Velasquez Dethrones Lesnar as UFC Heavyweight Champion

Cain Ramirez Velasquez (above) and Brock Lesnar

Undefeated Mexican-American Cain Ramirez Velasquez (B: 1982) of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) defeated reigning heavyweight champion and former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Brock Lesnar via TKO at 4:01 of round 1 with punches during the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) 121 last October 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim , California, USA.

Velasquez earned the distinction as the first MMA fighter of Mexican ethnicity to be crowned as the UFRC heavyweight champion.

Lesnar started the fight aggresively and successfully took down Velasquez twice in the first two minutes but the challenger immediately sprang back up. A two-punch combination from Velasquez sent Lesnar tumbling across the octagon, attempting to regain hisfooting along the way. Velasquez chased him up to the fence, where he rained down blows on Lesnar.

Herb Dean stopped the fight at 4.01 as Lesnar was no longer intelligentlydefending himself.

Velasquez rose to 7-0 (UFC record) while Lesnar fell to 5-2. Velasquez entered the octogaon with a record of outlanding his last five opponents by a tally of 481 to 63. He currently holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Dave Camarillo.

Velasquez was a 2 time All-American collegiate wrestler from Arizona State, a Junior College National Champ at Iowa Central Community College, and a 2 time 5A state champion in Arizona, Compiling a record of 110-10 for Kofa High School (Yuma, Arizona).

Velasquez made his MMA debut at Strikeforce: Tank vs. Buentello on October 7, 2006 were he TKOed Jesse Fujarczyk in the first round. He made his octagon debut in UFC 83 where he defeated Brad Morris in the first round with strikes.

His other victories in the UFC were against Jake O'Brien (UFC Fight Night 14, 1st round TKO), Denis Stojnić (UFC Fight Night 17, 2nd round TKO), Cheick Kongo (UFC 99, unanimous decision), Ben Rothwell (UFC 104, 2nd round TKO), and former Pride heavyweight champion and former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (UFC 110, 1st round KO).