Cain Velasquez is the typical ‘no-nonsense’ type of fighter. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion takes on Travis Browne in the UFC 200 in Las Vegas. He hardly is the loudmouth that Conor McGregor is, yet is widely accepted as a killer inside the Octagon.
For a man who always lets his fights do the talking, here is a quick look at some of the relatively lesser known facts about him.
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#5 ‘Terminator 2 : Judgement Day’ Made Him Cry
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Velasquez looks like a person who is not going to mess around. He carries his tough as nails persona both on and off the octagon. But at The Dan Le Batard Show, he showed a softer side when he recalled he actually cried after watching the Terminator 2 movie.
Yes, the man is human after all.
Even The Notebook or The Titanic failed to make him all weepy-eyed. But the story goes way back, when Cain was still a kid. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s death in the movie was the reason he cried. And that was also the last time he cried during a movie.
Actually, Arnold’s death in the movie was heartbreaking.
The full interview can be viewed above.
#4 Velasquez has No Nicknames
In the world of MMA, nicknames run rife.
We are well acquainted with Connor McGregor being dubbed as ‘The Notorious’ or the great Anderson Silva’s ‘Spider’ moniker. Almost all the fighters are recognised by their nicknames.
But not Cain Velasquez. It is surprising that undistinguished fighters like John Alessio boast of a nickname (The Natural, and it’s pretty good) but a fighter of Velasquez’s calibre has no nicknames.
It is quite disappointing.
But for a fighter as good as him, does he even require one?
#3 Velesquez Worked as a Bouncer
They say, nothing worth having comes easy.
Velasquez had to sacrifice many things to become a fighter worth remembering. And leisure was his first sacrifice. While trying to get into MMA, Velasquez stopped sleeping in is own bed. His training facility in California was far away from his home and Cain used to work as a bouncer in a nearby club on his way back home.
Sometimes he could not get back home and had to sleep in his car. He had to lie to his mother often.
In an interview, Velasquez opened up about his pre-MMA life. He recalls,“Sometimes I wouldn’t want to go all the way back home, so I wouldn’t,the next day my mom would ask, ‘Where did you stay?’ I’d tell my mom, ‘Oh, I stayed at a coach’s house,’ but I’d actually sleep in my car a lot.
I’d be parked outside The Home Depot across the street and then get up whenever it was time to train.”
Cain is now enjoying the success of the hard work and effort he put into his career many years ago. Life was tough, but he made it worthwhile.
#2 He Turned Down American Football for Wrestling
Cain Velasquez was a talented American football player. He played as a linebacker and scouts were impressed with his performances. He was being scouted for both football and wrestling in high school and he even got a scholarship offer to play football at Arizona State. He instead opted for wrestling.
In an interview with The Republic, he said that he always believed that he could be a better wrestler in college.
“I think that was it. My body size and everything was perfect for being a heavyweight wrestler rather than being a linebacker.” That seals the argument.
There is no doubt that Cain Velasquez is a great fighter. But if the 6 ft 1,240-pound heavyweight had opted for football, he could have made it big as a linebacker as well.
#1 Velasquez took up Wrestling Due to Financial Issues
Velasquez’s family hails from Mexico. His father, Efrain was aware of the dearth of opportunities in Mexico and he, being motivated by the American Dream, made six trips to the United States as an illegal immigrant.
He was deported six times.
Yet, he did not give up hope and in his seventh attempt, he met his future wife Isabel, who was an American citizen. They got married and so Efrain could live in America.
However they struggled to make their ends meet. And they had three children, Cain being the youngest. Efrain dreamt of seeing his son become a successful boxer, but with his small pay, he could not afford for his boxing training.
So Cain had to settle for wrestling in high school. And the rest, they say, is history.
