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Cain Velasquez offered his insights on the future of the UFC's heavyweight division.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was released from prison in November 2022 after being arrested in February of the same year on charges related to attempted murder. Velasquez recently reentered the world of combat sports as a coach, cornering his AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) training partner Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 300.
During a recent interview with 'The Schmo', Cain Velasquez shared his thoughts on the potential of Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich as future heavyweight champions. The 41-year-old Mexican-American said that he had trained with Pavlovich at AKA and the No. 2-ranked 265-pounder had left a strong impression by outworking him:
"I have seen both of those guys fight and with Sergei a couple of years ago. While he wasn't at this level and he's really tough to deal with, me training with him at AKA, not a lot of guys get the better of me. He was one of those guys where it was very difficult to do what I wanted to do against him."
He added:
"Good, strong wrestling background, with a very strong wrestling defense, also hard punching and really good striking - really tough to deal with."
Check out Velasquez's comments below (from 7:00):
Cain Velasquez outlines how Islam Makhachev may exceed Khabib Nurmagomedov's legacy
Cain Velasquez recently discussed the potential for Islam Makhachev to surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov's legacy.
Makhachev is currently gearing up to defend his lightweight championship in a highly anticipated rematch against Charles Oliveira. The PPV event is set to take place on October 21 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
During the aforementioned interview with 'The Schmo', Velasquez was prompted to share his perspective on the steps Makhachev would have to take in order to exceed 'The Eagle's' legacy. He replied:
"It's always a thing of progression, you know? Progression and going out and performing. You're only as good as your last fight, so going out and just continuing what they're doing, their heart has to stay in this, right? Continued success, progression in their skills, and going out with each fight that they have, whatever problems that the other fighter may bring, to trump those. Go out there and show that they can beat up anybody out there."
Check out Velasquez's comments below (from 4:53):
