Back training, UFC champ Cain Velasquez shaking off cage rust ahead of UFC 139
Cain Velasquez is two weeks into training without restrictions, and he's happy to be moving at full speed.
Now, it's a matter of shaking off the rust.
"I think my recovery is coming a lot quicker than even I expected and any of my other coaches expected, so that's always a good thing," Velasquez told MMAjunkie.com.
The UFC heavyweight champ suffered a torn labrum – initially thought to be a badly torn rotator cuff – in his title-winning fight against Brock Lesnar this past October at UFC 121. Since, he's faced a slow road to recovery.
Junior Dos Santos (13-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the man Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) tentatively was scheduled to fight at UFC 129 before the discovery of the injury, reestablished his No. 1 contender status with a win over Brock Lesnar's replacement, Shane Carwin, at UFC 131. The two are now expected to meet at UFC 139, likely in Velasquez's adopted hometown of San Jose, Calif. The city's HP Pavilion is expected to host the Nov. 19 event.
It will have been 13 months since the champ last set foot inside the octagon. That's a lot of time for any fighter to be inactive.
Velasquez, of course, has tried to keep as busy as possible in the gym. In a previous interview with MMAjunkie.com, he detailed his efforts to stay in shape despite his physical limitations.
But he said he's a big believer in cage rust, and now that he's back in the gym, the most basic parts of his game have taken on great meaning.
"First thing was simple stuff like foot movement," he said. "That and the head movement, and the striking defense and striking offense. I'm just trying to get back the technique into everything I do.
"Now, it's trying to get the power and the combinations back."
Velasquez regularly meets with his doctor to assess the health of his shoulder and will do so more often as his training camp for Dos Santos progresses.
"I talk to him, and he tells me what I should do more of and what I should do less of," he said.
Although the 28-year-old Velasquez does believe that his striking will be an important tool against the heavy-handed Dos Santos – the first defense of his heavyweight title – he is more concerned with reassembling each skill he brings to the table: wrestling, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and clinch work.
"I think mixing everything well will be a huge factor, but yeah, knowing that he has those really good hands is a big part," Velasquez said. "Overall, I just have to get better in all aspects of MMA. Everything can improve still."
While Dos Santos' hands have gotten the bulk of press, the Brazilian displayed takedown skills for the first time at UFC 131. After battering Carwin with a flurry of punches, he not only shrugged off takedown attempts but wrestled the former NCAA Division II national champion to the mat.
Not surprisingly, Velasquez was impressed with that performance. But he also believes he's a far different opponent for Dos Santos. Against the heavy-handed Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, he repeatedly took the fight to the ground and pounded away at his opponent.
"I think I have some skills that are better than his," Velasquez said.
Those skills, however, still need sharpening. And while he knows there's only one place where he can truly shake off the rust, he's doing as much as he can to minimize it.
"The only thing I can do is go to practice and get all my sparring there to try to eliminate most of that," Velasquez said. "But it's definitely a thing. It happens."
Cain Velasquez is two weeks into training without restrictions, and he's happy to be moving at full speed.
Now, it's a matter of shaking off the rust.
"I think my recovery is coming a lot quicker than even I expected and any of my other coaches expected, so that's always a good thing," Velasquez told MMAjunkie.com.
The UFC heavyweight champ suffered a torn labrum – initially thought to be a badly torn rotator cuff – in his title-winning fight against Brock Lesnar this past October at UFC 121. Since, he's faced a slow road to recovery.
Junior Dos Santos (13-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the man Velasquez (9-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) tentatively was scheduled to fight at UFC 129 before the discovery of the injury, reestablished his No. 1 contender status with a win over Brock Lesnar's replacement, Shane Carwin, at UFC 131. The two are now expected to meet at UFC 139, likely in Velasquez's adopted hometown of San Jose, Calif. The city's HP Pavilion is expected to host the Nov. 19 event.
It will have been 13 months since the champ last set foot inside the octagon. That's a lot of time for any fighter to be inactive.
Velasquez, of course, has tried to keep as busy as possible in the gym. In a previous interview with MMAjunkie.com, he detailed his efforts to stay in shape despite his physical limitations.
But he said he's a big believer in cage rust, and now that he's back in the gym, the most basic parts of his game have taken on great meaning.
"First thing was simple stuff like foot movement," he said. "That and the head movement, and the striking defense and striking offense. I'm just trying to get back the technique into everything I do.
"Now, it's trying to get the power and the combinations back."
Velasquez regularly meets with his doctor to assess the health of his shoulder and will do so more often as his training camp for Dos Santos progresses.
"I talk to him, and he tells me what I should do more of and what I should do less of," he said.
Although the 28-year-old Velasquez does believe that his striking will be an important tool against the heavy-handed Dos Santos – the first defense of his heavyweight title – he is more concerned with reassembling each skill he brings to the table: wrestling, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu and clinch work.
"I think mixing everything well will be a huge factor, but yeah, knowing that he has those really good hands is a big part," Velasquez said. "Overall, I just have to get better in all aspects of MMA. Everything can improve still."
While Dos Santos' hands have gotten the bulk of press, the Brazilian displayed takedown skills for the first time at UFC 131. After battering Carwin with a flurry of punches, he not only shrugged off takedown attempts but wrestled the former NCAA Division II national champion to the mat.
Not surprisingly, Velasquez was impressed with that performance. But he also believes he's a far different opponent for Dos Santos. Against the heavy-handed Cheick Kongo at UFC 99, he repeatedly took the fight to the ground and pounded away at his opponent.
"I think I have some skills that are better than his," Velasquez said.
Those skills, however, still need sharpening. And while he knows there's only one place where he can truly shake off the rust, he's doing as much as he can to minimize it.
"The only thing I can do is go to practice and get all my sparring there to try to eliminate most of that," Velasquez said. "But it's definitely a thing. It happens."
