Cain is a mixed martial artist who has dominated his competition since he first stepped into the cage. But Cain Velasquez is more than just a great fighter; he is a fascinating person with an incredible story. Now retired, Cain is currently fighting with the law for a crime he should not be guilty of.
The Early Days
Cain Velasquez was born in Salinas, California, on July 28, 1982. Cain’s father is Mexican-American, and his mother is American. Cain has two older siblings; Efrain Velasquez Jr., and Adela Velasquez. Cain attended the Kofa High School, where they wrestled for the high school team. As a child, he was motivated by the sacrifices of his father, who illegally crossed the US-Mexico border in search of a better life. He learned from his father that any goal could be achieved with hard work and consistent efforts.
During his four years of wrestling, Cain acquired a 110–10 record and won the 5A Arizona Wrestling Championship twice. He was not only a captain of the wrestling team but also the captain of the football team, where he would play the position of linebacker.
Cain went on to attend Iowa Central Community College, where he wrestled for one season where he won the NJCAA National Championship in the heavyweight division. Cain then transferred to the Arizona State University, where he wrestled for the Sun Devils and compiled a 86–17 record, placing 5th in the country in 2005, and 4th in 2006.
MMA Career
Cain started his MMA career right out of college by joining the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy. Cain made his MMA debut on October 7, 2006, against Jesse Fujarczyk at Strikeforce. HE won his first fight via TKO and then faced then-undefeated Jeremiah Constant, who he also defeated via TKO in the first round.
Throughout the years, Cain has become a brown belt in Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo, and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Leandro Vieira, on top of already being an NCAA Division I Wrestler.
Cain Enters The UFC
He debuted in the UFC on April 19, 2008, at UFC 83, where he defeated Brad Morris by knockout in the first round. He went on to defeat Jake O’Brien at UFC Fight Night 14 via TKO in the first round. His next fight was against Denis Stojnić, which he won via TKO in the second round and was awarded the Knockout of the Night honors.
Cain faced Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, where he won via unanimous decision. After defeating Cheick, he then faced UFC newcomer Ben Rothwell at UFC 104, who he defeated via second-round TKO.
On February 20, 2010, Cain faced former Pride Heavyweight Champion and former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, who was the favorite for the fight. Cain knocked out Nogueira in the first round and earned another Knockout of the Night bonus.
Beating Brock Lesnar to Become Heavyweight Champion
After going on a tear in the UFC, Cain was finally offered a UFC Heavyweight Championship fight with then-champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Cain won the fight via first-round TKO and earned his third Knockout of the Night honors.
He suffered the first defeat in his professional career against Junior Dos Santos on November 12, 2011, but shortly after that, a rematch was organized in which Cain Velasquez won the fight via unanimous decision and thus once again became the heavyweight champion. In between the first fight and the rematch, Cain won the fight against Antônio Carlos “Bigfoot” Silva via first-round TKO.
After that, he successfully defended the title of champion twice until June 13, 2015, when he was defeated by Fabricio Werdum. After that, he had another fight against Travis Braun, which he won, but in that match, he suffered a back injury. Cain had his last fight in the octagon on February 17, 2019, where he lost the fight against the knockout artist Francis Ngannou via first-round KO.
Cain announced his retirement from MMA on October 11, 2019, and said he wished to focus on his professional wrestling career, appearing on WWE during the period.
Cain was known for his aggressive fighting style, always throwing punches, going for takedowns, gaining top position, and not giving his opponents time to properly breathe. Cain had the nickname “Cardio Cain” due to his impressive cardiovascular endurance compared to other heavyweights at the time.
Legal Troubles
At the beginning of March, Cain fired a firearm at a vehicle in which Harry Goularte, a person suspected of multiple cases of abuse of a minor who is related to Velasquez by blood, was located. Cain accidentally shot the wrong person and found himself in huge legal trouble. Later on, a civil lawsuit against Harry Goularte Jr. was filed on behalf of Velasquez’s son, claiming that Goularte sexually molested him.
There are many unknowns surrounding the whole case, and many were surprised that the normally calm and unproblematic Velasquez decided to take justice into his own hands. Cain has finally spoken out, and he thanked everyone who took his side, many of whom are famous UFC fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Fabricio Werdum, Kelvin Gastelum, Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Cung Le, and Islam Makhachev.
Velasquez faced 20 years in prison and was denied parole by the judge. We surely hope Cain will not have to face life in prison for something any father would have done after the justice system has failed to do the one thing they are supposed to, serve justice.