Drive Meets Opportunity for Velasquez at UFC 121

Cain Velasquez file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

Cain Velasquez’s mixed martial arts resume is an impressive one: eight victories in as many fights, seven knockouts -- including five in the first round -- and wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, French kickboxer Cheick Kongo and International Fight League veteran Ben Rothwell.

However, the 28-year-old knows he will face an entirely different challenge when he takes on Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight championship in the main event at UFC 121 on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

“I haven’t ever faced someone with the power, size and athletic ability of Brock Lesnar,” Velasquez said during an Oct. 14 conference call to promote the event. “But the reason why you get into the sport is to fight for the title. All I can do is train hard and try to make the best of it.”

Lesnar stands 6-foot-3 and walks around right at the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds, an inch taller and roughly 20 pounds heavier than Velasquez. Trained at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., the challenger admitted finding sparring partners that can give him the same look as Lesnar has been difficult. Still, he has worked on adapting to the champion’s aggressive style.

“I’ve had some good wrestlers in camp, but there isn’t anybody that’s got his size and can move the way he does,” said Velasquez. “It’s a big factor to not have anybody that can mimic him, but I have confidence in the guys I’ve trained with. I’m having to adjust to his style of fighting, but that’s something that’s a constant in this sport.”

Velasquez is coming off an impressive first-round knockout of Nogueira at UFC 110 in February. It took him a shade more than two minutes to take out the former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder. The victory gave him a shot at Lesnar, who submitted Shane Carwin with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their fight at UFC 116 in July. The Carwin win was Lesnar’s first fight since July 2009, as he was sidelined for a year with a life- and career-threatening illness.

Though he has five first-round finishes and has gone the distance only once in his eight-fight career, Velasquez’s cardio is widely believed to be the best in the heavyweight division. He said his stamina stems from his collegiate wrestling days.

“Good cardio is something I’ve always had,” said Velasquez. “It’s always been a strong point for me. When I was in college, I wrestled a lot against guys who were a lot bigger than me, and I had to be able to wear them out to be able to win.”

One feather Velasquez does not have in his career cap is a submission, and while he would not discount the possibility of that happening against Lesnar, he claimed to be prepared for a stand-up battle, as well.

“If I’m in a position to submit him, I’m going to do it,” said Velasquez, a former junior college national champion wrestler who was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University. “All of my dreams since I started in this sport have been centered around fighting for the title. I want to be the best in the sport.”