Filed under: UFC
One of the hardest things to do in life is live up to great expectations. They come bestowed upon you by someone else, gifted or cursed with a tinge of pressure and with the assumption that innate talent will be matched by an unrivaled effort to master your craft.
From the moment he entered mixed martial arts, Cain Velasquez‘s name has always been followed by expectations of greatness. Less than a year into his career, his trainers were telling people he would soon be the world heavyweight champion. His teammates said the same. The hype seeped all the way up to the top of the sport. UFC president Dana White signed Velasquez without ever seeing him fight, inking him to a deal on the word of the AKA camp and after watching a quick workout session.
Maybe that’s why we’ve rarely seen Velasquez smiling in the last two years, the weight of those lofty expectations on his shoulders. Finally though, he has his moment to smile. Facing his chance to capture the UFC heavyweight belt, Velasquez easily sliced through the monster Brock Lesnar with a first-round TKO.