Cain Velasquez looks back on the pivotal fights in his UFC career and much more with Burt Watson.
As the former UFC event coordinator, Burt Watson has seen it all. A beloved figure among fighters past and present, he can tell stories nobody else can. What can we say? He’s a legend.
That’s why he’s got this show, “Legend 2 Legend,” an MMA Junkie feature where Burt and another legend shoot the breeze and peel back the curtain – at least just a little bit.
In Episode 8, Burt sits down with former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] – still free after a an eight-month jail term while he awaits the legal process to play out on an attempted murder case stemming from a March 2022 incident – for a career-focused conversation as they discuss:
What motivated him to transition from collegiate wrestling to mixed martial arts.
His UFC 110 fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
His UFC 121 title fight against Brock Lesnar.
His legendary title-fight trilogy with Junior Dos Santos.
What it meant to be the first UFC champion of Mexican descent.
His foray into pro wrestling.
His relationship with Daniel Cormier.
And more.
You can watch the full episode in the video above.
Cain Velasquez was back in court as his trial was delayed yet again, due to subpoena issues from the UFC and others.
[autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] still doesn’t have trial dates as he faces attempted murder and other charges, but that could change relatively soon.
After months of delays and continuances, Velasquez appeared for two hearings in Santa Clara County (Calif.) court Wednesday.
Ultimately, Velasquez will be due back in court March 6 and April 17 for proceedings surrounding subpoena motions. Additionally, he will have “one final” trial setting hearing April 24, at which point trial dates will be formally scheduled.
The first hearing Wednesday revolved around two subpoena motions by Velasquez and defense attorney, Renee Hessling.
The first subpoena, which was previously signed off on by judge Shella Deen, was submitted to the UFC in recent weeks.
According to Hessling, the UFC agreed to voluntarily submit all requested documents, but had yet to do so. Hessling indicated the UFC had been cooperative and it was just a matter of following through.
Judge Deen mandated the UFC submit the documents by March 1, with a follow-up hearing March 6.
The second subpoena, was to Community Care Licensing (CCL), the agency responsible for licensing child care centers in California, presumably to obtain documents from Patty’s Daycare LLC, the daycare where Velasquez’s four-year-old son was allegedly molested.
Present, and objecting to this subpoena, was attorney Stephen Defillipis, who represents Harry Goularte, the man accused of the “lewd acts” with Velasquez’s son. Velasquez allegedly then pursued and shot at Goularte in a high-speed chase. Goularte’s mother Patricia (who ran the daycare), and stepfather Paul Bender were in the vehicle with Bender allegedly shot by Velasquez, which resulted in injury.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Defillipis motioned to quash the subpoena request, but didn’t do so with enough lead time for Judge Deen to review it. Given that, and some dispute over whether Patricia Goularte or Bender were formerly served the subpoena motion, Judge Deen continued the CCL subpoena matters to April 17.
Cain Velasquez appears for his arraignment at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. Velasquez, the former UFC champion based out of San Jose, was charged with shooting at a man accused of molesting his child. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group via AP, Pool) ORG XMIT: CAJOS102
Velasquez and Hessling then appeared, along with district attorney representative Aaron French, before Judge Benjamin Williams in a trial setting hearing.
Despite French’s repeated relaying of a sense of urgency and distress from Patricia Goularte and Paul Bender to move Velasquez’s court proceedings along out of fear for their safety, Judge Williams overrode his objections to another continuance.
Judge Williams encouraged both parties to consider advanced case management in an effort to potentially come to a resolution, which both the defense and district attorney seemed open to.
Velasquez will now have “one final” trial setting hearing April 24.
Velasquez, 40, already pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including attempted murder after he allegedly chased and shot at a vehicle containing three people (Harry Goularte, Patricia Goularte, and Paul Bender) in February 2022. Velasquez spent over eight months in jail before he was granted bail with stipulations in November 2022.
Goularte awaits a trial setting of his own Feb. 28, but his defense has filed a 995 motion, a request to drop the charge. A hearing for the 995 motion is set for March 11.
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will corner in the promotion for the first time since he was arrested on attempted murder charge.
Former heavyweight champion [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] will Saturday corner his first UFC fight since his 2022 arrest for attempted murder and other charges.
Velasquez will corner longtime friend and American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) student [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who fights Jim Miller (36-17 MMA, 25-16 UFC) on the UFC Fight Night 234 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Velasquez was present Friday at the UFC Apex for the official weigh-ins and ceremonial faceoffs where he became a popular subject for fighters, coaches, and personnel to take photos with.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C2Ahy8VrIQZ/
In order to embark on fight week as a cornerman, Velasquez received special permission from the Santa Clara County (Calif.) court. Saturday’s bout marks the second time Velasquez has served as a cornerman for a high-profile bout, also having been in the corner for Usman Nurmagomedov a Bellator 300 in October.
Velasquez is currently on release after he posted $1 million bail. He has to partake in around-the-clock GPS surveillance and other stipulations. Velasquez recently received a warning for a surveillance violation, but was not handed any further punishment from the hearing judge – despite the district attorney and alleged victim’s in-person advocation for stricter discipline.
The next court date for Velasquez is Feb. 14, which will serve as both a subpoena and trial setting hearing. Velasquez is accused of pursuing and shooting a gun at a man, Harry Goularte, who allegedly molested his young son. Velasquez allegedly struck the man’s stepfather Paul Bender causing injury.
What better time than the end of the year for UFC and MMA notables to reflect on who they appreciated most in 2023.
‘”As real as it gets” is the UFC’s slogan to describe just how realistic MMA combat can be. But before fighters get to any of the face punching, they typically share a moment of respect, a moment of peace that represents their mutual acknowledgment for the struggle to arrive at the moment: the touch of gloves.
Fighters might beat each other up for as much as 25 minutes, but the respect for one another and the sport seldom goes away and the martial arts spirt is always with them.
In this year’s edition of “Touch of Gloves,” we see that spirt come to life as fighters, coaches and more show appreciation to the people they think especially deserve a shoutout for what they did in 2023:
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] on [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]
[autotag]Ben Rothwell[/autotag] on [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] on [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag]
[autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] on [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]
[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] on [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag]
“I tell you, nobody wanted those Cain Velasquez problems.”
[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] thinks had it not been for injuries, [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] would be considered the best fighter.
Velasquez, a former UFC heavyweight champion, retired from MMA in late 2019. He was plagued with injuries from his shoulder, to his knee, and his back, which derailed some of his prime years.
A main training partner of Velasquez’s at American Kickboxing Academy, Cormier is confident his teammate could have beaten anyone had health kept up.
“I tell you, nobody wanted those Cain Velasquez problems,” Cormier told MMA Fighting. “If that dude was healthy and ready to go, I still believe he was the best fighter. Ask me, ask Khabib (Nurmagomedov), ask the guys that saw him in the gym when he was healthy and he was good. Nobody was like Cain.”
In his second reign, Velasquez defended his belt against Antonio Silva, and closed out his trilogy with Dos Santos by beating him a second straight time. But after the Dos Santos fight, Velasquez only competed four times over almost five-and-a-half years due to injuries.
“Think about his accolades, and he had to miss five, six years in the middle of his prime due to injury,” Cormier continued. “He was the best. I’m telling you right now, he’s one of those guys that everyone calls the best, this dude was the best. He was even better than me, for sure.”
For Cormier, Velasquez vs. Jon Jones is the fight that got away.
“That’s one we missed,” Cormier said, of Velasquez vs. Jones. “That would have been a good one.”
To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, this is our definitive list of the promotion’s 30 greatest fighters of all time.
To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, MMA Junkie has compiled its definitive list of the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. We revealed one every day until the anniversary of UFC 1, which took place Nov. 12, 1993.
Our complete rankings, along with videos for each fighter, can be viewed below.
About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.
Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez learned to appreciate the little things while behind bars.
The last year or so has been tumultuous for [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] and his family.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was arrested and put in jail for over eight months in 2022 for attempted murder charges on a man accused of molesting Velasquez’s 4-year-old son. It was all around a horrible situation that moved the entire MMA community.
Now free on bail, Velasquez can take away major lessons from his time in the Santa Clara County jail. Lessons he carries today with him.
“I took the opportunity to be with myself at the time – it was good and bad, but mainly good,” Velasquez said on the JAXXON PODCAST. “I believe a lot of people should experience something like that, like have their freedoms taken away, to appreciate what you have, and it’s the smallest things that we take for granted.”
Velasquez is one of the most beloved figures in the MMA world. He was also at one point the baddest man on the planet when he reigned as UFC heavyweight champion in the early 2010s.
Yet, despite being widely successful and on top of the world in his profession, Velasquez learned to appreciate the little things, not lavish things, in his time in jail.
“We’re so blessed every day, and we’re down on the dumbest things,” Velasquez explained. ‘When sh*t gets taken away, you realize, ‘Oh, I had all this and this.’ I had the opportunity to just leave when I want to. Get in my car and go outside, look at nature. Have the opportunity to go look at something like that and appreciate the day. Each day, each moment, just looking at a tree, something so small like that. That tree will never look like that ever again except that moment that you’re looking at it. It will never be the same. How the leaves are, how the wind is blowing. It will never be the same, except for that one moment. So take the time and appreciate, that moment was for you. So, little stuff like that.”
Although Velasquez was in tough circumstances, and still has to live, along with his family, with a rough past that’s very much present today, Velasquez sees his time in prison as mainly positive. It changed his perspective for the better.
“It wasn’t like I was in a bad place,” Velasquez said. “No, man. I’m here. I’m here. It doesn’t matter what (my surroundings) change to. I’ve been poor. I’ve been at the top. It doesn’t matter what I see. It’s always here. I’m always here. It matters what I make of this, what I feel inside. That’s what matters.”
The way Cain Velasquez blazed a trail for Mexican MMA and finished other dominant heavyweights of his era is why he’s among our 30 greatest UFC fighters.
The UFC is celebrating its 30th year and to commemorate the milestone, MMA Junkie has compiled its 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. Every day until the anniversary of UFC 1 on Nov. 12 (1993), we will reveal one fighter on our list.
Today, MMA Junkie reporter Nolan King brings you No. 24: [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag].
You can watch King’s career retrospective on Velasquez above; video produced by Ken Hathaway.
About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.
Cain Velasquez finds it hard to pick against Jon Jones, but isn’t counting Stipe Miocic out.
[autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] finds it hard to pick against [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag], but isn’t counting [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] out.
Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) challenges heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in the UFC 295 headliner Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Velasquez praised Jones for his unbreakable mind, but thinks Miocic is well-rounded enough to pose a threat.
“I mean, Jon Jones: the greatest ever. The greatest ever that you’re ever going to see – especially somebody at that weight class, 205, and now heavyweight,” Velasquez told The Schmo. “Obviously a complete fighter, mentally the strongest competitor that you’re going to face out there, but there is always that puncher’s chance. There’s always that maybe chance.
“That’s what continues to bring interest in the fights. Stipe, the greatest heavyweight out there, arguably. He brings so many threats to Jon Jones. Obviously, your gut will tell you that Jon Jones may come out of this on top. But there’s always that maybe, and Stipe’s one of those guys that can bring out that big maybe in this fight.”
The oddsmakers aren’t favoring Miocic to dethrone Jones. According to DraftKings, Miocic is a +310 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former two-time heavyweight champion would net a $310 profit. Jones is a -395 favorite, meaning a $395 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100 profit.
Legal proceedings of former UFC champion Cain Velasquez pick back up as a trial looms. He faces attempted murder and other charges.
The legal proceedings of former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] have largely stalled over the past year. However, light has been shed as to when his trial for attempted murder and other charges will begin.
Wednesday at Santa Clara County (Calif.) Hall of Justice during a pre-trial hearing, Judge Daniel T. Nishagaya briefly heard from both the prosecution and defense before he determined the next move would be a final trial setting date of Dec. 6 with the intent of a trial to begin in January 2024.
“I am willing to give this another setting date with the understanding I will be intending to set a trial date in the middle-to-later part of January, on Dec. 6,” Nishagaya said.”
The hearing was Velasquez’s fifth trial setting dating back to January. Each was continued at the request of the defense.
Velasquez was not present in person at Wednesday’s hearing. Various Goularte supporters appeared in the attendance log of the hearing on Zoom with hashtags like #Cain2Trial and #NoMentalDiversion4Cain as usernames.
Velasquez, 40, already pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including attempted murder after he allegedly chased and shot at a vehicle containing three people in February 2022. Velasquez spent over eight months in jail before he was granted bail with stipulations in November.
According to prosecutors, Velasquez targeted Harry Goularte, a man accused of molesting Velasquez’s then-four-year-old son at a daycare, but shot Goularte’s stepfather Paul Bender instead, which caused injury.
Goularte was arrested prior to the alleged shooting and faces one felony charge of lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14. Goularte has pleaded not guilty and will be due back in court for his own trial setting date Nov. 15.
The Velasquez family has also filed a civil lawsuit against the Goulartes, Bender, and businesses with addresses listed out of the daycare location, which was run by Goularte’s mother, Patricia.
If found guilty of attempted murder, Velasquez faces a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison, according to the California penal code.
For continuing coverage of the case, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for the Cain Velasquez trial.
