Return of the King

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He was greeted like a king, and he fought like one.

Ushered into the arena by a partisan Latino audience, Cain Velasquez unleashed a crippling onslaught of power and technique, as he dethroned former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 on Oct. 23, 2010 to become heavyweight champion. At 28, he was on top of the world. His coaches wept as the humble Californian, born to Mexican immigrants, basked in the afterglow of the most significant victory of his career.

Velasquez has not fought since. He suffered a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder during his first-round technical knockout against Lesnar and went under the knife in January after physical therapy failed to heal the injury. Months of agonizing rehabilitation followed, as Velasquez faded from public view.

As he prepares for his first title defense at UFC on Fox 1 -- an historic five-round bout with Junior dos Santos that will serve as the centerpiece of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut on network television this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. -- Velasquez sounds relieved to have put his injury woes behind him.

“It went fine,” he said during a pre-fight teleconference. “The doctors said that [with] this injury it takes a while for it to heal. The whole rehab stuff in the beginning -- it’s just letting it heal by itself and not really doing anything to aggravate the shoulder. The first couple months it was tough because that’s when I couldn’t really do anything.

“Once I got the green light to start doing more extensive rehab, doing stuff with range of motion, we started weight training light to get the strength back into it slowly and just kind of built up on it from there,” Velasquez added. “It just took time for it to get better, but I’m happy I listened to the doctor. I’m happy I went through it and didn’t rush it. Now, it’s 100 percent.”

Velasquez, a supremely conditioned heavyweight whose exploits in the gym at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., have become legendary, concedes the time away from training tested his resolve more than the rehabilitation process itself.

“It was definitely frustrating at times,” he said. “I’m a guy that likes to stay active. Getting that taken away from you is definitely tough. I just tried to keep my head in other things at that moment. I would try and do stuff for the UFC: signing [autographs] ... just stuff that would keep me busy. That kind of kept my head away from being hurt.”

In his long-awaited return, Velasquez faces a standup juggernaut in Dos Santos, an intimidating 6-foot-4 Brazilian with perhaps the best boxing skills in the division. The 27-year-old challenger remains unbeaten in seven trips inside the Octagon and has rattled off eight consecutive wins overall, with victories over two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist Fabricio Werdum, 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and former International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson.


Dos Santos last fought at UFC 131 in June, when he battered the monstrous Shane Carwin for three rounds and captured a one-sided unanimous decision at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Color Velasquez impressed.

“Junior looked good in that fight,” he said. “Just like his other fights, he’s impressive. He’s dangerous in all areas. There’s not one aspect of the game that he’s short on. His wrestling looked really good. He has great takedown defense. He even took Carwin down a couple times. There’s not any area that he lacks in. He’s going to be tough in all areas. That’s what we expect from him.”

No one in the UFC has put Dos Santos on his back and kept him there. Velasquez, who won a junior college national wrestling championship before becoming a two-time NCAA All-American at Arizona State University, wants to succeed where others have failed. He has studied Dos Santos extensively in the film room, surrounded by acclaimed coaches Javier Mendez, Dave Camarillo and Bob Cook.

“I like to see as much video and footage on my opponent as possible,” said Velasquez, who has finished eight of his first nine foes by knockout or technical knockout, including Dos Santos’ longtime teammate, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. “Every little bit helps. A big part of the training camp was watching the film and getting ready that way.”

As he has not fought in more than a year, Velasquez expects nerves to be part of the equation when he re-enters the Octagon in a matter of days.

“There’s always butterflies,” he said. “Right now, it’s not going to be more than usual. When you get in the grind of training and everything else, it kind of gets your mind ready for what’s ahead. Yeah, there’s definitely butterflies there, but that makes make me feel ready. It’s natural for me to be a little nervous, but no more than usual.”

Velasquez was admittedly humbled by the chance to partake in what will likely go down as one of the most significant fights in UFC history. The promotion reached a landmark seven-year multi-media rights agreement with the Fox Sports Media Group in August that will provide the sport of mixed martial arts with unprecedented visibility. The Velasquez-Dos Santos bout on Fox represents a monumental first step in the relationship.

“For me, it’s a great opportunity,” Velasquez said. “Just for the UFC and Fox to choose our fight to headline [the event] is just a great honor. It shows that they love the way you fight. I’m hoping to make it an exciting fight for the fans. Dos Santos is a great opponent. We’re definitely just going to go out there and throw down.”

Despite the historical significance of the match, Velasquez has tried to focus on what he can control.


“I pretty much treat it just like a regular fight that I’ve had,” he said. “I don’t think about what’s going on on the outside. I think about what’s going on in the gym and studying my opponent. That’s pretty much it. I’m not really thinking about the magnitude of the fight. I’m just focused on training and the fight itself.”