Photo: Josh Hedges
Cain Velasquez notched the ninth win on his unbeaten record this Saturday and UFC 121, and to boot, took Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight belt. The knockout came while still in the opening round, but it was no easy task, as he had a giant in his face, and the giant came on like a tidal wave at the outset.
“We knew his game plan was to go on the attack, but I was surprised by how he came at me early on. I kind of froze for a second. I wasn’t as relaxed as I should have been, but I feel that, after he took me down, I though to myself: ‘OK, relax,’” he said at the post-event press conference.
“I knew the referee wasn’t going to stop the fight for nothing. I wasn’t just throwing punches like a madman,” he added.
Photo: Josh Hedges
Now Cain turns his attention to his likely next opponent, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.
“I have to become a better fighter, I have to continue to evolve. I feel Junior dos Santos is the best standing fighter in the heavyweight division, so he’s extremely tough,” he said in praise.
“He has great takedown defense, he gets up quick when taken down, and he’s really relaxed when boxing, so I definitely have to work hard to beat him,” said the new champion in closing.