“When I look at all of the different heavyweights that I’ve personally seen fight, Cain stands out as the best.”
Back in 2013, Cain Velasquez was considered the greatest heavyweight fighter in the UFC and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. As of today, the former heavyweight champion isn’t even listed in the UFC’s top-fifteen rankings.
The 36-year-old has been forced to sit on the sidelines for the past two years due to a series of recurring injuries, but longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes that a healthy and focused Velasquez is still the best heavyweight to ever set foot in the UFC.
“Cain Velasquez, in my humble opinion, when I look at all of the different heavyweights that I’ve personally seen fight, Cain stands out as the best,” Rogan said on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “The reason why Cain stands out as the best is because he has superhuman endurance and his ability to put a pace on guys. You would see these guys just wilt under the pressure.”
Although Velasquez’s main strength is his endurance, it could also be his biggest downfall. The two-time champ puts on an overwhelming pace that breaks not only his opponents but also his own joints, ligaments and bones.
“I think with Cain – and this is where it gets really interesting – what did him in is also brought him to the top: his mental toughness,” Rogan said. “His body started breaking down. He started having all these back injuries. He needed back surgery, multiple back surgeries, shoulder surgery, knee surgery, everything was getting f*cked up and I think it was getting f*cked up because he was working through pain and he has the ability to tolerate pain that most people don’t have. He’s just a f*cking animal but that’s also probably what led to him having this insane endurance. It’s the same kind of mental toughness.”
Velasquez hasn’t fought in over two years and there is no sign of the American Kickboxing Academy standout returning to action anytime soon. His longtime friend and teammate, Daniel Cormier, is the current light heavyweight and heavyweight titleholder and is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.