Tag: Cain Velasquez

Trainer: Velasquez Must Be Technically Better, Not Faster Than Lesnar

Filed under: UFCLOS ANGELES — Conventional wisdom in the fight game tells us that if you want to prepare for a specific opponent, the best way to do it is to bring in sparring partners that can mimic that opponent’s signature attributes.

But when yo…

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LOS ANGELES — Conventional wisdom in the fight game tells us that if you want to prepare for a specific opponent, the best way to do it is to bring in sparring partners that can mimic that opponent’s signature attributes.

But when you’re facing Brock Lesnar, whose success is built at least in part on his uncommon physical attributes, where do you even find such a training partner?

This is the problem that Cain Velasquez‘s trainer, AKA’s Javier Mendez, had to confront over the last several weeks as they prepared for the UFC 121 title fight.

“See, that’s the dilemma. Where do you find someone like Brock to train with? You don’t. There is no one like him,” Mendez told MMA Fighting. “All we can do is bring Division I, high-level wrestlers in, like Daniel Cormier, Mark Ellis. That was it. You can’t duplicate Brock.”

Video: UFC Primetime – Lesnar vs. Velasquez Episode 3

(Video courtesy YouTube/Nic1985H/SpikeTV/ZuffaLLC)Saturday night’s main event at UFC 121 has all the makings of a classic match-up of contrasting styles and the Primetime show did a great job of illustrating that point.
On one side you have the jug…

(Video courtesy YouTube/Nic1985H/SpikeTV/ZuffaLLC)

Saturday night’s main event at UFC 121 has all the makings of a classic match-up of contrasting styles and the Primetime show did a great job of illustrating that point.

On one side you have the juggernaut UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar who makes up for his lack of experience and skills with his work ethic and physical abilities. Everyone from Lesnars camp has taken to referring to him by the nickname bestowed upon him by a famous thread on the mixedmartialarts.com underground forum that proclaimed the former WWE champion to be a "Frate Trane," and the monicker couldn’t be more fitting.

The question is whether or not the "Frate Trane" will be able to contend with the switchman who is trying to derail his title run. 

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‘Thankful’ Brock Lesnar Shows a Softer Side Before UFC 121 Showdown

Filed under: UFCLOS ANGELES – For most of Wednesday afternoon’s UFC 121 pre-fight press conference, it was a kinder, gentler Brock Lesnar sitting in the champion’s chair. He smiled. He cracked jokes. He even answered questions about his new beard, and …

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Brock LesnarLOS ANGELES – For most of Wednesday afternoon’s UFC 121 pre-fight press conference, it was a kinder, gentler Brock Lesnar sitting in the champion’s chair. He smiled. He cracked jokes. He even answered questions about his new beard, and there were plenty of them.

“I finally hit puberty and I just wanted to try it,” Lesnar joked, to the delight of the fans in attendance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. “No, It’s wintertime, I’m going hunting, and I’m from Minnesota. It’s that time of year. We just grow beards.”

See that? No more of the gruff goliath who, at some points in the past, treated media responsibilities as if they were the worst kind of torture. This time when he encountered a question he didn’t like, such as when MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani asked if he enjoyed filming the “UFC Primetime” series that brought a film crew into his gym and dangerously close to the boundaries of his closely guarded personal life, it was as if you could almost see Lesnar suppressing his natural urges.

Cain Velasquez Believes Mexican Promotional Angle ‘Makes Sense’

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosLOS ANGELES — MMA Fighting spoke to Cain Velasquez on Wednesday at the UFC 121 press conference about his upcoming title fight against Brock Lesnar, how he has been dealing with all the extra med…

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LOS ANGELES — MMA Fighting spoke to Cain Velasquez on Wednesday at the UFC 121 press conference about his upcoming title fight against Brock Lesnar, how he has been dealing with all the extra media attention and pressure and the emphasis on his Mexican heritage before the fight.

UFC 121 Betting Odds Preview

Here’s an early look at some of the line movement on UFC 121 betting odds…
:: In the headliner, a lot of public money is surprisingly coming in on Cain Velasquez. Brock Lesnar opened at -160 and has moved to -140, with Cain creeping towards even money at +110. If you’re with the majority of the […]

ufc-121-betting-oddsHere’s an early look at some of the line movement on UFC 121 betting odds…

:: In the headliner, a lot of public money is surprisingly coming in on Cain Velasquez. Brock Lesnar opened at -160 and has moved to -140, with Cain creeping towards even money at +110. If you’re with the majority of the public money and like Cain, take the +120 here. If you think Brock isn’t losing this one, grab him at -140 here.

:: We’re pretty excited about Jake Shields‘ UFC debut. He’s ranging from -220 to -260 at the major books now. If you’re on the bandwagon, take the -220 here. If you think Martin Kampmann isn’t getting enough credit, then it’s +200 here.

:: Finally, we swore we’d never bet on Matt Hamill in any scenario ever again. And like Cush’s dad, our word is as strong as oak. So even though it pains us, we’ll take Tito Ortiz and his +145 and not look back here.

Look for our UFC 121 betting odds breakdown video later tonight over at RawVegas.tv.

UFC 121 Press Conference Video

Filed under: UFC, VideosUFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez, undercard fighters Jake Shields, Martin Kampmann, Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz, along with UFC President Dana White, will all meet the media on Wednesday at th…

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Tito Ortiz will be attending the UFC 121 press conference on Wednesday.UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez, undercard fighters Jake Shields, Martin Kampmann, Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz, along with UFC President Dana White, will all meet the media on Wednesday at the UFC 121 pre-fight press conference. And if you can’t be there at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, you can watch it live right here at MMAFighting.com.

The press conference is open to the public, and it will be a good opportunity to see how the fans in Los Angeles react to Lesnar and Velasquez. Although Lesnar is the UFC’s biggest draw, he’s something of a villain to many fans. Velasquez, on the other hand, is a quiet, soft-spoken and likable guy who has been marketed heavily in Southern California by the UFC. So expect Velasquez to get the cheers from the crowd.

The press conference begins at 5 PM ET and the video is below.