Brown Pride, Takedowns, And Bolos: Cain Velasquez A Cultural And MMA Icon

If you have not had the honor of spending time within or around Latin culture, the Mexican culture in particular, then you may not understand or appreciate the term “brown pride.”

One need not be of Mexican descent to grasp the ideals and belief behind the term. Like any culture, the Mexican community is very diverse and the pride of a people is displayed on so many levels.

Be it through political representation at the highest levels of government, be it through culinary delights found across Mexico, or artistic expression through song or other mediums, the vibrant culture is undeniable and worthy of every ounce of “brown pride” claimed by the people.

One extremely and highly revered catalyst for displaying “brown pride” is found within the culture of combat arts.  The Guerrero or warriors of the Mexican culture are many, and they are highly revered both historically and in modern times.

Latin warriors permeate the historic halls of the sweet science like Julio Cesar Chavez, and today the young Guerrero finds a new opportunity in mixed martial arts.  One man in particular is leading the way representing the Mexican culture at the highest levels of MMA.

This warrior has the words, “brown pride” tattooed in Olde English across his chest.  He carries a Mexican flag over his powerful right hand, and pays great respect to his people’s heritage by representing them as a world class fighter.

Cain Velasquez is the number one contender to the throne guarded ferociously by MMA icon Brock Lesnar. Velasquez covets that which appears to be guarded by an unstoppable raging bull.

With Brock stamping, snorting, and chomping at the bit to protect that which he fought so hard to gain, Velasquez looks to become the matador; stoic and dangerous in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Lesnar recently withstood the hurricane force of Shane Carwin only to rebound and not only show a stone beard, but an improved finishing game as well. It becomes harder and harder to bet against the UFC Heavyweight Champ.

If one were the betting sort, the type of fighter it would take to make them bet against Brock might be a man like Velasquez. A proud Mexican warrior who has the belief in himself to overcome, and the skill in his heart to succeed, time and time again.

Add to that the drive of an entire culture that stands behind him; waves of history projecting him towards his destiny as the face of their people standing tall atop the MMA mountain. Suddenly his inspiration becomes quite understandable.

Belief, pride, talent, and the support of a unified voice can be a very powerful thing. The ingredients alone wont be enough, but they represent the foundation for a lifetime of success.

The desired success may not come to pass immediately either. But what makes a man like Velasquez so dangerous is that he isn't going anywhere.

Even if he is still placing the building blocks today of a historical career yet to be fashioned, his time will come. He may defeat Lesnar, he may not. Either way, his future is very bright, as it may involve a UFC heavyweight strap. But it does not hinge upon it today.

That much has been proven up to this point in his career. Having found enormous success as both a high school and collegiate wrestler, winning has become a way of life.

Now training in striking arts and aspects of MMA like Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu under Dave Camarillo, Velasquez is only furthering that which is all he knows, competition and his ability to defeat men.

He is a relentless competitor, with a warrior's heart, not a drop of quit, and the momentum of eight MMA victories with zero defeats behind him.

Watching Velasquez is like watching Georges St. Pierre earlier in his career.

Point being, every time fight fans saw GSP in the early years of his reign, he seemed to get better. Some fighters hit a ceiling with their abilities, other fighters change the game by raising the bar.

GSP is the type to raise the bar. Something tells fight fans they have yet to see the best Cain Velasquez they will see and he is already pretty damn good. That is a scary prospect. He will improve, and will do so before your eyes.

An example would be Velasquez’s struggles to finish Cheick Kongo. While he obviously held the deed to Congo’s ass, people questioned his ability to finish at elite levels with world class heavyweights.

His follow up performances against Ben Rothwell and Minatauro Nogueira put any of that nonsense to rest. In little more than a year, he went from struggling to finish a man he was clearly destroying, to becoming the first man to ever KO Big Nog with a clean finish.

Imagine where he will be a year from today.

This man isn’t the biggest heavyweight a fight fan will ever see. He may not be the sexiest name compared to the Lesnars and Fedors of the world. Though, none of that really means squat.

He has “brown pride” and bolos to throw. He can control heavyweight fighters with vicious wrestling, he can work like the energizer bunny without tiring, he can knockout legends cold with his striking.

Add the pride of a people, and pride for his family, as a son, a husband, and a father, and this man has quite a bit to fight for.

Thank goodness you and I are in a position to witness his rise to power. The view is great from here, isn’t it?

This article originally published at Hurtsbad.com