Joey Beltran discusses with Fighters Only’s Gary Alexander ( @imgaryalexander ) the changes made in his life and camp for his bout with Lavar Johnson. Joey also mentions this bout could be a “Loser leaves town” type of bout. Watch this fight live on Fuel TV.

Looking for the big May 5 payday, Floyd Mayweather took his case directly to Manny Pacquiao.  

Here is the official UFC 140 Fight Card. We will update with results as soon as they are available.

If we’re going by the usual order of the fight universe, at 41 years old, Dan Henderson should probably be either on the tail end of a lengthy losing streak or already retired. Instead, the ageless wonder is still fighting at a high level, is coming off a first round knockout of Fedor Emelianenko, and will be headlining Saturday’s UFC 139 event against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. To borrow a phrase from his former teammate Randy Couture, “Not bad for an ‘old’ man.” Yet while wins in six of his last seven fights against top level foes speak for themselves, Henderson isn’t about to say that he feels 25 on the inside. In fact, when asked if there are things he can’t do now that he used to, he chuckles. “There are a lot of things. Give me a week and I’ll give you a list of what I used to be able to do. But the key is experience, knowing that I can relax in a lot of places where I used to not relax. I could keep going back then, but now I go when I need to go, and I put my energy and strength in the right places.” It’s worked for him, yet Henderson is not a cagey gameplanner like Couture was when he was beating top level foes into his 40’s. “Hendo” is still a free swinger and a deadly finisher if he lands his right hand. That hasn’t changed, and while it proved a detriment to him at times when he didn’t use the wrestling skills that got him to two Olympics, eventually he settled into a style where that right hand finds a home more often than not. It certainly did in the last fight of his previous UFC stint against Michael Bisping in 2009, and it worked wonders for him in Strikeforce, where he followed up a decision loss to Jake Shields in 2010 with KOs of Babalu Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante, and Emelianenko. So is it safe to say that he accomplished all he wanted to in Strikeforce before returning to the Octagon? “With the exception of the one loss,” he said. “I didn’t expect to lose, but that happens. I had a bad fight and I’m the one that has to learn from that and move on. I’m not dwelling on it at all, Jake did a good job and did what he needed to do, but regardless, I didn’t perform the way I knew I could, so the only thing I didn’t accomplish when I was there was a good performance in every fight.” But after the win over Emelianenko, at heavyweight no less, it was almost inevitable that the biggest fights left for the 14-year pro were going to be in the UFC. So Henderson was welcomed back into the fold, even though he didn’t know that was going to be the case when he left the UFC after the Bisping fight. “I didn’t know what to expect,” said Henderson. “When I left the UFC and went to Strikeforce, I didn’t know what was in the future. It was always a possibility; I knew the UFC wasn’t going anywhere and I know I didn’t leave on bad terms at all, so it was a matter of how things worked out at Strikeforce. And (UFC President) Dana (White) missed me so much he had to go buy Strikeforce.” Henderson laughs after deadpanning that last line, but in all seriousness, for the 41-year old, who is the first and only man to hold PRIDE titles in different divisions simultaneously, and who has done so much in the sport, a UFC title is the only thing missing on his resume, and he’s ready to make a final run at getting it. “I do this for the challenge as well, and not saying there’s not tough guys to challenge me in Strikeforce, but the bigger fights and better matchups for me right now are in the UFC, so I think I will be retiring in the UFC, and not somewhere else,” he said. “I’m not retiring soon, but I won’t be going anywhere and I’ll be fighting the remainder of my fights in the UFC I’m sure.” Does he think about a legacy that includes the aforementioned wins and titles, along with victories over Carlos Newton, Minotauro Nogueira, Renzo Gracie, Murilo Bustamante, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, and Rich Franklin? “I don’t really give too much thought to that,” he said. “I know I’ve accomplished quite a bit in the sport, but in my mind, I’m not gonna be satisfied with what I’ve done when I have bigger goals that I want to accomplish. Once I accomplish those goals, maybe I’ll retire and be satisfied with that.” Probably not, as Henderson seems like the type to instantly formulate new goals as soon as he’s done with the first batch. “I’ve been doing it a long time and it’s tough to stay motivated throughout that many years of fighting, 14 years now, and the challenges with the different opponents is what kept me motivated.” On Saturday, it will be a fight fan’s dream fight when he takes on Rua, like Henderson a former PRIDE star now slugging it out in the Octagon. Henderson admits that he “really didn’t give too much thought” to a matchup with the Brazilian Muay Thai master while the two fought in Japan, but now that the fight is a reality, he’s preparing for the same ferocious force that tore up the ring a few years back. “He (Rua) has still got that youth to him, and obviously the rules are a little bit different now than they were in PRIDE, but he’s dangerous and he’s well-rounded, so I think he’s definitely as dangerous as he used to be,” he said. “He’s got a lot more experience and he’s better than he used to be as well.” As for Henderson? “I’m better.” That’s the answer you have to expect from a man who has been at the top of this game for nearly 15 years now. And when Saturday comes, expect him to be ready for five rounds, just like always. “My gameplan is to win every round, pick my shots, control him the whole fight, and beat him everywhere we’re at.”  

This is one of my favorite fighters – The Turbine from Hell

When Cain Velasquez hit the deck courtesy of Cheick Kongo’s fists at UFC 99 in June of 2009, the sound in the Lanxess Arena was a cross between the usual roar that accompanies a knockdown and impending finish in a heavyweight prizefight, and a gasp from those MMA aficionados who were aware of what was happening. This wasn’t on the levels of a Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre upset, but when all you’ve heard for the last couple years was that Velasquez was the heir to the heavyweight throne, seeing him on his way to a knockout defeat was shocking. Looking back, the sequence took a second, maybe two. But after Velasquez was knocked down and expected out, he quickly shot in for a takedown, cleared his head, and got back to the business of beating his opponent. He would get rocked again, but in response he continued to press forward and shake off the cobwebs, and after three rounds, he was a clear cut winner via unanimous decision. That was the night Velasquez grew up. It may have even been the night his ascent to the championship was confirmed. For the Californian, it was simply something fighters, especially fighters with Mexican blood, did. “I’m gonna be in the fight the whole time,” said Velasquez a week before he traveled from Northern California to Southern Cali to prepare for the madness surrounding his Saturday bout on FOX against Junior dos Santos. “I’ve had that experience knowing that I can come back from adversity, but I already knew I had that in me. It is good to show it out there though.” It is good, because fighters really show their true character when faced with adversity. Anderson Silva getting beat up by Chael Sonnen for over four rounds before pulling off a submission win; Frankie Edgar shaking off a first round beating to knock out Gray Maynard three rounds later, St-Pierre avenging his loss to Serra in 2008. I could go on, but you get the picture. And for Velasquez to show that he could shake off some bombs from a legit contender and come back to win, it was a big deal, and it even diluted his response to the early bull rush from Brock Lesnar in their championship bout last October because even when Lesnar briefly had the upper hand on Velasquez, you always had the idea that the challenger was going to come back. And he did, winning the title via TKO at 4:12 of the first round. It was an emotional moment for a young man who doesn’t show much emotion to the public, the culmination of the first leg of his MMA journey, and a destiny bestowed on him early on his career by his trainer Javier Mendez.  I spoke to Velasquez after his title winning effort, and asked him how he was able to keep his cool when he was being called “The Next Big Thing,” as early as his third pro fight when he debuted in the UFC. He credited Mendez. “He (Mendez) said ‘I’m saying this kind of stuff now to get you prepared so when it all comes down to it, you’ll be ready,’” recalled Velasquez. “He’s prepared me ever since I got here and he’s talked me up, so now that I’m in this position, it’s not a shock to me. I’ve been prepared for this.” So when he’s gotten knocked down, bloodied, or banged up, the notion that he had the skill and will to survive and then thrive kept him moving. That, and the tireless work he’s put in at the American Kickboxing Academy gym in San Jose. “When we’re sparring, it’s not just one guy that we’re sparring against,” said Velasquez. “We’re having multiple guys coming in on us. So we’re sparring against three or four guys when we’re doing our rounds, so you have to go through that adversity.” He’s expecting some more this weekend in the form of Brazil’s dos Santos, a punishing puncher who has perhaps the best boxing in the heavyweight division, a talent that isn’t lost on the champion, who, when asked what concerns him the most about “Cigano,” said, “Definitely his boxing. He’s got really good boxing, a lot of power in his hands, and he’s an athletic guy too. But it’s mainly his boxing. He’s won all of his fights using his boxing, and that’s definitely his most dangerous attribute.” With eight knockout wins in nine fights, the former All-American wrestler from Arizona State is pretty adept with his hands as well, but the million dollar question is whether he will stand with dos Santos or look to take the fight to the mat. Whatever way it goes, expect Velasquez to be prepared though, because he’s been taking notes on his challenger from the time both of them were stepping into the Octagon in 2008. “I’ve watched him since his first UFC fight with (Fabricio) Werdum,” said Velasquez. “He knocked him (Werdum) out in the first round, and Werdum was one of the top guys in the world, so that definitely caught my eye. And just watching his fights after that, he’s always been really tough and we definitely kept our eyes on him. Anybody who fights in your division you kinda keep watch on because it’s doing your homework. So we always saw him and watched to see where his career would go, and we kinda knew at one time we would have to fight.” That time is fast approaching, but neither Velasquez nor dos Santos is blinking under the pressure of fighting for the heavyweight title in the first UFC bout shown on network television. In fact, despite the event being the talk of the town, in terms of dealing with the crush of media, Velasquez says that it “hasn’t been so bad.” Even if it was, you wouldn’t expect him to complain about it because this is what you sign up for when you’re the top man in the heavyweight division. I asked Velasquez what that phrase “world heavyweight champion” meant to him when he was a kid watching guys like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield do their thing. “It’s the biggest accomplishment that you can get to,” he said. “It’s the top of the sport, and that’s what always came to mind when I heard about those guys when they were in their prime.” Cain Velasquez is in his prime. So is Junior dos Santos. That means that it’s likely that before this one is over, there will be plenty of adversity for both fighters to overcome. Velasquez has already been there and done that. That’s why he’s the champion.  

Ricardo Lamas doesn’t make a lot of noise. Maybe that’s why when discussion about the next generation of featherweight contenders hits the internet message boards, you don’t hear much talk of the Chicago native. The ice is starting to thaw though, with the former WEC standout getting plenty of positive notices for his UFC and 145-pound debut in June, when he blasted out tough Matt Grice in less than a round. But it’s this Saturday that will tell the tale, as he meets up with longtime contender Cub Swanson on the UFC on FOX card in Anaheim. With a win, he propels himself into that ever-intriguing featherweight contenders’ mix, and with a big win, he won’t be the guy under the radar anymore. “I’m just gonna sit back, keep doing what I’m doing, and keep working hard,” said the soft-spoken 29-year old. “I think that eventually, all my hard work and everything will pay off, and I will begin to get noticed. It’s just taken some time. When I came out on the scene, especially onto the Zuffa scene, I only had six professional fights. I was very young in my career, and I was kinda thrown in with the lions and had to learn how to sink or swim. It’s been a long road, I’m improving and I keep improving every fight, so I think eventually it will pay off.” In that sixth fight, Lamas made the kind of debut on the big stage that most fighters can only dream about, as he decisioned veteran Bart Palaszewski in a WEC show on March 1, 2009. Suddenly, the former Elmhurst College wrestler was a player in the second biggest MMA organization in the world behind the UFC, and the fighters that he was watching on television just a few months earlier were now his peers and opponents. So how was it getting, as he put it, thrown in with the lions? “It’s interesting,” said Lamas. “With Bart, he’s been around for a long time and when I was first starting my career as an amateur and then as a pro, I remember watching him in the IFL and kinda looking up to those guys in a certain way because that’s where I wanted to be and that’s where I wanted to get to. Even in this fight that I have now against Cub Swanson, I remember watching him before I got in the WEC, and he’s a really exciting fighter and I enjoy watching him fight. So I’m still kinda getting used to that awe factor when I go out to my fights and I see all these big name guys and I have to remind myself that I’m on the same level with them. It’s still something I’m getting used to.” Unfortunately, time to get accustomed to new surroundings and a new level of opponent isn’t a luxury afforded to newcomers, and Lamas saw his final five WEC fights filled with three solid wins over James Krause, Bendy Casimir, and Dave Jansen, but also bookended by knockout losses to Danny Castillo and Yuri Alcantara. That’s learning on the job in its most primal form. “There’s definitely that experience factor,” he admits. “They know what to do, they don’t panic when they get in bad situations and they know how to handle themselves in the fight. Stuff like that is definitely something that I’ve noticed.” Lamas also noticed that he was giving away any size advantage to his foes in the lightweight division, and it was something that struck him as early as the Palaszewski fight. But when the WEC merged with the UFC in late 2010 and there was a logjam at 155 in terms of getting everybody fights, Lamas figured that it was as good a time as any to make the plunge into the featherweight division. “In the transition from WEC to UFC, I had such a long layoff because of that logjam you were talking about, so I figured it was probably the best time to take my time and get my weight down the right way and finally make that drop to ’45.” And given his wrestling background, the cut was smoother for Lamas than it is for most. “I think it (his wrestling background) definitely helps out because I’ve had to deal with that for so long. With wrestling, you really have to learn how to manage your weight to a point where you can be really comfortable because you have to weigh in pretty much every single week. You really learn your body and what you need to do to keep your body weight down and still be able to perform at a high level.” He delivered on all his promise against Grice, breaking open what was expected to be a Fight of the Night candidate with the thudding power that finished his opponent off at 4:41 of the opening stanza. Lamas isn’t bold enough to suggest a similar outcome against Swanson; instead, he thinks he may be in for that war everyone was expecting when he fought Grice. “You can’t take him lightly at all and you definitely have to come prepared,” said Lamas of Swanson. “He likes to give the crowd what they want to see, he pulls off some crazy techniques and flashy techniques, and he’s just a really exciting fighter to watch. I’m really excited about this fight, and I believe that we can put on a Fight of the Night performance.” If they do, then maybe Ricardo Lamas will be on his way to becoming a household name. “2011 was the biggest year in MMA for me, and 2012 I think is gonna be even better,” he said. “I’m training even harder, and I get better every day, so I think the fans can expect to see a more well-rounded fighter, and hopefully more people can notice me in 2012 and get to know me as a fighter.”

This Saturday night on FOX, number one contender Junior dos Santos challenges champion Cain Velasquez for the UFC heavyweight title. When we first caught up to the dynamic “Cigano,” he had made an immediate impression on UFC fans with his knockouts of Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve. Following our recaps of those first two Octagon bouts, read on for dos Santos’ thoughts before his UFC 103 bout against Mirko Cro Cop in September of 2009.

UFC 90 – October 25, 2008 – Allstate Arena – Rosemont, Illinois

In the flash of a single right uppercut from Junior dos Santos, heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum saw a title shot in the near future disappear, as he was knocked out just 80 seconds into the first round.

After a few tentative early moments that saw Werdum confidently stalking his younger and smaller foe, dos Santos saw his opening and made the most of it, drilling Werdum with a right uppercut that sent the Porto Alegre native down to the canvas face first. A follow-up barrage brought referee Marc Fennell in to halt the fight at the 1:20 mark.

With the win, dos Santos improves to 7-1; Werdum falls to 11-4-1.

UFC 95 – February 21, 2009 – O2 Arena – London, England

Heavyweight up and comer Junior dos Santos made it two for two when it comes to big knockout victories in the UFC, following up his win over Fabricio Werdum last October with a 54 second destruction of Octagon newcomer Stefan Struve in preliminary action at the O2 Arena.

After some tentative action in the early moments of the fight, dos Santos (8-1) attacked and immediately hurt the 6 foot 11 Struve (20-3) with a left to the head. Struve tried to shake the shot off, but his legs weren’t under him and he sagged back into the cage. Dos Santos moved in for the kill and dropped the Netherlands fighter with a right hand. Struve gamely rose, but was sent back to the mat, prompting referee Dan Miragliotta’s stoppage of the bout.

***

Junior dos Santos – Walking the Tightrope

As heavyweight legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira made his way to the Octagon for his bout with Randy Couture in Portland last month, no one cheered louder than a young Brazilian man standing maybe 20 feet from his hero.

But this was no ordinary fan. This 25-year old from Salvador, Junior dos Santos, may very well turn out to be the heir to Nogueira’s crown as the best heavyweight in Brazil, and if all goes well, the best in the world.

“The great Brazilian fighters inspire me,” dos Santos told UFC.com through translator Derek Kronig Lee. “I try to do my work as well as possible, because I believe I can follow the same path and one day become a great champion.”

One of those great champions, Nogueira, is not just an idol to be admired from afar; instead, ‘Minotauro’ is a trainer and mentor to dos Santos, who has learned his lessons well thus far.

“In the ring, Rodrigo inspires me with his determination, his courage and the way he never gives up; he always keeps himself strong,” said dos Santos of the former PRIDE and interim UFC heavyweight champ. “Outside of the ring he is a great influence, a great friend, and he takes care of himself in all aspects; I have always been inspired by him.”

And dos Santos has delivered when it’s counted so far, winning eight of the nine professional bouts he’s had since entering the fight game in 2006. More importantly, ‘Cigano’ (a nickname which means “gypsy” in Portuguese, and one he was given when he started training jiu-jitsu because of the long hair he used to tie up which made him look like a famous Brazilian gypsy) has made an immediate impact on the UFC heavyweight division with two blistering knockout wins over Fabricio Werdum and Stefan Struve. All of a sudden, in the space of less than a year, dos Santos has become a fan favorite and must-see TV.

“I think it was because I was able to show my work the way I wanted to, and everything played out as I hoped it would,” said dos Santos of his immediate popularity. “The fans like watching knockouts, and that is always my objective in a fight.”

Oddly enough, despite his one punch knockout power, the 6-3 ½, 238 pounder’s initial fighting discipline is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an art in which the current purple belt earned the Bahia State championship. But don’t expect him to pull out his grappling skills unless he needs them, as he’s more than content with knocking people out when they try to stand with him.

“I don’t have any secrets, I fight where I need to fight, be it standing or on the ground,” he said. “If the fight goes to the ground, you will all see my jiu-jitsu skills.”

That may not be the case this Saturday night in Dallas, Texas, when dos Santos faces his stiffest test to date in fellow knockout artist Mirko Cro Cop. Of course, the feared Croatian striker has been doing this knockout thing for a lot longer, a fact that has earned dos Santos’ respect.

“He (Cro Cop) is a great star in MMA, a guy that must be respected,” he said. “I don’t remember the first time I saw him fighting, but I always felt that he was a dangerous guy and I still have that impression of him.”

Considering that impression, and the fact that Cro Cop has the type of power in his kicks and laser-like left hand to make any fighter reconsider his line of work, maybe this wouldn’t be a bad time for dos Santos to think about working that ground game into his routine. But ‘Cigano’ almost laughs at such a suggestion.

“I am very confident in my boxing skills,” he said. “I look for the knockout in all my fights, I don’t see why it would be different in this fight.”

Yet despite his bravado, that doesn’t mean dos Santos is planning on wading in recklessly against Cro Cop. Instead, he plans on implementing a measured attack that will eventually force the veteran into a fight-ending mistake.

“He can end the fight at any moment, all it takes is one hit,” said dos Santos. “So I have to pay close attention to his movements, always be ahead of his game, and I have to work cautiously and can’t make any mistakes.”

That’s a lot to ask from a 25-year old with nine pro fights who started training in 2005, the year Cro Cop decisioned Josh Barnett and knocked out Mark Coleman and Ibragim Magomedov in PRIDE. Add in the expectations that come with being the co-main event on a UFC pay-per-view card, and dos Santos could be in some trouble on fight night. But with Nogueira and middleweight champ Anderson Silva backing him, you can be pretty sure they’ve prepared their charge for whatever scenarios he may see in and on the way to American Airlines Center.

“I feel that I took the opportunities given to me (so far), and the UFC rewarded me with even better opportunities like this fight now,” said dos Santos. “I am already feeling better about the added pressure, and with time I will gain more experience which always helps with the pressure.”

As far as the possibility that he may see the second round for the first time in his pro career, again, dos Santos is confident he can handle whatever comes his way.

“I always spar for four rounds, one round more than a fight,” he said. “The intensity of my training is greater than the fight, so I always feel very well prepared to go the full three rounds.”

Well, if most pundits are correct, dos Santos and Cro Cop won’t have to worry about round two, because this bout is expected to end in explosive fashion within the first five minutes. Dos Santos would have no problem with that ending, and should he earn his third straight first round UFC knockout, that chance to become Brazil’s latest champion may come sooner than he thinks. Not that he’s rushing things.

“(UFC heavyweight champion) Brock Lesnar is a strong guy, experienced, dangerous and he is the champion,” said dos Santos. “But I am not in a hurry to be the champion; I am sure that the right time will come. I just try to do my work well and give my best in all my fights.”

UFC 103 – September 19, 2009 – American Airlines Arena – Dallas, Texas

Rising star Junior dos Santos has already displayed the ability to blast opponents out with ease. Tonight at American Airlines Center, he showed that he can stick to his gameplan, punish, and then finish a foe late, as he forced Mirko Cro Cop to verbally submit in the third round of their pivotal UFC 103 heavyweight bout.

“I feel very good,” said dos Santos, now 9-1 as a pro (3-0 in the UFC). “My training was very hard, and tonight I have one more victory in my career.”

Dos Santos went right at Cro Cop (25-7-2, 1 NC) from the opening bell, showing little regard for the reputation of the former PRIDE star. Cro Cop kept cook as he looked to counter, drawing a roar as he threw his patented left kick to the head. dos Santos blocked the kick and continued to move forward, landing shots on the inside that raised a welt above Cro Cop’s right eye. dos Santos was also bruised from the exchanges, under his left eye, and the two looked to be settling in for a long battle as the round came to a close.

The second round began slowly, but within 30 seconds the action started to heat up again, with Cro Cop scoring with a couple leg kicks while dos Santos sent Cro Cop backwards with punches to the head. As the round progressed, the bruise under dos Santos’ left eye worsened, but the Brazilian, in unfamiliar territory as far as being in the second round goes, refused to move backwards until a Cro Cop kick strayed low and forced a halt to the action. After a brief break, the fight resumed, and dos Santos was able to cut Cro Cop above the left eye just before the bell.

Cro Cop, perhaps sensing the need for more urgency, became the aggressor as the final round opened, but was unable to break dos Santos’ defenses. Instead, it was dos Santos starting to land more and more, particularly with his knees, which visibly rocked the Croatian, Moments after another couple hard shots from dos Santos, Cro Cop turned away and was unable to continue at the 2:00 mark, rendering ‘Cigano’ the winner via verbal submission.

“I hope everybody enjoyed my fight,” said dos Santos. “The United States has been wonderful to me.”
 



 

This Saturday night on FOX, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez defends his title for the first time against number one contender Junior dos Santos. Undoubtedly the top big man in the sport today, Velasquez arrived in the Octagon with talent, determination and a host of expectations a little over three years ago. Here’s our first look at Velasquez before his UFC 83 bout with Brad Morris in 2008. *** New Blood for the Heavies - Cain Velasquez makes his UFC Debut Ever notice that when a stellar collegiate wrestling star makes his transition into mixed martial arts, striking is never an issue in those formative months of development? Learning jiu-jitsu can be a frustrating chore, figuring out that what worked on the wrestling mat may not work in the Octagon can be equally baffling, but when it comes to punching, elbowing, and kicking, that’s like being a kid who wakes up on his birthday and finds out he got a snow day off from school as well. Heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez most certainly agrees. “In the wrestling room we’re all pretty much beating each other up already,” he laughs. “We just don’t have any gloves on and our fists aren’t closed, but we’re smacking each other across the head; that’s what hand fighting is.” And truth be told, if the stars had been aligned differently when the Salinas, California born Velasquez was growing up, he may have wound up not as a promising mixed martial artist, but as the first Mexican-American heavyweight boxing champion. “My dad wanted me to box, and I wanted to box too,” recalls Velasquez, and despite lacing up the gloves and learning a few things from his father while hitting the heavy bag, the time and financial commitment necessary to send him to a boxing gym on a daily basis kept him from pursuing the sweet science. Then junior high school intervened. “I got into wrestling and that was it for me,” he smiles. “It was all wrestling.” Throughout junior high, high school, and college, Velasquez applied the fighting mentality ingrained in modern-day Mexican icons like Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez, and Israel Vazquez to his wrestling, and the results speak for themselves: junior college national championship for Iowa Central Community College in 2002, two-time All-American status for Arizona State, Pac-10 wrestler of the year in 2005, two top five placements in the NCAA Championship tournament. “It’s not something I think about and I think I have that already,” said Velasquez of the warrior spirit epitomized by Mexican fighters. “That’s my fighting style and that’s my wrestling style – to go out there and brawl. I put a lot of pressure on guys, I throw a lot of punches and kicks, and that’s just the way I fight. It’s the Mexican heart.” Given Velasquez’ success on the collegiate level, there was little question that he was going to pursue mixed martial arts as a career when he graduated, despite earning his degree in education, and though he briefly considered sticking around for the 2008 Olympics, fighting was where his heart was. “My junior year, I knew already that I wanted to fight when I was done,” said Velasquez. “I told my coach (Thom Ortiz) and he said ‘worry about wrestling now, and when you’re done wrestling we’ll figure out something for you to do and find a camp for you.’ And when I was done, he hooked me up with AKA and the rest is history.” AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) is home to some of the UFC’s top contenders, such as Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, and Mike Swick, as well as world-class battlers from around the MMA world and various visitors who pop in to the San Jose gym for quality work. If you can make it in this gym, you’ve got what it takes to compete in the Octagon. “To see where these guys have been and to see how I train with them shows me where I’m at,” said Velasquez. “Just having top guys from around the world come in and train with me, that kinda lets me know ‘okay, I’m at this level right now.’” Almost immediately upon his arrival in the gym, the buzz started about Velasquez, his work ethic and his potential to shake up the heavyweight division, with all of this coming before his first fight, while he was still learning the fundamentals of the fight game. And though the striking came pretty easy, the jiu-jitsu end of things took a little more time for him to get comfortable with. “Between wrestling and jiu-jitsu you have to have different mentalities,” said Velasquez. “Jiu-jitsu is more flowing, while everything you get in wrestling is from work. If you get a single leg, you’ve got to work to get the guy down, and with jiu-jitsu it’s more flowing, and the action is more controlled. That part of it was the biggest change. The striking and all that, I think I made the adjustment pretty easy for myself; I felt comfortable striking so that wasn’t so bad.” In October of 2006, Velasquez took less than two minutes to pound out Jesse Fujarczyk, and two months later he was in St. Petersburg, Russia, halting Jeremiah Constant in four minutes of the first round. 2-0, two impressive wins, and the 25-year old looks to be the goods. On Saturday, he’ll get to prove it when he makes his UFC debut against Australia’s Brad Morris in Montreal. It’s a long way from St. Petersburg. “This is the biggest show in fighting and this is what I’ve been waiting for,” said Velasquez. “Those other fights were just like wrestling matches during the season. This is like the Nationals. I had to work my way up the ladder to get to the finals; that’s what it feels like.” He’s not getting an easy mark in his Octagon debut either, as Morris comes to the UFC with a 10-2 record and a reputation as one of the top fighters from the ‘Land Down Under’. “He seems solid all around and there doesn’t seem to be a weak spot in his game, standing or on the ground. He seems real strong as well,” said Velasquez, whose only access to Morris’ previous bouts has been through the wonders of YouTube. But that’s okay; he’s been through tournaments in wrestling where he didn’t have all the answers on upcoming opponents and he still prevailed. He feels that his preparation in the gym, coupled with an experienced corner led by ‘Crazy’ Bob Cook, will hold him in good stead come fight night. “We’re just gonna have to play it out, see what happens during the fight, and then adjust,” he said. “I’m gonna go out there, do what I do, play my game and if we do run into any problems, I’ll adjust with my corner.” So, with the heavyweight division currently wide open, will we see a fighter like Velasquez moved up the ranks quicker than usual, and is this virtual rookie prepared for what may come in the next year or so? You know the answer before the question is even finished being asked. “I’m ready for anything,” said Velasquez. “I’m gonna have to fight those guys eventually, so I feel ready, and I’m gonna keep improving no matter what. It’s time to go.” And while Velasquez is a soft-spoken young man who doesn’t need to beat his chest to let the world know who he is, in his own way, he sees his destiny, and he’s not shy about revealing what that just may be. “I’m non-stop, I don’t get tired out there, my game is good all-around, and I want people to see that I’m gonna be the next big thing,” he said. “That’s what I want people to keep thinking about, that they can’t wait to see me fight again.” UFC 83 – April 19, 2008 – Bell Centre – Montreal, Quebec, Canada The pre-fight talk about Cain Velasquez labeled him as the heavyweight division’s next big thing. The former Arizona State wrestling standout did nothing to dismiss that notion in his UFC debut, as he improved to 3-0 as a pro with a first round TKO win over Brad Morris. Just seconds into the bout, a left hand to the head hurt and dropped Morris (10-3). The 25-year old Velasquez followed his foe to the mat, using strikes from a variety of different angles to keep the Australian from getting his bearings back. Amazingly, with a little over three minutes left, Morris was able to make his way back to his feet, but another combination by Velasquez put him down again. This time there would be no reprieve, with the follow-up barrage forcing a stoppage from referee Steve Mazzagatti at 2:10 of the opening frame.