Cain Velasquez Interview

[BABY1]

TweetCain Velasquez has been a dominant force in the UFC, and on October 23rd, at UFC 121, he gets what every fighter dreams of: a shot at the title. With training partners like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Daniel Cormier, Velasquez will be well prepared to fight Brock Lesnar and hopes to be the new UFC Heavyweight champion.

Velasquez took some time out of his training to speak with AskMen about his training and about his upcoming fight against Lesnar.


cain velasquez on mma and fighting

AskMen (AM): What made you want to get into MMA?

Cain Velasquez (CV): While wrestling in college as a junior it came to a point where wrestling just wasn’t enough for me anymore. I love wrestling, but I felt like I was missing something, and so the striking part about MMA, the boxing and kickboxing, was what got me really interested in MMA. I saw it on TV and I just knew that I wanted to do it.

AM: Is there anything that you would say had a major influence on you?

CV: It’s a lot of little things. I’ve always loved competing; I’ve always loved working out -- and wrestling, of course. Also, growing up I just loved boxing and watching Mexican fighters box. So, it’s definitely a lot of the little things that got me interested.

AM: Being undefeated in the UFC, does that add pressure on you to go in and win the fight?

CV: No, I don’t think of it like that. I just have to practice hard, get better, and go out there and win impressively -- that’s all it comes down to. I don’t think about being undefeated; I don’t think about what people say in the media about me, whether it’s good or bad; I just don’t think of it.

AM: What about fighting for the title, does that add pressure on you?

CV: No, it’s a great honor. It’s the only reason why I got into this sport; it’s to be the best. I want to be the champ and I want to have that belt.

AM: What do you think about Brock Lesnar?

CV: He’s definitely the best and he has the belt. It shows that he’s had a lot of improvement and he is always improving. He’s a big guy, powerful and quick, also. He has a lot of heart when he’s fighting and he’s definitely the best out there.

AM: What do you think you can do differently that Shane Carwin did not do?

CV: I’m just going to go out there and fight a smart fight; I have my game plan and I just have to stick to it. If it ever comes down to the same situation that Shane had Brock in, then I just have to remember that this is for a title and that the refs aren’t going to stop the fight unless it’s clear that one of us can’t continue. A lot of people didn’t think Brock could have gotten out of the first round, but he came back and got a submission, which shows that he is a champion and a tough competitor.

AM: In what areas do you think you have an advantage over Brock Lesnar?

CV: My stand up and my cardio set me apart from Lesnar.

AM: What does one week of training with Cain Velasquez consist of?

CV: Monday, Wednesday, Friday I lift weights from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and then I go home and get breakfast. Then I go back to the gym for a little bit of wrestling, followed by a hard sparring session from noon until 2:00 p.m. Since I have a championship fight coming up we do five rounds of sparring with multiple training partners. After that, we do three rounds of jujitsu of five minutes each, and then I go back home to eat and relax a little. I get back to the gym at 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. for a cardio workout followed by hitting mitts for technique for a bit. Tuesday and Thursday is kind of the same thing, except at noon we do more of a wrestling-based jujitsu workout.

AM: Which of your workouts give you the most satisfaction?

CV: The noon workouts on Monday, Wednesday, Friday are the hardest because I’m going in against multiple training partners and fighting each one. Each fighter that comes at me is fresh and that really takes a toll on you and your body -- it gets you tired and it really makes you dig deep and work hard to get through the workout. It’s the worst and sometimes I hate going through it, but it is the most beneficial part of my training.

AM: How long of a break to you normally take between fights?

CV: Usually about two weeks, where I just hang out with my family, take a trip and relax. After that I come back into training and just start slowly.

AM: Do you have any tips for anyone that wants to get into competitive MMA?

CV: You need good coaches with a good gym that teach you the essentials, like boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and pretty much all the stuff that you need to be successful in MMA. You need good training partners -- because you’re only as good as your training partners -- and a strong desire to always get better. Know what your strengths are, but also keep in mind what your weaknesses are; always work on your weaknesses.

AM: Is there anything you would like to say in closing?

CV: Thanks to all the fans and I’m going to do my hardest to get this win. Thanks to my team at AKA, Joe Grasso and my sponsors for all their help.

[tn94z]

TweetI really like Cain. He seems like a really humble guy.

[FUZO]

TweetI look at cain and sometimes say no way can he beat brock but then I see the hand speed but then I see brocks strength and agility . I'f brock gets caindown then it could be over but I can see this going into the 4-5 rounds and then we will see if brocks cardio is good. But lets not be to quick to judge cains cardio because has he gone 4-5 rounds either. Yeah they say he's a cardio machine well as we all know mma is different then riding a bike long distance. I'm still giing the nudge to brock just on size and strength. If he gets tagged well like Ive been saying cains hand speed

[tn94z]

Tweet

I look at cain and sometimes say no way can he beat brock but then I see the hand speed but then I see brocks strength and agility . I'f brock gets caindown then it could be over but I can see this going into the 4-5 rounds and then we will see if brocks cardio is good. But lets not be to quick to judge cains cardio because has he gone 4-5 rounds either. Yeah they say he's a cardio machine well as we all know mma is different then riding a bike long distance. I'm still giing the nudge to brock just on size and strength. If he gets tagged well like Ive been saying cains hand speed

I agree with you....Brock is heavily favored, I'm sure. I just really think he can pull this win off.

In all honesty, I think a loss for Brock would make him so much better....