Cain Velasquez thinks he could have held his own against the UFC’s current heavyweight champions.
During the late 2000s/early 2010s, there were few fighters more feared than Velasquez. The heavy-hitting Mexican superstar captured the heavyweight title on two separate occasions while earning victories over some of the division’s biggest names. Fighters like Ben Rothwell, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, and Junior dos Santos all learned firsthand the kind of power that Velasquez was packing in his prime.
Unfortunately, injuries largely kept Velasquez out of the MMA spotlight in his later years. He only competed twice between 2016 and 2019 before hanging up his gloves for good following a loss against Francis Ngannou.
During a recent appearance on the Basement Talk podcast, the Salinas, California native was asked how he’d stack up against today’s UFC heavyweights — specifically the division’s undisputed champion, Jon Jones, and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall.
“Jon Jones, prime Cain, OK, that would be a tough fight, man. Always, that would’ve been tough,” Velasquez said. “You know, with that dude, he is [the boogeyman]. But I think that would’ve been the best matchup because I think I would’ve had something for him. I could go there where he would’ve wanted to go” (h/t BJPenn.com).
Cain Velasquez likes his chances again tom aspinall better than jon jones
As for Aspinall, Velasquez thinks he would have faired a little better against the British fan favorite.
“Aspinall, as well, especially with the wrestling, I just know when I get onto somebody’s legs I’m taking him down,” Velasquez continued. “[He’s] very dangerous with his hands, has a lot of power. What he does, he kind of lunges forward and punches, takes a big step and lunges forward, closes that distance really well. But when somebody is wrestling, you’re going to be coming into my takedowns.”
Velasquez is scheduled to appear in a Santa Clarita courtroom on Friday, October 18 for sentencing in his attempted murder trial. In February 2022, Velasquez was arrested after he allegedly chased down a vehicle carrying Harry Goularte, a man accused of molesting Velasquez’s son at a daycare center operated by his mother. Velasquez reportedly fired several shots into the vehicle with a handgun, one of the bullets hitting Goularte’s stepfather who was driving at the time.
Eight months after sitting behind bars, Velasquez was granted bail. Velasquez has pleaded no contest to all charges, including attempted murder. If found guilty, he could find himself facing life in prison.
