Cain Velasquez: How He Can Become the Greatest Heavyweight Ever
Cain Velasquez has been the talk of the MMA world for less than two weeks and yet there are already people who are quick to dismiss the accomplishments of the best heavyweight fighter in Mixed Martial Arts.
It’s still very early in Cain’s career and he still has a long way to go in order to fulfill the promise he has already shown inside the octagon.
There are a lot of ways that Cain’s hype train can be derailed, for instance if he were to follow up his title win by losing his first title defense to Junior dos Santos.
However, given where Cain is now, it is fun to take a look and see where he can go as a fighter. Here is how Cain Velasquez can become the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time.
Athleticism
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Cain Velasquez is a very rare breed. He has the athletic prowess of a lighter fighter with the power of a heavyweight.
The only other guy in MMA that could potentially compete with Cain from a purely athletic standpoint is Brock Lesnar and we saw how that fight went.
His athleticism separates him from the rest of the heavyweight division and can keep him on top for a very long time.
Speed
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He is so fast, almost too fast for anyone else in the heavyweight division to keep up with him.
He moves like no other big man in MMA. His speed gives him a chance to win every fight.
Power
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The most underrated aspect of Cain's game is his power. He doesn't have the most power but he does know how to make great use of the power he has.
He uses his speed to get in to his opponent's face and land punch after punch that phases his opponent. Cain is developing more power as he gets more experience fighting.
Given his last three fights have all ended via KO, maybe he has fully developed that power, which makes him even more dangerous.
The Combination Of Speed, Athleticism, & Power
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Putting all three together is what makes Cain so dangerous. If an opponent wants to get into a slugfest, Cain has shown he can win that kind of fight.
If an opponent wants to take down Cain, he has shown he can use his speed and athleticism to get out of that and take the fight back to where he wants it.
Wrestling Ability
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Cain came into MMA with a background as a great wrestler who didn't have knockout power. He has won all but one of his fights via KO from punches.
However, he has used his wrestling and grappling ability to lock up his opponents and then just pound on them until they can no longer continue.
His wrestling prowess is often used to set up his punches. Cain's wrestling background makes him even more dangerous because he hasn't had to use the full extent of it in any of his fights yet, but it is still there if and when he has to use it.
Competition
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MMA has never had more pure talent in the heavyweight division than it has right now.
In UFC, there is Brock Lesnar, Antonio Nogueira, Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir. In Strikeforce, there is Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem.
Obviously, there are other guys too but the point is that Cain stands above them all right now. He is the best of the bunch and he would be a heavy favorite going in to a fight with any of these men.
Obviously, it's MMA and anything could happen, but the point is based on performance and athleticism Cain is head-and-shoulders above everyone else in the heavyweight division right now.
Cultural Impact
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UFC made the most out of their promotion of the fight between Lesnar and Velasquez making sure that we knew there has never been a Mexican that has ever won a heavyweight title in any sport.
In doing so, they may have stumbled upon one of the biggest marketing campaigns in sports history.
Cain has a chance to become something bigger than just another heavyweight champion. He can bring new fans to a sport that has already achieved mass popularity in the United States.
Cultural Impact (cont'd.)
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One thing that UFC has wanted to do for a long time was expand their popularity globally. They have conquered America and in some countries throughout the world.
They are looking at expanding throughout the entire world and getting a bigger Mexican audience will surely help that.
Cain's title match against Brock was a huge success because a number of reports say there were people asking about it even if they had never seen UFC before.
Cultural Impact (cont'd.)
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What was the one thing that separated Muhammad Ali from every other heavyweight boxer? The impact that he had on people. He was a cultural icon loved by millions and hated by millions.
Now, in no way do I think that Cain will be as important as Ali in terms of cultural significance. He brought in a casual viewer into the boxing world because of who he was.
However, he can bring in a new casual viewer to MMA because of who he is and what he can represent.
If he embraces the UFC marketing of the fact that there has never been a Mexican heavyweight champion until now, it can mean bigger things for him and UFC.
He's Not A Finished Product
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Cain is a great fighter, there is no doubt about that. However, watching him I am not convinced that we have seen how great he really is.
He has won all of his fights and he is the heavyweight champion but he can get even better. He hasn't really been in serious danger in any of his fights and that is when we see just how good a fighter you really are.
Can you comeback when you seem to be down and completely out of a fight? That's when you get a true measure of the greatness of an athlete.
Every legendary athlete has that moment. Jordan had those moments, Ali had those moments, when will we see Cain have his transcendent moment where he goes from great to legendary?
That's when Cain can become something more than just the best heavyweight fighter in the world today. He can become the greatest of all time.
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