Cain Velasquez
Active 2008–present · rated in 2 editions · peak overall 92.0
Scouting report
Cardiovascular endurance and pace defined the two-time UFC champion Cain Velasquez. Born in Salinas, California, the two-time NCAA Division I All-American out of AKA battered contenders with chain wrestling and dirty boxing, holding wins in a trilogy against Junior dos Santos, reflected in a 96 Wrestling, 96 Cardio, and 92 Overall rating.
Peak ratings
By edition
Velasquez dominated the heavyweight division between 2010 and 2013, knocking out Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Anaheim to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship, and reclaiming the belt from Junior dos Santos at UFC 155 before battering Antonio Silva and finishing dos Santos via fifth-round TKO at UFC 166 in Houston. His cardio pace, chain wrestling, and ground-and-pound are reflected in a 96 Cardio and 96 Wrestling.
Sidelined throughout 2014 by a knee injury and surgery that forced him out of UFC 180, Velasquez returned in June 2015 at UFC 188 in Mexico City to unify the championship against Fabricio Werdum, losing to a third-round guillotine choke. His collegiate wrestling pressure, dirty boxing against the fence, and motor maintain his ratings of 94 Cardio and 96 Wrestling.
Cain Velasquez and the heavyweight who never slowed down
Cain Velasquez came out of American Kickboxing Academy and fought like a lightweight who happened to weigh 240 pounds. He pushed a pace that big men are not supposed to hold, and he did it for five rounds. If you want a heavyweight who wins by attrition and volume instead of one big shot, this is the pick.
What each Velasquez rating means
Boxing. Better than his reputation. He won the title by stopping Brock Lesnar, and his punching mostly served to set up the takedowns.
Kickboxing. Solid but plain. He uses low kicks and knees on the way in, and he was never a stand-and-trade kicker.
Wrestling. The engine of his style. Double legs, chain wrestling against the fence, and a relentless ride on top made most heavyweights quit on their feet.
BJJ. Good enough to punish from top position with ground strikes. He was rarely the one hunting submissions.
Strength. Big for a man who moved this fast. He could bully opponents into the cage and hold them there.
Durability. He absorbed hard shots from heavy hitters and kept marching forward. The first-round knockout loss to Junior dos Santos in 2011 shows the chin is not flawless.
Cardio. The headline number. Late in fights he still shot for takedowns at full speed.
Fight IQ. He picks his moments to strike and to wrestle, and he rarely wasted energy.
Cardio is the reason to draft him
Most of the heavyweight pool fades once a fight goes past two rounds. Velasquez does not, and in a game that asks you to survive a full simulated fight, that changes which of your other picks matter. Pair him with a slower, harder-hitting big man and the gap in pace becomes his whole plan.
Where a kickboxer gets a look at him: Kickboxing
His kicking game is the thinnest part of an otherwise dense build. Against a long striker who lives at range, he has to spend energy closing distance before his wrestling can start. Ciryl Gane or Alex Pereira level kickboxing on your board covers this.
Keep exploring
Closest heavyweight profiles to Cain Velasquez, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Stipe Miocicbest boxing 93 · weakest bjj 80
- Daniel Cormierbest wrestling 98 · weakest kickboxing 78
- Curtis Blaydesbest wrestling 94 · weakest kickboxing 72
- Junior dos Santosbest boxing 95 · weakest bjj 76
- Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Cain Velasquez's strongest attribute, Wrestling.
Draft Cain Velasquez into your build
Cain Velasquez enters the pool on any spin landing on heavyweight between 2010 and 2015. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Cain Velasquez is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Cain Velasquez's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.