For Cain Velasquez, UFC Title Is the Goal, but Not Right Away

Cain Velasquez is an undefeated heavyweight who's preparing for the toughest test of his career when he faces Cheick Kongo on Saturday at UFC 99, and he says his goal is to win the UFC heavyweight title. But the 26-year-old Velasquez, who only got into MMA four years ago after his wrestling career at Arizona State ended, says he can be patient.

In an interview with FanHouse, Velasquez said that even if he beats Kongo on Saturday, he doesn't expect to get the next shot at the UFC title. He's just looking to add one more win to his fast growing resume. The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: What do you think of Cheick Kongo as an opponent, and is it tough to learn just a few weeks before the fight that you have a new opponent?
Cain Velasquez: Cheick Kongo is a great opponent, and I had to come up with a new game plan. He's strong and he's really improved his takedown defense and has great stand-up. He's super tough.

Where do you think he ranks in the UFC heavyweight division, and where do you think you rank? If you beat him are you deserving of a title shot?
I think he's one of the top guys. As far as a title shot, I don't think I'm fighting for a title shot. It's up to the UFC, but my opinion is that I don't have enough fights yet.

So you think you need to beat Kongo and then get at least one more win, maybe more, before you'd be considered for a title shot?
I think so. The UFC will decide, but I don't think I'd get one right away.

Do you think at all about how you match up with some of the top fighters you'd need to face to get a title shot? Have you thought about yourself matching up with the loser of the Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir fight, or against Shane Carwin, or Randy Couture or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? Do you give thought to how you match up with the types of opponents you'd need to beat in order to earn a title shot?
Yeah, in this division there are a lot of tough guys I would fight, and I do put myself in that position of thinking, "What would I do if ..." That's always in my head.

Is Kongo your toughest test yet?
Yes. I think with every fight it's gotten tougher for me, and Kongo is on a winning streak and is my toughest fight to date, for sure.

Have you been watching a lot of tape of his previous fights?
Yeah, I'm always looking at what my opponents do, what they're good at and how I can exploit their weaknesses and avoid their strengths. I'm looking at how he does in the stand-up, what punches he likes to throw, how he reacts to takedowns, things like that.

Had you already watched Kongo's fight with Heath Herring as you prepared for Heath?
That was actually the first fight of Heath's that I watched.

Are you at all surprised at the way you've beaten all five of your opponents convincingly? I don't want to say you've won easily because I know how hard you work at training, but your first four opponents couldn't even make it out of the first round and your fifth opponent you beat midway through the second. Did you expect to dominate like this?
I'm not surprised. I work really hard with my workout partners, to the point where the fights are easier than the practices. My partners and trainers prepare me very well to win.

Has the American Kickboxing Academy been a good place for you to learn the sport?
I believe we're one of the best gyms in the country. We have great guys here.

How long have you been a fan of the UFC?
I started following it in college, when I was about 22. I'm 26 now.

So you saw it as a career option when you were wrestling at Arizona State, but you never considered it when you were wrestling in high school or even younger?
No. It was in college when I realized that this was what I wanted.

Do you think wrestling is the best sport or martial art to have a base in to prepare you for MMA?
I believe so. I think it makes a lot of sense to start in wrestling and then get into MMA. I think having the base in wrestling is a good way to get started and then add in jiu jitsu and stand-up.

We always hear that wrestlers don't like being on their backs. Is that true of you? If you're in a position in a fight when you're on your back, is that a problem?
Yeah, wrestlers like to feel like they're in control, and when you're on your back in wrestling you're not in control. But from working in the gym I've gotten to the point where I'm comfortable on my back and I know what to do there.

How good are your jiu jitsu skills?
I've worked a lot on it in the gym. I've rolled with black belts and held my own. I'm always looking to improve at everything.

Is all of your jiu jitsu training based around MMA, or do you do some training in pure Brazilian jiu jitsu?
I do some gi training. Most of my training is for MMA and we roll without the gi every day, but I also do some with the gi. I have a blue belt and I always try to challenge myself against guys with brown belts, purple belts and black belts.

What kinds of goals do you set for yourself in MMA?
To be the UFC heavyweight champion.

Do you think about long-term goals beyond your fighting career?
After my fighting career I do want to coach MMA, coach young, up-and-coming fighters.

Who do you think are the best fighters in MMA right now?
There are a lot of great fighters, and I watch all the UFC fights with an eye for learning from the other fighters. Watching UFC 98, Lyoto Machida is awesome.

With your wrestling background, your style is a lot different from Machida's karate style. Can you learn things from him that you can adapt to your game?
Yeah, I can definitely learn from him. Machida came to our gym right before he fought Tito Ortiz (in May of 2008) and it was great to train with him and have a fighter with that unique style in our training camp, because you never see that.

Is 240 pounds a good weight for you? Are there any concerns that you're stuck in a bad place because you're too big to get down to light heavyweight, but you're significantly smaller than a big heavyweight like Brock Lesnar who has to cut to get down to 265 pounds?
With my body type, 240 is the right weight. Heavyweight is obviously a class with a big range of weights, but I feel like this is the best class for me right now. If I put on any weight I think I'd be too slow, and I don't think I should cut down to 205. I feel great fighting as a heavyweight.

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