Ryan Bader reflects on champ Cain Velasquez’s early years, scared opponents

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Cain Velasquez’s inability to get fights early in his mixed-martial-arts career is the stuff of legend.

Just as his pro run was kicking off, the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler sat on the sidelines for more than a ye…

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Cain Velasquez’s inability to get fights early in his mixed-martial-arts career is the stuff of legend.

Just as his pro run was kicking off, the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler sat on the sidelines for more than a year as one opponent after another dropped out.

MMAjunkie.com documented the experience in 2009 as part of an in-depth profile on Velasquez, and on Friday, teammate and UFC 126 fighter Ryan Bader provided some humorous anecdotes.