UFC 121: Cain Velasquez's Victory

The Shinkage School of Swordsmanship says, “Victory goes to the one who has no thought of himself,” and Cain Velasquez is fighting not only for Mexico but also for his family. Being a Mexican-American his father came to the United States to give his family a better life after six attempts.

Cain grew up watching his parents picking vegetables in the fields of California and Arizona and seeing them labor for hours in the prickling heat just to make ends meet with little compensation. If he wants to succeed then he has to work hard for it. That’s how life taught him and that’s how his hard work has paid off, becoming the first Mexican UFC heavyweight champion via a first-round knockout against the physically intimidating Brock Lesnar.

At 6' 3" and a massive 264 lbs. of muscle, tattoos and a beard, Brock Lesnar has a significant weight advantage against Cain. But Cain never buckled. He has fought a number of bigger guys than Brock and he has fought tougher battles with notable victories against Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell and former champion Antonio Nogueira.

Fighting is not all about size and Royce Gracie was the perfect example of that, beating opponents much larger than him. Cain knows he has what it takes to win because he doesn’t have “quit” in his vocabulary—not in the Velasquez household.

After weathering Lesnar’s onslaught in the early part of the first round, Cain dominated Lesnar on a stunning and brutal one-sided TKO win.

He knows size and strength can never beat skills and technique.

He has had to work hard for the chance to fight for a world title and he knows there won’t be that many more opportunities to fight for a championship.

Raising his hands in victory, Cain fought for all the Mexicans and Latinos who crossed the barren desert to give their families a better life; he fought for the people who believed in him and most of all he fought for his father who gave his life for his family.

Cain Velasquez is the new UFC heavyweight champion and surely it was a victory that went to the one who had no thought of himself.