Cain Velasquez has indeed witnessed ultimate highs and lows as an athlete and human being.
Velasquez, a retired mixed martial arts legend, created global headlines in 2010 after registering a first-round TKO win over world-famous Brock Lesnar to become the UFC Heavyweight champion. However, his life has seen major hits post-leaving the UFC after 2019.
Basics of Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez was born on 28 June 1982, making him 43 years old, in Salinas, California, United States. He has Mexican and European descent. Velasquez is a Christian.
| Basics | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Cain Velasquez |
| Full Name | Cain Ramirez Velasquez |
| Born | July 28, 1982 |
| Age | 43 years |
| Birth Place | Salinas, California, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Faith | Orthodox Christian |
| Ethincity | Mexican, American-European |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
Cain Velasquez Height and Physical Appearance
- Velasquez’s height is 5 feet and 11 inches.
- 111 kg was his fighting weight and natural too.
- Velasquez has dark brown eyes and black hair.
| Basics | Details |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 feet and 11 inches |
| Weight | 111 kg |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Reach | 77 inches |
| Feet Size | 12 (US) |
| Tattoos | Yes, sevreal, famous on the chest |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Body Type | Giant & Mesculer |
Cain Velasquez Parents, Early Life and Siblings
Salinas is the birthplace of Cain Velasquez. However, the MMA legend was raised in Yuma, Arizona, and Gilroy, California.
He grew up in a working-class family. As a result, Cain was surrounded by farm and labour communities as a kid. While financial battles impacted his early life, Cain also witnessed racism issues. During high school, he started learning wrestling.
- Efraín Velasquez is the father of Cain.
- Isabel Velasquez is his beautiful mother.
- Adela Velasquez is the elder sister of Cain.
- Efrain Velasquez Jr is Cain’s brother.
Growing up in a family of five was challenging financially, but mentally supportive.
Education
From Kofa High School, Cain Velasquez polished his wrestling skills. Then for the Arizona State University, better known as the ASU, he performed as an NCAA Division I wrestler.
He speaks conversational Spanish and holds fluency in English.
Wife and Kids
- Michelle Velasquez is the wife of Cain. She has chosen to live a very low-profile life.
- Coral Velasquez is Cain Velasquez’s daughter.
- Cain Velasquez Jr. is the name of Michelle and Cain’s son.
Cain, in fact, left the MMA world after 2019 just to have quality family life. However, due to a shooting incident in 2022, he faced a five-year jail sentence in 2025. It has impacted his family-life to the core.
In Cain’s absence, Michelle has taken full responsibility for the children’s well-being.
Life Before the UFC Glory
Cain Velasquez was training as a wrestler and was doing part-time jobs before fully becoming a professional sports star.
It was indeed a financially challenging time for Cain. To polish his MMA skills, he even joined the American Kickboxing Academy. It led him to see a future in MMA.
MMA Career
- On 7 October 2006, Cain Velasquez smashed Jesse Fujarczyk to make his MMA debut in Fresno, California.
- For his second fight, he went to St. Petersburg in Russia to defeat Jeremiah Constant on 16 December 2006.
- In 2007, Cain signed a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- At UFC 83, on 19 April 2008, he outdid Brad Morris via TKO (punches) in Montreal, Canada.
- In July 2008, he outclassed Jake O’Brien (TKO) in the first round in Las Vegas.
- In Feb 2009, Denis Stojnic became the first fighter to take Cain to the second round. It made him win his first “Knockout of the Night” award.
- In June 2009, Cheick Kongo took Cain to three rounds. It was Cain’s first “Decision” (unanimous) victory.
- Four months later, In Oct 2009, Ben Rothwell lost to Cain, courtesy of a second-round TKO (punches).
- At UFC 110, in Feb 2010, he outpowered Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira with a “Knockout of the Night” victory in Sydney, Australia.
- On 23 October 2010, Brock Lesnar lost his UFC Heavyweight Championship to Cain Velasquez, who won the battle in just the first round (TKO).
- However, in November 2011, Junior dos Santos shocked the world by beating Cian in the first round (KO) in Anaheim, California.
- In May 2012, he had a comeback win over Antonio Silva.
- In December 2012, he met Junior dos Santos for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The rematch went to all five rounds. In the end, Velasquez won the fight unanimously.
- In 2013, he defended his title against Antonio Silva and Junior dos Santos.
- Two years later, in June 2015, Fabricio Werdum took Cain’s belts and became the first fighter to beat him via Submission.
- In 2016, he defeated Travis Browne to win the “Performance of the Night” bonus.
- On 17 Feb 2019, Francis Ngannou defeated Velasquez with a first-round KO in Phoenix, Arizona.
After losing to Ngannou, Velasquez decided to end his MMA career and try professional wrestling.
| Basics | Details |
|---|---|
| MMA Fights | 17 |
| Won | 14 |
| KO/TKO Wins | 12 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Head Coach | Javier Mendez |
| Wrestling Coach | Bob Cook |
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Leandro Vieira |
| Strength & Conditioning | AKA performance team |
Pro Wrestling Career
- In October 2019, Cain Velasquez shocked the fight fans with his debut pro wrestling appearance on WWE SmackDown.
- Having the UFC history with Brock made it a massive fight to have in WWE. In 2019’s WWE Crown Jewel, he lost to Lesnar by submission.
- In April 2020, due to the COVID pandemic, WWE released Velasquez to cut short their budget.
- Cain, later, made it clear that he needed time to make an impact in pro wrestling. He then signed with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. However, the shooting incident in 2022 impacted his growth in pro wrestling.
Killing Controversy
Cain Velasquez hit the stepfather of the man he was chasing with the car on February 28, 2022. The bullet hit the elderly man, who survived but faced injuries.
Cain was chasing the man as he had possibly sexually abused his young son. It led him to face attempted murder and other major charges.
At first, he was in jail. But later, Cain was sent for the horse arrest. In 2014, he pleaded no contest. A year later, Cain was sentenced to 5 years in prison. As a result, he has to serve the jail term until 2030. He now runs a podcast from jail named “Sundays with Cain”.
Social Media
Cain Velasquez holds 1.1 million plus followers on Instagram. He has decent reach on Facebook and X. Being in jail, his wife handles his social media and even promotes his podcast.
- X: @cainmma
- Instagram: @officialcainvelasquez
- Facebook: @officialcainvelasquez
Net Worth
As of 2026, the net worth of Cain Velasquez is USD 4 million. Due to his great MMA career and a notable time in pro wrestling, Cain has gained valuable sums.
While he is in jail, the past earnings are helping his wife and kids live a good life.
FAQs
Junior dos Santos, Fabrício Werdum and Francis Ngannou are the only three MMA stars to beat Cain Velasquez.
Cain Velasquez is serving his five-year term in jail, starting from 2025. A bullet shot, while chasing a person in 2022 from a car, hit the person next to his target.
In 2010, Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar because he performed better.
Cain Velasquez was released by the WWE in 2020.
Trivia
- Cain Velasquez is UFC’s first champion of Mexican descent.
- Cain was famous for his amazing cardio.
- He was not into trash-talking, which became a massive negative angle in his short-lived WWE career (2019 to 2020).
- Knees and shoulders impacted Cain’s MMA career.
- Coach Javier Mendez calls Cain his favourite student.
- Velasquez loved watching boxing as a kid.
- Velasquez had a dream of representing the US at the Olympics in wrestling.
Also read: Michael Bisping: Age, Height, Commentator, Wife, Children, Record and More