrestling|Wrestling]]
| years_active = 2006–present ([[Mixed martial arts|MMA]])
| years_active = 2006–present ([[Mixed martial arts|MMA]])

Revision as of 08:19, 13 December 2012

Cain Velasquez
BornCain Ramirez Velasquez
(1982-07-28) July 28, 1982 (age 41)
Salinas, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach77 in (196 cm)
StyleCollegiate Wrestling,
Fighting out ofSan Jose, California
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy
TrainerMuay Thai: Javier Mendez
Strategy Coach: Bob Cook
Jiu-Jitsu Coach: Leandro Vieira
Boxing Coach: Arturo Mata
Wrestling Coach: Daniel Cormier
Rank  brown belt in Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu[1]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total11
Wins10
By knockout9
By decision1
Losses1
By knockout1
UniversityArizona State University
Iowa Central Community College
Notable school(s)Kofa High School
WebsiteOfficial website
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: October 14, 2010

Cain Ramirez Velasquez (born July 28, 1982) is a Mexican American mixed martial artist fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is currently ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world by Sherdog.[2]

Early life

Velasquez, a Mexican American,[3] was born on July 28, 1982 in Salinas, California to Efrain and Isabel Velasquez. Velasquez's father, Efrain, came from Mexico to the United States illegally. Efrain met his american wife Isabel, married her, and gained US citizenship.[4] Velasquez has two siblings, Efrain, Jr., and Adela. He was raised in Yuma, Arizona.[5] He 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. Velasquez also played football for three years. As a senior, he served as captain of both his wrestling and football teams.[5]

After high school, he 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, Velasquez graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's degree in Education.[5] 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, Velasquez also wrestled alongside future UFC fighters Ryan Bader and C.B. Dollaway.[6]

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, Antonio Silva 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.[7]

Cain made his UFC debut against Brad Morris at UFC 83 and won by TKO in the first round.

In his next fight, Cain defeated Jake O'Brien at UFC Fight Night 14 via TKO in round one.[8]

Cain 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 earned Knockout of the Night honors for his performance.[9]

Velasquez's next fight was in UFC 99 against former kickboxer and heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo. Velasquez was once again dominant, landing 251 strikes and winning the bout by unanimous decision (30–27 on all cards).[10]However, this was the only time Velasquez was unable to win by KO or TKO.

His next opponent was expected to be Shane Carwin[11] with the winner likely challenging for the UFC Heavyweight Championship held by Brock Lesnar. However that bout was scrapped[12] and Velasquez was instead told he would be fighting UFC newcomer Ben Rothwell at UFC 104.[13][14] He defeated Rothwell by second round TKO.[15]

Velasquez faced former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on February 20, 2010 at UFC 110.[16] Going into the fight, some commentators predicted that Nogueira would take the victory due to a supposed lack of striking power for Velasquez.[17] They were proven wrong when Velasquez defeated Nogueira via first round KO, earning Knockout of the Night honors.[17]

UFC Heavyweight Champion

With his victory over Nogueira, Velasquez earned a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight with then champ Brock Lesnar. Dana White announced via SportsNation that the UFC would be bringing back UFC Primetime to promote Lesnar vs. Velasquez.[18] Velasquez defeated Lesnar via TKO in the first round, earning Knockout of the Night honors.

Velasquez suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during his fight with Lesnar and was expected to be sidelined for at least 6–8 months.[19] Surgery on the shoulder was successful and Velasquez planned to return as early as Fall 2011.[20]

Velasquez was expected to make his first title defense against Junior dos Santos, with a target date of November 19, 2011 at UFC 139,[21] but the fight was later moved to November 12, 2011 to headline the first UFC on Fox 1 event.[22]

Velasquez suffered his first loss via KO (punches) at 1 minute and 4 seconds of the first round at the hands of then title contender, Junior dos Santos. While not public information at the time, it was later revealed Dos Santos was carrying a minor knee injury, and took an injection of cortisone into the knee before the fight, followed by information revealing that Velasquez had re-injured his rotator cuff approximately a week before the fight.

Post title loss

Velasquez was originally set to fight Frank Mir on May 26, 2012 at UFC 146.[23] However, Mir was moved up to face Junior dos Santos after Alistair Overeem was suspended for elevated testosterone levels. Velasquez instead faced Antonio Silva.[24] Velasquez defeated Silva via first round TKO. Dana White strongly hinted after the fight that Velasquez will be the next fighter to challenge for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. It is widely thought that the reason why White made the decision onto have the re-match with Dos Santos at such an unexpected time, was because of the fact that both fighters were injured going into their first fight. [25]

A rematch was expected with Junior dos Santos on September 22, 2012 at UFC 152,[26] however, it was later announced by Dana White that the date for the rematch had been set to December 29th at UFC 155.

Personal life

Velasquez speaks English and Spanish. He has been a guest star on the Spanish-language television networks Telemundo and Univision.[27] 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.[28]

Velasquez and his wife, Michelle, welcomed a daughter on May 6, 2009. The couple married on May 28, 2011.[29][30]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

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

Collegiate wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
11 matches 10 wins 1 loss
By knockout 9 1
By submission 0 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Brazil Junior dos Santos UFC 155 December 29, 2012 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Brazil Antonio Silva TKO (punches) UFC 146 May 26, 2012 1 3:36 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 9–1 Brazil Junior dos Santos KO (punches) UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos November 12, 2011 1 1:04 Anaheim, California, United States Lost UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 9–0 United States 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 Brazil 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 United States Ben Rothwell TKO (punches) UFC 104 October 24, 2009 2 0:58 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win 6–0 France Cheick Kongo Decision (unanimous) UFC 99 June 13, 2009 3 5:00 Cologne, Germany
Win 5–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 United States Jake O'Brien TKO (punches) UFC: Silva vs Irvin July 19, 2008 1 2:02 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Australia Brad Morris TKO (punches) UFC 83 April 19, 2008 1 2:10 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win 2–0 United States Jeremiah Constant TKO (punches) Bodog Fight December 16, 2006 1 4:00 St. Petersburg, Russia
Win 1–0 United States Jesse Fujarczyk TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello October 7, 2006 1 1:58 Fresno, California, United States

See also

References

  1. ^ "CAIN VELASQUEZ HAS A BROWN BELT". DstryrSG.com. 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  2. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/2/Sherdogs-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-45067
  3. ^ ""UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" main card officially announced for Oct. 23". MMAJUNKIE.com. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  4. ^ "Cain Velasquez: Like Father, Like Son". LOWKICK.com. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  5. ^ a b c "Cain Velasquez Player Bio". THESUNDEVILS.CSTV.com. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  6. ^ "Cain Velasquez". Wrestling Hall of Fame. 2010-10-03. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  7. ^ "Bodog Fight – Clash of the Nations".
  8. ^ "Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien". SPIKE.com. 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  9. ^ "UFC Fight Night 17: As expected Cain Velasquez beats Denis Stojnic". MMACRUNCH.com. 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  10. ^ "Cheick Kongo got hit in the head 251 times by Cain Velasquez at UFC 99". URDIRT.com. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
  11. ^ Savage, Greg (2009-07-01). "Carwin-Velazquez Likely for UFC 104". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  12. ^ Helwani, Ariel (2009-08-20). "Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez Off; Carwin to Challenge Lesnar for UFC Title". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  13. ^ McNeil, Franklin (2009-10-22). "Rothwell fight a blessing for Velasquez". ESPN.Go.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Okamoto, Brett (2009-10-25). "Cain Velasquez impressive in win, may still have to wait for title shot". LasVegasSun.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 67 (help)
  16. ^ Knapp, Brian (2010-02-20). "Velasquez Stops Nogueira at UFC 110". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez UFC Primtime". MMAFighting.com. 2010-08-26.
  19. ^ "Trainer: UFC champ Velasquez out a minimum of 6–8 months with torn rotator cuff". MMAJunkie.com. 2010-12-29.
  20. ^ "Injured UFC champ Cain Velasquez already back in the gym, return date TBD". MMAJunkie.com. 2011-01-17.
  21. ^ "UFC flexes strong fall schedule with Velasquez defense". latimes.com.com. 2011-06-16.
  22. ^ "Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos headlines UFC's debut on FOX". mmajunkie.com. September 2, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  23. ^ "Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir title-eliminator added to UFC 146". mmajunkie.com. March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  24. ^ "UFC 146: Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Silva booked for May 26 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  25. ^ "With UFC 146 wins, Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II on tap". mmajunkie.com. May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  26. ^ "Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II targeted for UFC 152 headliner". mmajunkie.com. June 9, 2012.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "Cain Velasquez Interviewed on Lopez Tonight". Mexican-American.org. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2011-03-13.[dead link]
  29. ^ "Cain Velasquez got married". Fightlinker.com. 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  30. ^ "Raising Cain: An MMAmania.com interview exclusive with Cain Velasquez". MMAMANIA.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  31. ^ "MMAjunkie.com reader poll: Who is the 2010 Fighter of the Year?". MMAjunkie.com. 8 January 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  32. ^ a b Cain Velasquez. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum

External links

Achievements
Preceded by 15th UFC Heavyweight Champion
October 23, 2010 – November 12, 2011 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

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