The Curious Case of Cain Velasquez

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports 

By: Chris Huntemann, Columnist

When I saw Cain Velasquez demolish Brock Lesnar and win the UFC heavyweight title in 2010, I thought the same thing I did about former champions like Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva – that Cain would never lose to anyone, ever.

That belief was shot down when Velasquez lost the belt to Junior Dos Santos a year later on the very first UFC card on FOX. But, when Velasquez mowed through Dos Santos to regain his belt a year later, I thought Velasquez would rule the heavyweight division with an iron fist. I was proven right initially, as he successfully defended his title with brutal TKOs of Antonio Silva and Dos Santos.

Unfortunately, while establishing himself as possibly one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, Velasquez has dealt with an assortment of injuries. From a torn rotator cuff to multiple knee injuries, including the most recent one that forced him to withdraw from his title fight with Fabricio Werdum next month, Velasquez’s legacy as not only one of the best heavyweights ever but possibly the best pound-for-pound fighter ever is in serious jeopardy if he can’t stay healthy.

What’s the cause of Velasquez’s maladies? No one knows. He fights an aggressive style and always looks for the knockout blow, which might partly explain his rotator cuff injury. But, he hasn’t spent much time on the ground in his UFC career, which adds to the question of why his knees give him so much trouble.

Velasquez trains at the American Kickboxing Academy, which is home to other heavy hitters such as Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Phil Baroni and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Is it possible that Velasquez goes a little too hard in training, thus making him more susceptible to injuries?

Let’s not kid ourselves. Mixed martial arts is a brutal sport, and injuries happen. This year is as good an example of that as any, with multiple injuries to multiple fighters leading to the cancellation of several big UFC fights.

Velasquez was supposed to defend his belt against Werdum next month in Mexico City – UFC’s first foray south of the border, with the idea that Velasquez and his Mexican heritage would result in a huge draw of fans. Hopefully the event won't be a huge flop in his absence.

When Velasquez is firing on all cylinders, like in his defeats of Dos Santos, Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, there is no better heavyweight fighter in the world. Let’s hope that these injuries are just par for the course for a fighter well on his way to being one of the best ever, and not a parallel to other athletes such as Greg Oden, Kerry Wood or Mark Prior, who had once-promising careers derailed by injuries.  

Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also contributes his thoughts to our site on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.