Nalty Jr: How long have you trained MMA and what’s your belt in Jiu-Jitsu?
Cain Velasquez: I started MMA three years ago. I started Jiu-Jitsu at the same time that I started MMA; I’m currently a purple belt. I do a lot more no-gi than gi, but when I train in the gi I’m a purple belt.
NJ: You come from a wrestling background. Did you feel much difference when you started learning Jiu-Jitsu?
CV: I didn’t feel there was much difference between Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling, but after I learned Jiu-Jitsu my wrestling improved considerably. I have more positional control. I feel the mixture of wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu is really great.
NJ: How did the opportunity to fight in the UFC come about?
CV: I had two fights on my CV and wanted to fight in other shows before going to the UFC, to get some experience. But It was really hard to get fights with other organizations, so my manager said: ‘We haven’t fought in a long time, we can’t wait any longer. It’s time to call up the UFC.’ He made the call, made Dana White an offer and we went to Vegas. We took two fighters with us and Dana watched me standing with those two fighters and doing Jiu-Jitsu with another two heavyweight athletes. He liked what he saw and told me I was in the UFC.
NJ: Your base is wrestling, but you’ve won nearly all your fights by knockout (seven in eight). Does that surprise you?
CV: No. I’ve practiced MMA for three years and worked on my standup game a lot. I always use my wrestling in fights, even when I’m going for the knockout. I use my wrestling to take it to the ground and do ground and pound. Even though I’m a wrestler, I train hard to be the best I can be in MMA.
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