Mexican-American Fighter Cain Velasquez Brings World Heavyweight Title and Championship Swag to San Jose

On October 23, the same night the Bay Area rooted on the San Francisco Giants to World Series contention, San Jose celebrated its own world title victory in hometown fighter, and new UFC Heavyweight Champion, Cain Velasquez.

In a dominant first round technical knockout stoppage in front of a packed stadium in Anaheim, California, Cain Velasquez, a San Jose-based mixed martial artist, took the title from the then belt holder Brock Lesnar. Velasquez’s victory, which makes him the first Mexican champion in the UFC, is being widely heralded as a historic victory for Latino fight fans. On fight night, fans at Honda Arena held banners that read, “Yes We Cain” and were draped in the green, red and white of the Mexican flag. The ethnic pride is one shared by Velasquez, who has “Brown Pride” written boldly on his chest.

But Velasquez’s new title is also historic for San Jose as a city that despite being the tenth largest city in the nation, has been somewhat dry when it comes to sports titles. Before Velasquez, the most recognizable world champion San Jose boasted was Joey Chestnut — the Michael Jordan of competitive eating. Without a MBL, NFL, or NBA team, San Jose sports fans have learned to become Bay Area wide sports fans by default. When the Oakland Warriors made the playoffs a couple years ago, San Jose was overcome with “We Believe” shirts, and this year’s San Francisco Giants World Series run will have throngs of San Jose fans cheering them on.

That’s why Velazquez’s title carries such significance for San Jose. He is a legitimate World Champion (mixed martial arts has international competitors, so it actually is a global competition, not only in name) that speaks to the San Jose identity. And it couldn’t come at a better time. Mixed martial arts — a combination of various combat disciplines such as boxing, jiu jitsu, wrestling, and muy thai — has become the fastest growing sport in the world, reaching a zenith in its global popularity and surpassed boxing as the most viewed combat sport. After support from mainstream media platforms such as CBS, and unprecedented pay-per-views numbers, mixed martial arts has climbed a long ascent from its days when it was equated to dog-fighting and being protested by political figures such as John McCain. Having a new heavyweight champion with international appeal will add to the growth and legitimacy of the sport. The former UFC champion Brock Lesnar came from the theatrical world of professional wrestling, had only trained in mixed martial arts for two years, and whose wins were attributed to his sheer size and aggression rather than technical know how. Velasquez on the other hand, with a modest persona and honed skill-set, resembles more of a professionally trained athlete than the previous imagery of a MMA fighter as a bar-room brawler. That he also speaks Spanish has made him the UFC’s marketing dream. That he also speaks Spanish has made him the UFC’s marketing dream. He is already a star that is creating new opening for the sport, scheduled to appear on Univision, TMZ, and the George Lopez show all on the same day. None of those outlets covered MMA before Velasquez's arrival.

Velasquez’s personal biography itself is an inspiring tale of immigration, hard work, and achievement. The child of farmworkers from Mexico, Velasquez’s father still works in the fields of Salinas. The pre-fight build up played up Vasquez’s humble roots and was pitched as a David and Goliath struggle. Although Velasquez is 245 lbs, he gave away more than 20 pounds to a mountainous Brock Lesnar, who up until the fight with Velasquez seemed indestructible.

In “UFC Primetime,” a series of nationally aired television shows depicting the athletes preparing for their fight, the profile on Velasquez was also a display of San Jose, showing clips of downtown and Eastside culture as a way to explain Velasquez. In one episode, Velasquez gives a speech at a youth serving organization called Mexican American Community Services about how he stayed focus on sports as a way to transcend his challenges, the same challenges many of the youth listening to him still face. In the episode, the young Latino men give testimony how they can relate to Velasquez, where he comes from, and what pushes him.

And although Velasquez is helping put San Jose on the sports radar, San Jose as a city has been one of the leading hubs in the country for mixed martial arts for some time now. Velasquez trains at the highly acclaimed South San Jose based American Kickboxing Academy which hosts a stable of star fighters including UFC welterweight title contenders Josh Koscheck, John Fitch, and Mike Swick. San Jose also is home to former Strikeforce (a mixed martial arts league like the UFC) Champions Josh Thompson and San Jose High School graduate Cung Le, a Vietnamese American who also has appeared in action films.

And it is not only the professionals who are building San Jose up as a mixed martial arts mecca. The Norcal Fight Factory, led by former professional fighter David Velasquez (no relation to Cain), has created an innovative and effective youth development program through training mixed martial arts to at-risk youth. Housed in the Washington Youth Center, Norcal Fight Factory is one of the first Police Athletic League supported mixed martial arts programs in California. And now, through Cain Velasquez, having the premier title in the premier MMA league should elevate San Jose’s reputation as a sports city.

On fight night, the smaller Velasquez faced down a charging Brock Lesnar who bull-rushed Velasquez at the start of the fight. Velasquez adeptly stymied the attack, and systematically picked Lesnar apart with his superior striking abilities. After an exchange of takedowns, Lesnar looked stunned, bloody, and outclassed. Velasquez ended the fight by controlling Lesnar on the ground, and finishing him with punches as the referee was forced to stop the fight.

In his post-fight interview in the cage, Velasquez told the roaring crowd that his title was “por todos Latinos.” Back home in San Jose, whether he said it or not, his title is also por todos en San Jose.