Cain Velasquez receives high praise from AKA trainer Javier Mendez
July 14, 2008 by Adam Morgan
Filed under , Freddie Roach, Hitomi Akano
In Dave Meltzer’s latest column at Yahoo! Sports, he profiles up and coming heavyweight talent Cain Velasquez. Velasquez trains out of American Kickboxing Academy alongside talents such as Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Jon Fitch. He was an All-American wrestler at Arizona State and is arguably the best heavyweight prospect in the UFC today (sorry, Shane Carwin). We all know how coaches talk their fighters up and how people from the same camp talk their teammates up, but coming from Javier Mendez, the head trainer at AKA, this is pretty high praise:
“Right now, he could walk in and be a good pro boxer,” said Mendez about someone who, aside from fooling around with gloves with some friends, had never even put on boxing gloves until August 2006. “He could not only be a good kickboxer, but he’s K-1 level (the Japanese group which is top organization for heavyweights in the world). He won a world championship in Jiu Jitsu (World No Gi world champion in the blue belt division in late 2007, 17 months after his first class). He’s the fastest learner I’ve ever had. And nobody trains harder. He trains harder than the lightweights.”
Mendez, who said Velasquez today could beat Randy Couture, said he saw something in him the first day he came through the door for a tryout.
Like I said, Mendez could be blowing smoke up our asses for all I know, but from listening to people talk about Velasquez as well as hearing some of the stories from his days at ASU and his relentless ability to train like an animal, it seems like the UFC has something special on its hands with him. I don’t particularly know if he could beat someone like Randy Couture right now, but I’m willing to bet that he’d give someone like Couture a run for his money.
His opponent on Saturday, Jake O’Brien, is no laughing matter and probably the biggest test that Velasquez will have faced in his young MMA career. However, I have no doubt that Velasquez will ace that test. The thing about O’Brien is that he’s got good hands and good wrestling, but he never shows his boxing. He’s always so gunshy that we never get to see his great skill with his hands. He almost always reverts back to his wrestling and that’s where I believe Velasquez will dominate the fight. His wrestling is better and he’s not afraid to let his fast, powerful hands fly as we saw in his fight against Brad Morris at UFC 83.
There are big things ahead for Velasquez in the heavyweight division in the UFC and I believe Jake O’Brien will be a perfect stepping stone for him come Saturday.
I know for a fact that Cain is the real deal. IMHO the only thing that could stop him, and or hinder him, are injuries. He broke his hand against Constant in Bodog fights and it took a very long time for it to heal up properly. So, provided that he can remain relatively injury free (let’s face it … you’re never going to be 100% injury free in MMA, the training is far too rigorous and taxing on the body for that to be possible) I don’t see anything other than someone like Carwin, and or Lesnar, giving him some problems in the wrestling dept along the way (I’d still pick Cain to take both of those fights, but they’d probably be very tough goes for him). Also, I find it funny that Mark Coleman is moving down to lt. heavyweight to avoid beats like Velasquez, Carwin, and Lesnar … and I think Randleman should probablu follow suit, as I don’t see either he or his mentor being able to do jack against this new breed of MMA wrestler/fighter.
lol *beasts* .. not bests
I have watched him train many times at AKA the guy has some of the best cardio I have seen for a heavyweight. He never stops coming he never tires. He maintains the same pace round after round amazing for a guy of his size.
whoa whoa whoa….
let’s not fall all over the guy too much there boys…he could beat randy up??? i dunno ’bout that there mendez. the guy might be a fast learner, in fact so fast he’s a threat to randy, but you’re talking about a guy who’s been in the game for years and years who’s got waaaaaay more knowledge in every part of the game. sorry cain, even randy’s wrinkly old ass would be too much for you right now.
I don’t care how fast a learner you are, there is no way he would be a K-1 level kickboxer without many years of training
Other relevant headlines:
Apple receives high praise from Steve Jobs!
Yea saying that he is a K-1 level Kickboxer and would beat Randy sounds a little over the top to me.
Wait a minute. I thought Brock Larson was the next big thing. You know, amazing wrestler with all kinda strength. I just can’t keep the hype straight anymore.
lol Skeptical huh? Give it about a year, and then we’ll see. The exact guys that are now doubting will be singing praises and saying they told you so .. it always works that with the forum, message boards, etc..lol
Mark my words … I’d pick Cain to handle Randy with strikes right now, and I seriously doubt he’d get worked in the wrestling aspect either.
K-1 Level?
How many Americans make any sort of impact in K-1? Barely any. You’re competiting against European and Eastern European fighters that have been training in Muay Thai since youth in the best place in the world to train HW Muay Thai, Europe.
Even decorated American Kickboxing champs dont do very well other there, got a bit of a laugh at that line.
Cain is a K-1 Level Kickboxer who could beat Randy Couture any day… Javier Mendez sounds like a Sherdog poster.
I hate when fighters are hyped as the next big thing and this and that before they proove themselves. Look what the hype has done for fighters like kimbo and lesnar. Let these fighters do their thing first, which is fight and proove themselves and then talk about’em afterwards