Top 5: Cain Velasquez Inflection Points

Cain Velasquez tamed a real-life monster.

The American Kickboxing Academy ace tore through Brock Lesnar in a career-defining performance to capture the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in the UFC 121 main event on Oct. 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Bearing a gnarly horizontal gash under his left eye, Lesnar succumbed to blows 4:12 into Round 1.

Velasquez withstood an early attack from the hulking former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, kept his cool and picked his spots with power, precision and resolve. Lesnar took down the Californian twice in the first two minutes, only to see him answer the challenge seamlessly on both occasions. Velasquez executed his own takedown midway through the first round, assumed a dominant position behind the champion and pummeled him with punches and hammerfists. An avalanche had been triggered, and Lesnar was powerless to stop it. He twice returned to his feet, but Velasquez was waiting for him and administered more punishment. A two-punch combination dropped Lesnar near the base of the cage, and though he fought valiantly to defend himself, he simply absorbed too many shots for referee Herb Dean to ignore. The deposed champion rose to his feet beaten, battered and bloodied.


“I trained for a five-round fight,” Velasquez said afterward. “I’m always ready for that. You can’t expect an early stoppage. We expected him to come out, go hard in and go for the takedown. We were ready for that. We worked on positions, on worst-case scenarios.”

More than 15 years later, Velasquez’s rout of Lesnar and his rise to power in the UFC heavyweight division still ranks as one of the most profound inflection points of his career. Four more worth considering:

Cain Velasquez vs. Brad Morris

UFC 83
April 19, 2008 | Montreal
Velasquez made his hotly anticipated Octagon debut as a ballyhooed blue-chip prospect and lived up to the billing when he dismissed the Australian with punches in the first round of their heavyweight prelim at the Bell Centre. Morris clocked out 2:10 into Round 1. Operating in the shadows of the Matt Serra-Georges St. Pierre rematch, Velasquez floored his counterpart with a clean left hook in the center of the cage, pounced with punches and decked him a second time with a right uppercut. More punches followed. Velasquez calmly climbed to full mount, proceeded with ground-and-pound and flowed through scrambles. Morris briefly returned to his feet twice more, only to be met with brutal power punches that forced him to retreat to the canvas. Velasquez was merciless and methodical, as he continued to unleash punches and hammerfists until the job was done.

Cain Velasquez vs. Cheick Kongo

UFC 99
June 13, 2009 | Cologne, Germany
Velasquez passed his first real test when he outpointed the French kickboxer to a unanimous decision in their three-round co-headliner at Lanxess Arena. All three cageside judges turned in 30-27 scorecards. Kongo buckled the two-time NCAA All-American with a pair of right hands in the first round but could not capitalize on the opening. Velasquez switched gears and started a rinse-and-repeat process that would lead him to yet another decisive victory. He executed four takedowns in the first round, two more in the second and another in the third, often consolidating them with ground-and-pound and positional dominance. The gulf between the two men grew over time, and by the time their 15-minute encounter was over, the statistical data was jarring. Velasquez had racked up nearly 13 minutes of control time and outlanded the sculpted 6-foot-4 Frenchman by a 261-42 margin.

Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos

UFC on Fox 1
Nov. 12, 2011 | Anaheim, California
Dos Santos cracked the previously unbeaten American Kickboxing Academy star with a brutal overhand right, chased him to the canvas and finished him with follow-up punches to lay claim to the undisputed heavyweight title in their main event at the Honda Center. It was over in just 64 seconds. Velasquez, who had undergone surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff 10 months earlier, seemed content to keep the fight standing against the superior boxer, as he tagged the Brazilian’s lead leg with kicks and exchanged punches when the distance between the two closed. A clubbing right connected to the side of Velasquez’s head, put him on all fours and prompted him to retreat to his back. Dos Santos closed in, unleashed punches from both hands and forced the stoppage. It was the first of three meetings between the two rivals. Velasquez won both rematches in one-sided fashion.

Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum

UFC 188
June 13, 2015 | Mexico City
Werdum stunned the mixed martial arts world when he put away the Javier Mendez protégé with a guillotine choke and walked away with the undisputed heavyweight championship in the third round of their headliner at Mexico City Arena. Velasquez conceded defeat 2:13 into Round 3. For the first time in his career, he appeared to run out of gas. Velasquez brought the fight to the Brazilian in the first round, where he attacked with punches in the clinch, leg kicks and a pair of takedowns. Werdum did not flinch, and he turned the tide in Round 2. There, he shredded Velasquez with punching combinations, a stinging jab and knees from the clinch. Accuracy and output were keys. Afterward, Velasquez returned to his corner with cuts above both eyes, his breathing labored. A little less than midway through the third round, Werdum snatched the guillotine on an attempted takedown, fell to his back and elicited the tapout.