Home Categories Miscellaneous Cain Velasquez; He's Really That Good.
Cain Velasquez; He's Really That Good.
Written by Jack Barrington   
Monday, 22 February 2010 00:42
Ever since Cain Velasquez entered the UFC, a torrent of propagandistic marketing has followed him. From the beginning we were told that he was the “next big thing” in the heavyweight division, despite his unassuming appearance, and had the potential to not only win the belt, but to reign over the big men’s weightclass for years to come. After his performance at UFC 110, everybody should now be taking that marketing much more seriously. His imperious victory over Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira not only proved that Cain Velasquez has a veritable claim as one of the top fighters in the UFC, but also that he just might be the best heavyweight in all of MMA.

Even writing that now, it feels a gross overstatement given that Cain is only coming-off of the eighth fight, and win, of his MMA career. Looking back over his progress in the UFC so far, however, undeniably showcases his evolution and improvement, providing at least some grounds for an argument that his ever-improving skill-set may be the most dangerous in the heavyweight division today. While his first fight in the UFC, a first round stoppage over Brad Morris at UFC 83, seemed rather routine given the amount of hype his signing had generated, his second raised a lot more eyebrows. Jake O’Brien was not so far removed from the biggest win of his career when he met Cain Velasquez. He had outmuscled and outwrestled Heath Herring at UFC Fight Night 8, much like Brock Lesnar would go on to do, albeit to much greater plaudits. Although he was coming off a stoppage loss to Andrei Arlovski, O’Brien was seen to be a tough test for Cain and would specifically either dispel the indefinite myth of Cain’s wrestling, or greatly enhance its reputation. It turned out to be the latter as Cain gave what has become an almost customary performance, overwhelming O’Brien with his indefatigable pace and seemingly inescapable wrestling and top control. While he was not and never will be considered a top fighter, O’Brien was seen as a game opponent and few could have predicted such a dominant performance. Even though Cain’s wrestling was for real, there were still questions regarding other aspects of his skill-set.

Another relatively impressive win over Denis Stojnić did little to answer those questions, although it did mark the first time Cain had seen the second round. It would be his next fight, against Cheick Kongo, that would spark some interesting debates regarding Cain’s striking. Facing one of the better strikers in the UFC heavyweight division, Cain looked unnervingly anxious trying to close the distance. While an argument can be made for him being worried about being out-struck at range, his striking defense was unimpressive to say the least, as every time he came in he left his chin up, and Kongo was more than happy to test it with hard straight shots that dropped or staggered him at the beginning of each round.

While the question marks about his striking were growing, any reservations about Cain’s chin, recovery time, and will to win were dashed, as he powered through Kongo’s punches, and proceeded to ragdoll him to the mat with a variety of takedowns. It was not Velasquez’s most impressive performance by a long shot, given his tendency to take punches rushing in and his inability to finish Kongo on the ground. It was still, however, a step up in competition and a test that Cain most certainly passed. With another impressive win over Ben Rothwell at UFC 104, Cain answered some of the criticism regarding his striking and confirmed his readiness for a true step up in competition, the stage was set for one of the more interesting match-ups in recent UFC history – Cain Velasquez versus the legend that is Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The general consensus was that this would be a close fight, and one that either man could win. However, prior to the bout there were whispers from several MMA media outlets (FightLockdown included), that if either man would dominate, it would be Nogueira. Needless to say, it’s awe-inspiring as to just how wrong those predictions would be, because from the opening bell it was clear who would have the advantage standing. While Joe Rogan’s assessment of Cain putting on a “striking clinic” may be slightly sensationalizing matters, it was evident that his stand-up game had finally come together, as he unloaded a string of seamless combinations upon Nogueira, showcasing some of the best leg kicks we have seen in any recent UFC heavyweight bout.

The young prospect, who FightLockdown's Ben DeWalt, had touted as a future great even prior to him signing with the UFC, announced himself to the elite fighters of the division with an almost thunderous clarity as he dropped Nogueira with a right hook and finished things definitively with strikes on the ground, midway through the first round. Cain dominated a healthy Nogueira in a manner that was resoundingly more impressive than his fellow title contender, Frank Mir – who had dominated a staph ridden, weakened Nogueira a little over a year ago. Whether or not this is the same Nogueira who reigned over the PRIDE heavyweight division for large portions of his career is irrelevant, it is both speculative and unfair to attempt to make that comparison. What is important is that this was most definitely the same Nogueira that demolished Randy Couture last year and prompted his move back to 205lbs. Whatever way you choose to look at it, this was an impressive win of the highest quality.


In the vein of the rather bold claim at the beginning of this article, Cain’s new found stature as a proven, elite heavyweight in the UFC will no doubt incite discussion surrounding how he compares to the current top heavyweight fighter in the world, Fedor Emelianenko. While the striking he showed against Nogueira, particularly his use of leg kicks, would no doubt prove to be a valuable asset against Emelianenko, there are still question marks surrounding how Cain would deal with a guard as dangerous and explosive as Fedor’s. Unfortunately given the imperturbable manner in which he dispatched of Nogueira standing, we were unable to gain any further information on that aspect of his game, and are left merely to speculate. It is a testament to his ability and progress, that after only eight fights, any rational MMA fan should need to at least think long and hard about picking a winner in that potential encounter. Cain has the ability to decide where that fight could go, but Fedor can finish fights from every position. It would most certainly be an enticing match-up, and one that we can only hope we have the chance to see some day, no doubt aided by further knowledge of Cain’s skill-set as he continues to face, and perhaps dominate his fellow UFC Heavyweights.

In the past Cain had shown his wrestling ability, he had shown his pace, recovery time, heart and propensity to swarm his opponents, damaging them from top position. At UFC 110, Cain showed his poise and striking prowess as he, to put it bluntly, dismantled a legend. Velasquez showed that he belongs not only amongst the top heavyweights in the world, but perhaps even right at the top.

An important aspect to consider is that with this win, not only did Cain propel himself directly into the title picture – he has given the UFC a marketer’s dream, and one that they have been seeking for some time. The promotion has been in search of a strong dominant Latino fighter for some time, and now with Cain – aided by the ominous “Brown Pride” tattoo – they seem to have finally found their man. For too long the UFC had desperately tried to push Roger Huerta, in a vain attempt to lure Latino fans away from boxing. Huerta, however, was never accepted by the audience the UFC had intended for him, he was too much Oscar De La Hoya and not enough Julio Cesar Chavez if you will – and even that is a far too big of a compliment to “El Matador”, in all honesty. Cain has already been accepted by his fan base, and you would have to assume that as his success grows so will the Latino segment of the UFC’s audience.

Regardless of who earns the next title shot in the UFC, regardless of Cain’s marketability to the Latino market, and regardless of the hypothesizing of a prospective fight with Emelianenko, he proved something very important at UFC 110.

Velasquez proved that while he may not have the belt, right now he is most definitely the man to beat in the UFC’s heavyweight division.