The Triangle Choke: Cain Velasquez Interview

Fast rising heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez will battle Denis Stojnic at UFC Fight Night 17 on February 7th live on SpikeTV. Cain is yet another accomplished Arizona State Wrestler to hit the scene (see CB Dollaway and Ryan Bader). Cain belongs to one of the most reputable training teams in the nation, American Kickboxing Academy.

TTC- Cain, you come from what is in some ways turning into a feeder system to MMA, the Arizona State Wrestling program. Give some background on your high school and college wrestling career?

CV- In high school I was a two time state champion in Arizona. I had an overall record of 110-10. I went to Iowa Central Community College following high school. I then went on to Arizona State where I was a two-time All American. I was also Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year.

TTC- The list of wrestlers who have had success in MMA contains the likes of Couture, Henderson, Lindland, and Lesnar to name a few. Is it the skills a wrestler has i.e. leverage, balance, and takedowns or is it more the training regimen that translates into MMA success?

CV- I think it has a lot to do with the workouts. They are very fast paced. Since junior high the practices are intense and teach you how to compete. You learn how to push your body, mind over matter. I think the mental toughness is a key part. The mentality of wrestling is competing no matter what.

TTC- You now have an undefeated MMA record of 4-0. How did you get started in MMA and specifically training with AKA (American Kickboxing Academy)?

CV- I was a junior at Arizona State when I started thinking about competing in MMA. I told my coach, Tom Ortiz I wanted to start fighting when my college career was over. He told me to focus on getting my degree then he would help me find a training team. Tom is good friends with DeWayne Zinkin at Zinkin Entertainment, who is now my manager. Tom also knew some guys at AKA. A week before I graduated he sent me out to train with them to see if I liked it. I loved it. That’s how it happened.

Photo courtesy of the American Kickboxing Academy

TTC- Your next opponent, Denis Stojnic has a background in kickboxing. Are you training with Javier Mendez (World Champion kickboxer with AKA) to prepare for this fight?

CV- Yes, I am. Denis pushes forward hard, throws a lot of punches. He’s a big tough guy who will keep going and going. Its going to be a tough fight for sure.

TTC- You have competed in Strikeforce and Bodog then made the jump to UFC. Your first UFC match was at UFC 83 Serra vs. GSP II. What was that experience like?

CV- It was awesome. There is nothing like fighting in the UFC. The crowd was amazing. That card had the biggest crowd to date for UFC. The media coverage before the event was incredible. The notoriety from fighting in the UFC a fighter receives is tremendous, all from one fight. There is nothing like it.

TTC- You have a tough task ahead of you not only with this fight but the heavyweight division. The division has taken some criticism in the past 6 months to a year but now two have emerged in Frank Mir and Champion Brock Lesnar. What are your long term goals in the division and how do you think you would match up with the winner of Mir/Lesnar?

CV- My long term goal is like anyone else in the sport to be the Heavyweight Champ. It’s hard to say right now how I would fare against those guys. With studying film and getting a good game plan from AKA, I think I would have a good chance against those guys. To me it is more than size, its heart. I think I have the heart to go against them.

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TTC- There are many theories out there in terms of how often to fight. The best of the best have different opinions on the subject. Some guys like Anderson Silva like to fight every 3-6 months others less than that. How do you see your career progressing in terms of how often you fight?

CV- For me I think the best approach would be every 4-5 months. Providing good health, I think that would be perfect for me.

TTC- At a high level training gym like AKA which has many stars in the sport. What is the intensity like on a day to day basis?

CV- Its awesome. There are a lot of different personalities there. Josh Thomson, Josh Koscheck you can go on and on. Sometimes the personalities clash, it makes training a lot more emotional. It keeps everybody honest and having all the talent there means you have to be prepared because you will get beat up in practice. It’s great to learn from everyone there, see what they’ve been through, taking it all in and trying to go on the right path.

TTC- No doubt you will be thoroughly prepared for your upcoming match. Best of luck we look forward to watching you compete (Cain would like to thank AKA and Elite Fitness).

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Editor-in-Chief